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Ipomoea carnea subsp. fistulosa, aguapei or mandiyura, is responsible for lysosomal storage in goats. The shrub contains several alkaloids, mainly swansonine which inhibits lysosomal α-mannosidase and Golgi mannosidase II. Poisoning occurs by inhibition of these hydrolases. There is neuronal vacuolation, endocrine dysfunction, cardiovascular and gastrointestinal injury, and immune disorders. Clinical signs and pathology of the experimental poisoning of goats by Ipomoea carnea in Argentina are here described. Five goats received fresh leaves and stems of Ipomoea. At the beginning, the goats did not consume the plant, but later, it was preferred over any other forage. High dose induced rapid intoxication, whereas with low doses, the course of the toxicosis was more protracted. The goats were euthanized when they were recumbent. Cerebrum, cerebellum, medulla oblongata, pons and colliculi, were routinely processed for histology. In nine days, the following clinical signs developed: abnormal fascies, dilated nostrils and abnormal postures of the head, cephalic tremors and nystagmus, difficulty in standing. Subsequently, the goats had a tendency to fall, always to the left, with spastic convulsions. There was lack in coordination of voluntary movements due to Purkinje and deep nuclei neurons damage. The cochlear reflex originated hyperreflexia, abnormal posture, head movements and tremors. The withdrawal reflex produced flexor muscles hypersensitivity at the four legs, later depression and stupor. Abnormal responses to sounds were related to collicular lesions. Thalamic damage altered the withdrawal reflex, showing incomplete reaction. The observed cervical hair bristling was attributed to a thalamic regulated nociceptive response. Depression may be associated with agonists of lysergic acid contained in Ipomoea. These clinical signs were correlated with lesions in different parts of the CNS.

Ríos, E.; Cholich, L.; Silva, J.; Acosta de Pérez, O.: Histopathological lesions in central nervous system of goats poisoned by Ipomoea carnea. Rev. vet. 19: 2, 130-134, 2008. Ipomoea carnea var. fistulosa (Convolvulaceae) is a perenne poisonous plant, found throughout the Argentine Northeastern. The intoxication produces a lysosomal storage disease in goats, sheep and cattle. Five goats were fed with 50 g/kgBW/day of fresh leaves, flowers and stems of I. carnea, during 43-60 days. Hirsute coat, depression, difficulty to stand up, ataxia, hypermetria, wide-based stance, incoordination of muscular movements, intense tremors, spastic paresis, abnormal postural reactions, nystagmus, hyperreflexia, hypersensitivity to sound, head tilting and loss of equilibrium were observed in all treated animals. The histopathologic study revealed the presence of cytoplasmatic vacuolation mainly in medulla oblongata and cerebellum. Control animals did not show any alterations. We conclude that this poisoning causes central nervous system damage, being Purkinje cells the most severely affected.Key words: goat, intoxication, Ipomoea carnea, nervous system lesions. ResumenRíos, E.; Cholich, L.; Silva, J.; Acosta de Pérez, O.: Lesiones histopatológicas en sistema nervioso central de cabras intoxicadas con Ipomoea carnea. Rev. vet. 19: 2, 130-134, 2008. Ipomoea carnea var. fistulosa (Convolvulaceae) es una planta tóxica, perenne, distribuida en el nordeste de Argentina. La intoxicación produce una enfermedad de almacenamiento lisosomal en cabras, ovejas y bovinos. Cinco cabras fueron tratadas vía oral con 50g/kg/ día de hojas frescas, flores y tallos de I. carnea, durante 43-60 días. En todos los animales tratados se observó pelo hirsuto, depresión, dificultad en la estación, ataxia, hipermetría, aumento de la base de sustentación, incoordinación de movimientos, intensos tremores, paresia espástica, reacciones posturales anormales, nistagmo, hiperreflexia, hipersensibilidad a los sonidos, cabeza inclinada y pérdida de equilibrio. El estudio histopatológico reveló la presencia de vacuolización citoplasmática principalmente en medula oblonga y cerebelo. Los animales controles no mostraron anormalidades. Se concluye que la intoxicación por I. carnea provoca daños en el sistema nervioso central, resultando las células de Purkinje las más severamente afectadas.

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The aim of this paper was to present the first report of Prosopis nigra poisoning of 18 cattle in Argentina. Outbreaks occurred in five farms located in Salta and Santiago del 19 Estero provinces. All animals were examined, euthanized and necropsied. Clinical signs 20 included tongue protrusion, twitches and tremors of muscles of mastication, weight loss and 21 lethargy. Severe atrophy of the masseter, buccinator and lingual muscles was observed, 22 along with neuronal vacuolation in the nuclei of the trigeminal, facial, and hypoglossus 23 nerves. These findings and the clinical signs are consistent with results obtained in animals, 24 spontaneously and experimentally intoxicated with Prosopis juliflora in previous studies. 25 Several species of this genus are native to Argentina. Farmers should be warned about the 26 suspected toxicity by Prosopis nigra, since this species has wide geographical distribution 27 in the country.

Introduction: Prosopis spp. pods have shown to be a potential source of protein and energy in livestock. However, prolonged ingestion of some of these species produces neurological symptoms in ruminants. Objective: In the present study, the alkaloid content and the in vitro neurotoxic activity of alkaloid enriched-extracts from P. flexuosa and P. nigra pods were determined in order to elucidate the mechanism of animal poisoning caused by these species.  Methods: The main alkaloids present in both extracts were analyzed by high performance liquid chromatography-high resolution mass spectrometry (HPLC-HRMS). The cytotoxic activity of Prosopis alkaloid enriched-extracts in primary mixed glial cell culture was assessed by phase contrast microscopy and using neutral red, and lactate dehydrogenase (LDH) activity assays. Results: Juliprosine and juliprosopine were identified in P. flexuosa pods, while the absence of these alkaloids in P. nigra was confirmed. Both extracts (5-30 μg/mL) induced in a dose dependent manner, morphological alterations, such as swelling, enlargement and detachment from the culture surface. Consistent with this, decrease in cell viability and release of LDH 48 hours after exposure, revealed that P. flexuosa pods was significantly more cytotoxic than P. nigra. Conclusions: The present study suggest that the cytotoxic effect displayed by both extracts are due to the alkaloid content. However, the presence of the alkaloids juliprosine and juliprosopine in P. flexuosa could explain the greater cytotoxicity on glial cells with respect to P. nigra that was not shown to contain these alkaloids.

Se describen los hallazgos clínicos y patológicos del envenenamiento experimental por Senna occidentalis en cerdos. Seis cerdos se distribuyeron en dos grupos, uno de los cuales se alimentó con una ración que contenía 10% de vainas y semillas de S. occidentalis por 30 días y el otro grupo permaneció como grupo control. Los animales intoxicados mostraron letargia, ataxia, temblores musculares, emaciación y recumbencia. La enzima creatina fosfoquinasa aumentó significativamente en los cerdos intoxicados con S. occidentalis (p<0.05). La histopatología reveló que los cerdos intoxicados mostraron principalmente degeneración de las fibras musculares y fibrosis en los músculos esqueléticos. La microscopía electrónica reveló lesiones mitocondriales. Los resultados confirman el efecto miotóxico de la intoxicación crónica por S. occidentalis en cerdos.