Common Poisonous Plants Research Articles

Investigation and Analysis of Poisonous Plants in Landscape Plants of a Residential Area in Hefei

This paper lists the common poisonous flowers and poisonous plants in landscaping, and explains the matters needing attention in landscape design, which should consider their toxicity and functionality in landscape design, and use the design to play the aesthetic feeling of plants in landscape design. In this paper, the methods of field investigation and consulting data were used to investigate the poisonous plants in a residential area of Hefei.The family name, species name, poisonous parts and toxicity of these poisonous plants were listed, and the problems existing in the application of landscape plants in a residential area of Hefei City were discussed and the solutions were put forward.

Comparison of the acute toxicity of zygacine versus zygadenine

Foothill death camas (Zigadenus paniculatus) is a common poisonous plant found throughout western North America. The toxic alkaloids in foothill death camas are zygadenine, esters of zygadenine, with zygacine, the 3-acetyl ester of zygadenine, often being the most abundant. Two additional esters of zygadenine that are found primarily in the floral parts of foothill death camas are 3-angeloylzygadenine and 3-veratroylzygadeine. Recent research has shown that very little zygacine is detected in the blood of animals dosed with zygacine. A recent investigation into the metabolism of zygacine demonstrated that zygacine is rapidly metabolized to zygadenine, demonstrating a clear first pass effect. The objective of this study was to determine if there is a difference in the acute toxicity of zygacine and zygadenine to mice and sheep. Additionally, two other esters of zygadenine, 3-angeloylzygadenine and 3-veratroylzygadenine, were evaluated for their acute toxicity in a mouse IV LD50 assay. All three esters of zygadenine tested were more toxic than zygadenine, with the following rank order of toxicity in the mouse IV LD50 assay: zygadenine-HCl (59.5 mg/kg) < zygacine-HCl (1.6 mg/kg) < angeloylzygadenine-HCl (1.0 mg/kg) < veratroylzygadenine-HCl (0.5 mg/kg). Similar to the results of the mouse experiments, zygacine-HCl was significantly more toxic than zygadenine-HCl in sheep dosed IV with pure compounds. Sheep dosed with 1.25 mg/kg zygacine-HCl showed severe clinical signs of poisoning. Whereas a dose of 12.5 mg/kg zygadenine-HCl was required to elicit a similar onset and severity of clinical signs. Overall, these data indicate that zygacine is more toxic than zygadenine when administered IV, when first pass metabolism is bypassed.

Main Poisonous and Allergenic Plant Species in Sicilian Gardens and Parks: Applications and Recommendations for Use.

This study identified the most common poisonous and allergenic plants occurring in Sicilian gardens and parks. Based on a survey conducted at 100 sites, a list was drawn up that reports the main biological and toxicological characteristics and ornamental uses of these plants. A total of 137 taxa were recorded, of which 108 were poisonous and 32 were allergenic. The most represented families were the Solanaceae, Moraceae, Apocynaceae and Fabaceae. The most represented geographical contingents were the European and the Mediterranean. A large number of toxic and allergenic plants recorded in Sicilian parks and gardens cause gastrointestinal disorders, 21 of which are deadly poisonous. Based on the results, actions for the management of existing gardens and the construction of new ones are discussed. The importance of environmental education for the population starting from school age is stressed. These recommendations aim to preserve cultivated biodiversity and, at the same time, protect human and pet health.

Common Poisonous Houseplant Species in Florida

Plants inside our homes, offices, or those used as part of a patio garden have been shown to create a relaxed, productive environment and to improve indoor air quality. Overall, they are efficient, low-cost, and sustainable. While houseplants are safe to grow and provide many benefits, some can be toxic if ingested accidentally, which could be a concern for those with pets or small children. This publication is intended to inform homeowners, home gardeners, pest management professionals, and other plant enthusiasts of some of the most common poisonous plant species used as houseplants in Florida. It should be noted that while photos are provided of each species, there are many variations of each plant described, which could have different foliage color, variegations, slightly different leaf shapes, or flower colors.

Development of nucleotide signatures for common poisonous organisms provides a new strategy for food poisoning diagnosis

DNA barcoding is widely used in toxic species authentication, but due to serious DNA degradation of forensic materials, the application of full-length barcode sequences in food poisoning diagnosis is greatly limited. Nucleotide signature, a shorter specific molecular marker, derived from traditional DNA barcoding has been proposed as an emerging tool of toxic species detection in deeply processed materials. In this study, to resolve the frequent food poisoning accidents with unknown origin, we envisioned developing a nucleotide signature data set of common poisonous organisms and combining high-throughput sequencing (HTS) to reveal the poisoning cause. Ninety-three individuals and 1093 DNA barcode sequences of twelve common poisonous plants, fish, mushrooms and their related species were collected. Through sequence alignment and screening, the nucleotide signatures were respectively developed and validated as their specific molecular markers. The sequence length varied from 19 bp to 38 bp. These fragments were conserved within the same species or genera, and the specificity between related species has been also demonstrated. To further evaluate the application potential of nucleotide signature in forensic diagnosis, simulated forensic specimens (SFS) containing different poisonous ingredients were sequenced by HTS with PCR-free libraries. As a result, the nucleotide signature was successfully captured from original HTS data without assembly and annotation, accompanied by a high detection sensitivity of 0.1 ng/µl in mixture system. Therefore, this method was suitable for the assay of forensic materials with serious DNA degradation. The present study undoubtedly provides a new perspective and strong support for the detection of toxic ingredients and the diagnosis of food poisoning.

Toxicity of House Plants to Pet Animals.

Cases of ingestion of indoor poisonous plants are relatively common among animals and lead to both acute cases of poisoning and long-term exposure to harmful substances and chronic damage to the animal's health. Plants produce a large number of secondary metabolites, which serve to protect the plant from attacks by insects, parasitic plants, fungi or, for example, during reproduction. However, these metabolites can be toxic if ingested by animals or humans. Toxicologically effective components found in plants are mainly alkaloids, glycosides, saponins, terpenes and others. This review article describes in detail the most common and popular indoor poisonous plants grown in Europe, the mechanisms of action of their active substances and clinical signs of the respective poisonings. This manuscript is supplemented with rich photographic documentation of these plants not found in similar articles, and also includes a description of the treatment of individual types of poisoning.

Common Poisonous Weed and Invasive Plant Species in Florida Residential Landscapes

This new 10-page publication of the UF/IFAS Environmental Horticulture Department is intended to inform home gardeners, pest management professionals, and other plant enthusiasts of some of the most common poisonous invasive plants or weed species common in home landscapes in Florida, with particular focus on species that could potentially cause harm if ingested. Written by Yuvraj Khamare and Chris Marble.https://edis.ifas.ufl.edu/ep631

Bulbous Plants Drimia: "A Thin Line between Poisonous and Healing Compounds" with Biological Activities.

Drimia (synonym Urginea) plants are bulbous plants belonging to the family Asparagaceae (formerly the family Hyacinthaceae) and are distinctive, powerful medicinal plants. Just some species are indigenous to South Africa and have been traditionally utilized for centuries to cure various diseases and/or ailments. They have been recognized among the most famous and used medicinal plants in South Africa. Traditionally, the plants are used for various illnesses such as dropsy, respiratory disease, bone and joint complications, skin disorders, epilepsy and cancer. A number of studies have reported biological properties such as antiviral, antibacterial, antioxidant and anti-inflammatory, immunomodulatory, and anticancer activities. Their bulbs are a popular treatment for colds, measles, pneumonia, coughs, fever and headaches. However, some plant species are regarded as one of the six most common poisonous plants in Southern Africa that are toxic to livestock and humans. Due to the therapeutic effects of the Drimia plant bulb, research has focused on the phytochemicals of Drimia species. The principal constituents isolated from this genus are cardiac glycosides. In addition, phenolic compounds, phytosterols and other phytochemical constituents were identified. This study constitutes a critical review of Drimia species’ bioactive compounds, toxicology, biological properties and phytochemistry, advocating it as an important source for effective therapeutic medicine. For this purpose, various scientific electronic databases such as ScienceDirect, Scopus, Google Scholar, PubMed and Web of Science were researched and reviewed to conduct this study. Despite well-studied biological investigations, there is limited research on the toxic properties and the toxic compounds of certain Drimia species. Searching from 2017 to 2021, Google Scholar search tools retrieved 462 publications; however, only 3 investigated the toxicity and safety aspects of Drimia. The aim was to identify the current scientific research gap on Drimia species, hence highlighting a thin line between poisonous and healing compounds, dotted across numerous publications, in this review paper.

Rapid Identification of Common Poisonous Plants in China Using DNA Barcodes

Toxic plants have been a major threat to public health in China. However, identification and tracing of poisoned species with traditional methods are unreliable due to the destruction of plant morphology by cooking and chewing. DNA barcoding is independent of environmental factors and morphological limitations, making it a powerful tool to accurately identify species. In our study, a total of 83 materials from 26 genera and 31 species of 13 families were collected and 13 plant materials were subjected to simulated gastric fluid digestion. Four markers (rbcL, trnH-psbA, matK, and ITS) were amplified and sequenced for all untreated and mock-digested samples. The effectiveness of DNA barcoding for the identification of toxic plants was assessed using Basic Local Alignment Search Tool (BLAST) method, PWG-Distance method, and Tree-Building (NJ) method. Except for the matK region, the amplification success rate of the remaining three regions was high, but the sequencing of trnH-psbA and ITS was less satisfactory. Meanwhile, matK was prone to be more difficult to amplify and sequence because of simulated gastric fluid. Among the three methods applied, BLAST method showed lower recognition rates, while PWG-Distance and Tree-Building methods showed little difference in recognition rates. Overall, ITS had the highest recognition rate among individual loci. Among the combined loci, rbcL + ITS had the highest species recognition rate. However, the ITS region may not be suitable for DNA analysis of gastric contents and the combination of loci does not significantly improve species resolution. In addition, identification of species to the genus level is sufficient to aid in the clinical management of most poisoning events. Considering primer versatility, DNA sequence quality, species identification ability, experimental cost and speed of analysis, we recommend rbcL as the best single marker for clinical identification and also suggest the BLAST method for analysis. Our current results suggest that DNA barcoding can rapidly identify and trace toxic species and has great potential for clinical applications. In addition, we suggest the creation of a proprietary database containing morphological, toxicological and molecular information to better apply DNA barcoding technology in clinical diagnostics.

69 Connecting with the next generation of shepherds – an online sheep-based webpage serves as an additional tool in Extension education

Abstract Cooperative Extension education continues to maintain a strong foothold in educating people in the agricultural industry. To connect with the next generation of agriculturalists, Extension needs to investigate alternative methods to disseminate educational material. Developing and maintaining a webpage that provides relevant and scientific based sheep production information is critical as interest in the small ruminant industry continues to rise. The Ohio State University Extension Sheep Team webpage provides shepherds across the nation with the latest information regarding sheep production from daily management to industry outreach. In addition, a unique highlight of the webpage includes research summaries of sheep research conducted at Ohio State that are simplified to illustrate real-world application to improve on-farm production efficiencies. Over the past year alone, the OSU Extension Sheep Team webpage has recorded over 90,000 page views with an average visit duration time of approximately two minutes. Of these page views, approximately 9,000 originate from locations beyond the United States including Canada, United Kingdom, Australia, and New Zealand. According to the web servers’ descriptive statistic analysis, the top referral search engine is Google, representing 58% of all page visits. Interestingly, due the OSU Extension Sheep Team’s presence on social media, Facebook accounts for approximately 18% of all page visits whereas direct subscription of the weekly newsletter only accounts for 15% of all page visits. Furthermore, top article topics include those that relate to basic sheep management practices, health and disease, parasite control methods, and common poisonous plants. Due to the unusual weather patterns of 2019, an article related to poisonous plants accounted for 16% of the webpage’s total visits, which surpassed the number of homepage visits. In order to continue providing relevant Extension information, universities should consider utilizing web-based articles to efficiently reach a larger audience and provide timely articles based upon viewer interest.

Baccharis coridifolia poisoning in livestock in Uruguay

Baccharis coridifolia is one of the most common poisonous plants affecting livestock in Uruguay. Poisoning occurs when animals raised in areas free of B. coridifolia are transported to pastures containing the plant. Young stock become spontaneously averted to it after ingesting non-toxic amounts of the plant. As B. coridifolia is widespread in the country, farmers selling livestock report when animals have been raised in areas with the plant, meaning that they are naturally averted and will not ingest it if introduced in B. coridifolia-containing paddocks. Of 2456 farmers from 18 departments of Uruguay selling cattle through online auctions between June 2019 and May 2020, 78% mentioned that the animals they were selling were raised in grasslands containing B. coridifolia. However, only 35.8% of the farmers from three departments of Eastern Uruguay mentioned that their cattle were raised in grasslands with B. coridifolia. Herds from these departments presented 16.7 times (95% CI: 13.1–21.3; p < 0.001) more risk of not being naturally averted to B. coridifolia ingestion than the herds of the other 15 departments of the country. In this paper we review all outbreaks of B. coridifolia poisoning reported in livestock in Uruguay from 1911 to present. We also describe three outbreaks of poisoning, one in cattle and two in sheep that were poisoned in the same farms in which the animals were raised. Intoxication occurred when the animals raised indoors and/or in cultivated pastures without B. coridifolia were introduced into grasslands of the same farms containing B. coridifolia. Typical gastrointestinal lesions were observed in pathological examinations. Furthermore, two of three necropsied heifers showed severe acute nephrosis, which had not been reported previously in this poisoning.

Population structure and quantitative dynamics of Stellera chamaejasme in degraded typical steppe

Stellera chamaejasme is one of most common poisonous plant species in degraded grasslands of China. S. chamaejasme could dominate the community in some severely degraded grasslands, which is a serious threat to the sustainable development of animal husbandry in natural grasslands. In this study, S. chamaejasme population was divided into 10 age classes according to the number of branches. We investigated the age structure of S. chamaejasme population and population dynamic indices, and quantified the survival status of S. chamaejasme population by compiling a static life table, drawing a survival curve, conducting survival analysis. The age structure of S. chamaejasme population in the study area was growth type. The number of individuals in Ⅰ age class was sufficient but with relatively low survival rate. The population structure of S. chamaejasme was fitted the growing type. The development process of population was fluctuating. The number of individuals would drop sharply in Ⅱ and Ⅷ, indicating that these two age classes were the bottleneck period in the development of S. chamaejasme population. The survival curves of S. chamaejasme population was the Deevey-Ⅱ type. The results of survival analysis showed that the population had a sharp decrease in the early stage and was stable in the later stage, which was because the value of fx and λx of S. chamaejasme in Ⅰ or Ⅱ age class were the highest. In conclusion, sufficient young individuals (Ⅰ) was the basis for the expansion of S. chamaejasme population in the degraded typical steppe. The low transformation rate of young individuals to adults might be one of the reasons explaining why S. chamaejasme population could not expand rapidly in the early stage of grassland degradation. Therefore, it was suggested to intervene early when the number of S. chamaejasme was limited.

Evaluation of pyrrolizidine alkaloid-induced genotoxicity using metabolically competent TK6 cell lines

Pyrrolizidine alkaloid (PA)-containing plants are among the most common poisonous plants affecting humans, livestock, and wildlife worldwide. A large number of PAs are known to induce genetic damage after metabolic activation. In the present study, using a battery of fourteen newly developed TK6 cell lines, each expressing a single human cytochrome P450 (CYP1A1, 1A2, 1B1, 2A6, 2B6, 2C8, 2C18, 2C9, 2C19, 2D6, 2E1, 3A4, 3A5, and 3A7), we identified specific CYPs responsible for bioactivating three PAs – lasiocarpine, riddelliine, and senkirkine. Among the fourteen cell lines, cells expressing CYP3A4 showed significant increases in PA-induced cytotoxicity, evidenced by decreased ATP production and cell viability, and increased caspase 3/7 activities. LC-MS/MS analysis revealed the formation of 1-hydroxymethyl-7-hydroxy-6,7-dihydropyrrolizine (DHP), the main reactive metabolite of PAs, in CYP3A4-expressing TK6 cells. DHP was also detected in CYP3A5- and 3A7-expressing cells after PA exposure, but to a much lesser extent. Subsequently, using a high-throughput micronucleus assay, we demonstrated that PAs induced concentration-dependent increases in micronuclei and G2/M phase cell cycle arrest in three CYP3A variant-expressing TK6 cell lines. Using Western blotting, we observed that PA-induced apoptosis, cell cycle changes, and DNA damage were primarily mediated by CYP3A4. Benchmark dose (BMD) modeling demonstrated that lasiocarpine, of the three PAs, was the most potent inducer of micronuclei, with a BMD100 of 0.036 μM. These results indicate that our TK6 cell system holds promise for genotoxicity screening of compounds requiring metabolic activation, identifying specific CYPs involved in bioactivation, and discriminating the genotoxic compounds that have different chemical structures.

Most common poisonous plants of Afghanistan and its related clinical signs in domestic animals

Afghanistan is a landlocked country, having high mountains and high percentage (46%) of permanent pastures. Many types of plants including different species of poisonous grow in the country. Many species of wild and domestic animals have free access to these poisonous plants. In developed countries, poisoning is counted as one of the most important problem for animals, but in Afghanistan it is remained among inconsiderable illness as compared to infectious or metabolic diseases. Yearly, several outbreaks of unknown diseases occur in those areas which are rich of poisonous plants and cause serious economic consequences and human health concerns. The effects of poisonous plants on animals in Afghanistan and its common clinical signs have been remained unrecognized. In this review, we investigate the most common poisonous plants to animals present in Afghanistan and its related clinical signs for early diagnosis of plant poisoning in domestic animals. This review will help readers to distinguish poisonous plants, toxic parts, poisoning signs and the areas where they grow.

Seasonal variation in toxic steroidal alkaloids of foothill death camas (Zigadenus paniculatus)

Death camas (Zigadenus spp.) is a common poisonous plant in North America with plants occurring in a wide variety of habitats with species of toxic concern occurring primarily in meadows, grasslands, shrublands, and mountains. The toxicity of Zigadenus species has been attributed to a series of steroidal alkaloids. The objective of this study was to evaluate zygacine and total steroidal alkaloid concentrations in different plant tissues of Zigadenus paniculatus as a function of plant maturity. Death camas plants were collected at two locations at different developmental growth stages representing vegetative, flower, seed pod, and shattered seed pod stages. Zygacine represented greater than 50% of the total steroidal alkaloids at all developmental stages. In bulbs, total steroidal alkaloid and zygacine concentrations did not change significantly as a function of plant phenology, and concentrations were lower than what were observed in above ground plant parts. Total steroidal alkaloid and zygacine concentrations in above ground parts were highest at early vegetative growth stages and decreased over the growing season. In plant reproductive parts, total steroidal alkaloid and zygacine concentrations increased until maturity and then decreased as the plant senesced. The concentrations of steroidal alkaloids reported here suggest that the toxic risk associated with death camas is greatest in the early vegetative growth stages followed by the flower and pod stages. There is a toxic risk to livestock as long as the plant is present, and caution should be taken when grazing livestock in areas with death camas until the plant senesces.

Interaction Between Root Exudates of the Poisonous Plant Stellera chamaejasme L. and Arbuscular Mycorrhizal Fungi on the Growth of Leymus chinensis (Trin.) Tzvel.

The growth of a large number of poisonous plants is an indicator of grassland degradation. Releasing allelochemicals through root exudates is one of the strategies with which poisonous plants affect neighboring plants in nature. Arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi (AMF) can form a mutualistic symbiosis with most of the higher plants. However, the manner of interaction between root exudates of poisonous plants and AMF on neighboring herbage in grasslands remains poorly understood. Stellera chamaejasme L., a common poisonous plant with approved allelopathy, is widely distributed with the dominant grass of Leymus chinensis in the degradeds of Northern China. In this study, we investigated the addition of S. chamaejasme root exudates (SRE), the inoculation of AMF, and their interaction on the growth and tissue nitrogen contents of L. chinensis, the characteristics of rhizosphere AMF, and soil physicochemical properties. Results showed that SRE had significant effects on ramet number, aboveground biomass, and total nitrogen of L. chinensis in a concentration dependent manner. Additionally, SRE had a significant negative effect on the rate of mycorrhiza infection and spore density of the AMF. Meanwhile, the addition of SRE significantly affected soil pH, electrical conductivity, available nitrogen (AN), available phosphorus (AP), total nitrogen (TN), and total carbon (TC) contents; while neither inoculation of AMF itself nor the interaction of AMF with SRE significantly affected the growth of L. chinensis. The interaction between AMF and SRE dramatically changed the pH, AP, and TC of rhizosphere soil. Therefore, we suggested SRE of S. chamaejasme affected the growth of L. chinensis by altering soil pH and nutrient availability. AMF could change the effect of SRE on soil nutrients and have the potential to regulate the allelopathic effects of S. chamaejasme and the interspecific interaction between the two plant species. We have provided new evidence for the allelopathic mechanism of S. chamaejasme and the regulation effects of AMF on the interspecific relationship between poisonous plants and neighboring plants. Our findings reveal the complex interplay between the root exudates of poisonous plants and rhizosphere AMF in regulating population growth and dynamics of neighboring plants in degraded grassland ecosystems.

Molecularly imprinted polymer solid-phase microextraction coupled with ultra high performance liquid chromatography and tandem mass spectrometry for rapid analysis of pyrrolizidine alkaloids in herbal medicine.

Pyrrolizidine alkaloids are the most widely distributed natural toxins, and pyrrolizidine alkaloid-containing herbal medicines are probably the most common poisonous plants affecting humans. We reported pyrrolizidine alkaloid-molecularly imprinted polymer solid-phase microextraction for the selective adsorption of toxic pyrrolizidine alkaloids from herbal medicine. A sulfonic compound, sodium allylsulfonate, was chosen as the functional monomer to interact with pyrrolizidine alkaloids through strong ionic interaction. To avoid template leakage and for the aim of cost saving, a relatively cheap dummy template was used for the fabrication of molecularly imprinted polymer-solid-phase microextraction fibers. The obtained fibers showed selective adsorption ability for four pyrrolizidine alkaloids, including europine, echimidine, lasiocarpine, and heliotrine. The extraction parameters, such as extraction time, extraction temperature, shaking speed, elution solvent and elution time, were optimized. Then ultra high performance liquid chromatography with mass spectrometry coupled with molecularly imprinted polymer-solid-phase microextraction method was developed for the fast and efficient analysis of four pyrrolizidine alkaloids from the model herbal plant Farfarae Flos. The established method was validated and exhibited satisfactory accuracy and precision. The present method provides an innovative and fast analytical strategy for the determination of trace toxic pyrrolizidine alkaloids in complicated samples.

Spontaneous Baccharis coridifolia Poisoning in Suckling Lambs

Background: Baccharis coridifolia is one of the most important and common poisonous plants in Rio Grande do Sul (RS) state, Brazil (RS). The intoxication occurs when native livestock are exposed to the plant for the first time, especially when they are hungry, thirsty and stressed after transportation. The lesions associated with the toxicosis are characterized necrosis of the epithelial lining of the pre-stomachs. Cases of intoxication by Baccharis spp. in sheep native of a certain farm are uncommon. The objective of this study is to report an outbreak of B. coridifolia poisoning in lambs in RS, Southern Brazil, and to address the epidemiological, clinical and pathological aspects of this condition.Cases: Ten 15-20 day-old Corriedale and Texel lambs from a lot of 150 were affected. The onset of clinical signs occurred two days after the lambs were moved from ryegrass (Lolium multiflorum) pasture to a native pasture with moderate amounts of sprouting B. coridifolia. Main clinical signs were intense abdominal pain, during which some lambs distended the thoracic and pelvic limbs while standing up, diarrhea, dehydration, ruminal atony, salivation, decubitus and death. Gross lesions in three necropsied lambs were mainly located in the digestive tract and included varying degrees of hyperemia, edema and erosions in the fore stomach mucosae. Histologically, there were hyperemia and degenerative, necrotic and ulcerative changes in the epithelial lining of forestomachs. The lesions observed were characterized by hydropic degeneration stratified mucosal epithelium and multifocal intercellular edema. Necrosis of individual epithelial cells, which had the intensely eosinophilic cytoplasm with a pyknotic or karyorrhetic nucleus, was observed. Multiple clefts were seen at the junction of the epithelium with the lamina propria, some of which containing intact and viable neutrophils. In addition, one of the sheep demonstrated focal extensive areas of moderate proliferation of granulation tissue in the submucosa of the forestomachs.Discussion: The diagnosis of B. coridifolia intoxication was based on the anatomopathological findings and on the presence of the plant in the pasture where the lambs were held. The lack of other plants, such as other species of Baccharis, Eupatorium tremulum and Baccharidastrum triplinervium, capable of producing a similar disease, reinforces the definitive diagnosis. Differently, from what is reported in the literature, the outbreak of B. coridifolia intoxication in this study occurred in lambs born on the farm. The toxicosis affected 15-20-day-old lambs, the age group in which lambs developing grazing habits. Similar to what occurred in an outbreak of B. megapotamica intoxication in lambs, it is probable that the lack of previous knowledge of the plant by the lambs was the main predisposing factor of the outbreak reported here. This is suggested by the involvement of only lambs and not adult sheep, the latter of course not native in relation to the plant. Affected lambs developed an acute clinical course with digestive signs. Deaths are usually related to pre-stomach injuries caused by the toxic action of macrocyclic trichothecenes, associated with dehydration and diarrhea, resulting in an electrolyte imbalance. Intoxication by B. coridifolia should be considered a differential diagnosis in lamb mortalities, mainly during the development of grazing habit. In order to avoid the occurrence of Baccharis coridifolia intoxication in sheep, it is recommended the previous adaptation with a gradual introduction of the sheep under close observation.

Detection of Pyrrolizidine Alkaloid DNA Adducts in Livers of Cattle Poisoned with Heliotropium europaeum.

Pyrrolizidine alkaloids are among the most common poisonous plants affecting livestock, wildlife, and humans. Exposure of humans and livestock to toxic pyrrolizidine alkaloids through the intake of contaminated food and feed may result in poisoning, leading to devastating epidemics. During February 2014, 73 mixed breed female beef cows from the Galilee region of Israel were accidently fed pyrrolizidine alkaloid contaminated hay for 42 days, resulting in the sudden death of 24 cows over a period of 63 days. The remaining cows were slaughtered 2.5 months after the last ingestion of the contaminated hay. In this study, we report the histopathological analysis of the livers from five of the slaughtered cows and quantitation of pyrrolizidine alkaloid-derived DNA adducts from their livers and three livers of control cows fed with feed free of weeds producing pyrrolizidine alkaloids. Histopathological examination revealed that the five cows suffered from varying degrees of bile duct proliferation, fibrosis, and megalocytosis. Selected reaction monitoring HPLC-ES-MS/MS analysis indicated that (±)-6,7-dihydro-7-hydroxy-1-hydroxymethyl-5H-pyrrolizine (DHP)-derived DNA adducts were formed in all five livers. The livers from the three control cows did not have any liver damage nor any indication of DHP-DNA adduct formed. These results confirm that the toxicity observed in these cattle was caused by pyrrolizidine alkaloid poisoning and that pyrrolizidine alkaloid-derived DNA adducts could still be detected and quantified in the livers of the chronically poisoned cows 2.5 months after their last exposure to the contaminated feed, suggesting that DHP-derived DNA adducts can serve as biomarkers for pyrrolizidine alkaloid exposure and poisoning.

7-N-Acetylcysteine-pyrrole conjugate—A potent DNA reactive metabolite of pyrrolizidine alkaloids

Plants containing pyrrolizidine alkaloids (PAs) are widespread throughout the world and are the most common poisonous plants affecting livestock, wildlife, and humans. PAs require metabolic activation to form reactive dehydropyrrolizidine alkaloids (dehydro-PAs) that are capable of alkylating cellular DNA and proteins, form (±)-6,7-dihydro-7-hydroxy-1-hydroxymethyl-5H-pyrrolizine (DHP)-DNA and DHP-protein adducts, and lead to cytotoxicity, genotoxicity, and tumorigenicity. In this study, we determined that the metabolism of riddelliine and monocrotaline by human and rat liver microsomes in the presence of N-acetylcysteine both produced 7-N-acetylcysteine-DHP (7-NAC-DHP) and DHP. Reactions of 7-NAC-DHP with 2′-deoxyguanosine (dG), 2′-deoxyadenosine (dA), and calf thymus DNA in aqueous solution followed by enzymatic hydrolysis yielded DHP-dG and/or DHP-dA adducts. These results indicate that 7-NAC-DHP is a reactive metabolite that can lead to DNA adduct formation.