Abstract
Ipomoea carnea is a toxic plant found in Brazil and other tropical and subtropical countries and often causes poisoning of livestock. The plant contains the alkaloids swainsonine and calystegines, which inhibit key cellular enzymes and cause systematic cell death. This study evaluated the behavioral effects of prenatal ingestion of this plant on dams and their kids. Twenty-four pregnant goats were randomly allocated into four treatment groups and received the following doses (g/kg BW) of fresh I. carnea: 0 (control group), 1.0 (IC1), 3.0 (IC3), and 5.0 (IC5) from day 27 of gestation until parturition. Dam and kid bonding and behavior were evaluated by several tests, immediately after birth until six weeks of age. Dams from IC3 and IC5 groups spent less time paying attention to the newborn. There was a lack of maternal-infant bonding due to I. carnea intoxication. Kids from treated dams had difficulty in standing, suckling, and in recognizing their mother hours after birth. I. carnea can also compromise the kids’ ability to learn and to retain spatial memory. We suggest that kids from pregnant goats given I. carnea during gestation have significant behavioral alterations and developmental delays that may compromise their survival.
Highlights
Ipomoea carnea (I. carnea) is a shrubby plant in the Convolvulaceae family which originated in tropical America and the Caribbean, but is found in tropical and subtropical areas worldwide including South and North America, Africa, Australia, and Asia [1,2].Livestock that chronically ingest this plant suffer from extensive losses including death, abortion, and other reproductive and physiological dysfunctions, that have been reported in different countries such as Brazil [3,4,5,6], Peru [7], and Mozambique [8]
We suggest that kids from pregnant goats given I. carnea during gestation have significant behavioral alterations and developmental delays that may compromise their survival
I. carnea leaves contained 0.14% swainsonine based on their dry weight
Summary
Ipomoea carnea (I. carnea) is a shrubby plant in the Convolvulaceae family which originated in tropical America and the Caribbean, but is found in tropical and subtropical areas worldwide including South and North America, Africa, Australia, and Asia [1,2]. Livestock that chronically ingest this plant suffer from extensive losses including death, abortion, and other reproductive and physiological dysfunctions, that have been reported in different countries such as Brazil [3,4,5,6], Peru [7], and Mozambique [8]. Swainsonine has been demonstrated to be produced not by the plant, but by fungi living in or on the plants. Swainsonine, but not calystegines, are produced by fungi in the order
Sign-in/Register to view highlights & summary Sign-in/Register to access full text options 
Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a callDisclaimer: All third-party content on this website/platform is and will remain the property of their respective owners and is provided on "as is" basis without any warranties, express or implied. Use of third-party content does not indicate any affiliation, sponsorship with or endorsement by them. Any references to third-party content is to identify the corresponding services and shall be considered fair use under The CopyrightLaw.
