Toxicity of Senecio jacobaea and pyrrolizidine alkaloids in various laboratory animals and avian species

Abstract

The chronic toxicity of tansy ragwort ( Senecio jacobaea) to several herbivorous laboratory animals and to chicks and turkey poults was examined by feeding the dried plant as a component of a mixed diet. Gerbils, hamsters and guinea pigs were resistant to chronic toxicity. Gerbils were highly resistant, consuming over 3500% of their body weight of the dried plant, whereas susceptible species succumb to a tansy ragwort intake of 5–20% of their body weight. Guinea pigs and gerbils were resistant to the acute toxicity of injected monocrotaline, a pyrrolizidine alkaloid (PA). They were moderately resistant to acute toxicity of injected tansy ragwort alkaloids. Both chicks and turkey poults were susceptible to chronic toxicity of dietary tansy ragwort.