Diversity of Pyrrolizidine Alkaloids in the Boraginaceae Structures, Distribution, and Biological Properties

Food Additives & Contaminants: Part A

Witte

Stoopen

et al. 2016

To investigate the potential transfer of pyrrolizidine alkaloids (PAs), laying hens were fed for 14 days with diets containing 0.5% of dried common ragwort, common groundsel, narrow-leaved ragwort or viper's bugloss, or 0.1% of common heliotrope. This resulted in total PA levels in feed of respectively 5.5, 11.1, 53.1, 5.9 and 21.7 mg kg -1 , with varying composition. PAs were transferred to eggs, in particular yolk, with steady-state levels of respectively 12, 21, 216, 2 and 36 µg kg . Overall transfer rates for the sum of PAs were estimated between 0.02% and 0.23%, depending on the type of PAs in the feed. In animals slaughtered shortly after the last exposure, levels in meat were slightly lower than those in eggs, levels in livers somewhat higher. When switched to clean feed, levels in eggs gradually decreased, but after 14 days were still above detection limits in the hens exposed to higher PA levels. Similar was the case for meat and especially kidneys and livers. It is concluded that the intake of PA containing herbs by laying hens may result in levels in eggs and meat that could be of concern for consumers, and as such should be avoided. ARTICLE HISTORY

Section: Pa Levels In Animal Feedssupporting

confidence: 80%

Transfer of pyrrolizidine alkaloids from various herbs to eggs and meat in laying hens

Food Additives & Contaminants: Part A

Witte

Stoopen

et al. 2016

“…while intermedine is a typical representative for species belonging to the Boraginaceae family including the genera of Anchusa, Borago, Symphytum, and Echium, but also in Eupatorium species (family of Asteraceae) (Hartmann and Witte 1995;El-Shazly and Wink 2014).…”

Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Occurrence of pyrrolizidine alkaloids in animal- and plant-derived food: results of a survey across Europe

Food Additives & Contaminants: Part A

López

Castellari

et al. 2017

108

Pyrrolizidine alkaloids (PAs) are secondary metabolites of plant families such as Asteraceae or Boraginaceae and are suspected to be genotoxic carcinogens. Recent investigations revealed their frequent occurrence in honey and particularly in tea. To obtain a comprehensive overview of the PA content in animal-and plant-derived food from the European market, and to provide a basis for future risk analysis, a total of 1105 samples were collected in 2014 and 2015. These comprised milk and milk products, eggs, meat and meat products, (herbal) teas, and (herbal) food supplements collected in supermarkets, retail shops, and via the internet. PAs were detected in a large proportion of plant-derived foods: 91% of the (herbal) teas and 60% of the food supplements contained at least one individual PA. All types of (herbal) teas investigated were found to contain PAs, with a mean concentration of 460 µg kg −1 dry tea (corresponding to 6.13 µg L −1 in [herbal] tea infusion). The highest mean concentrations were found in rooibos tea (599 µg kg −1 dry tea, 7.99 µg L −1 tea infusion) and the lowest in camomile tea (274 µg kg −1 dry tea, 3.65 µg L −1 tea infusion). Occurrence of PAs in food supplements was found to be highly variable, but in comparable ranges as for (herbal) tea. The highest concentrations were present in supplements containing plant material from known PA-producing plants. In contrast, only 2% of the animalderived products, in particular 6% of milk samples and 1% of egg samples, contained PAs. Determined levels in milk were relatively low, ranged between 0.05 and 0.17 µg L −1 and only trace amounts of 0.10-0.12 µg kg −1 were found in eggs. No PAs were detected in the other animal-derived products.ARTICLE HISTORY

“…The high sensitivity of the LC−MS/ MS analysis utilized for the determination of the PA and PA-Noxide composition in the contaminated hay, as well as the possibility of measuring both forms of PAs simultaneously and the ease of sample preparation, enabled us to markedly expand the known PA profile of H. europaeum from 12 to 30 different PA and PA-N-oxides (Table 3). 3 A total of 10 PAs of the rinderine and heliosupine classes are reported for the first time to be present in this species. To the best of our knowledge, PAs derivatives of rinderine (10−16, Figure 1) and heliosupine (16−19, Figure 1) have so far been reported only in Heliotropium indicum, Heliotropium peruvianum, Heliotropium transalpinum, and Heliotropium supinum.…”

Section: ■ Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Heliotropium europaeumPoisoning in Cattle and Analysis of Its Pyrrolizidine Alkaloid Profile

Shimshoni¹,

Bouznach³

et al. 2015

J. Agric. Food Chem.

Pyrrolizidine alkaloids (PAs) are carcinogenic and genotoxic phytochemicals found exclusively in angiosperms. The ingestion of PA-containing plants often results in acute and chronic toxicities in man and livestock, targeting mainly the liver. During February 2014, a herd of 15-18-month-old mixed-breed beef cattle (n = 73) from the Galilee region in Israel was accidently fed hay contaminated with 12% Heliotropium europaeum (average total PA intake was 33 mg PA/kg body weight/d). After 42 d of feed ingestion, sudden death occurred over a time period of 63 d with a mortality rate of 33%. Necropsy and histopathological examination revealed fibrotic livers and moderate ascites, as well as various degrees of hyperplasia and fibrosis of bile duct epithelial cells. Elevated γ-glutamyl-transferase and alkaline phosphatase levels were indicative of severe liver damage. Comprehensive PA profile determination of the contaminated hay and of native H. europaeum by LC-MS/MS revealed the presence of 30 PAs and PA-N-oxides, including several newly reported PAs and PA-N-oxides of the rinderine and heliosupine class. Heliotrine- and lasiocarpine-type PAs constituted 80% and 18% of the total PAs, respectively, with the N-oxides being the most abundant form (92%). The PA profile of the contaminated hay showed very strong resemblance to that of H. europaeum.