Effects of Senna occidentalis on chick bursa of Fabricius

Abstract

Senna occidentalis (L) Link (formerly called Cassia occidentalis) is a toxic leguminous plant found ubiquitously as a contaminant of crops. All parts of the plant are toxic, but most of the S. occidentalis toxicity is found in the seeds. S. occidentalis has been shown to be toxic to several animal species, causing degenerative lesions mainly in muscles. This is the first report describing alterations in chick lymphoid organs caused by S. occidentalis seeds. The objectives of this study were to describe the effects of the treatment with seeds and its fraction external tegument (TE) on the development of chicks and their lymphoid organs bursa of Fabricius and spleen. Chicks that received a commercial ration with 1% TE had reduced body and lymphoid organ weights. The bursa of Fabricius presented reduction in the diameters of the follicles, and in the thickness of the cortical and medullary regions. The spleen presented depleted lymphoid tissue in the white pulp. These results indicate that the active principle of S. occidentalis is more concentrated on its TE fraction, and that it can cause weight loss as well as alterations in the lymphoid organs in chicks. The consequences of these alterations should be further investigated.

Effect of Senna occidentalis Seeds on Immunity in Broiler Chickens

“…The present study clearly showed that So administration to broiler chicks can promote immunotoxic effect in lymphoid organs such as the spleen and bursa of Fabricius, corroborating results from Silva et al. (2003).…”

“…(2003) with low concentrations of So seeds mixed in broiler chick rations showed that these birds were very sensitive to the toxic effects of dianthrone. In addition, studies conducted in broiler chicks treated with the seed coat of So also showed a significant alteration in the relative weight of lymphoid organs, mainly in the bursa of Fabricius, and their histological structure (Silva et al., 2003). Taken together, these studies indicate that So toxicity might impact the immune system of chickens.…”

Toxicity of Senna occidentalis seeds in laying hens and its effects on egg production

“…Broiler chickens treated with a low-level contamination of S. occidentalis seeds in the ration (0.5-1.0%) over 21-49 days presented muscle degeneration (Haraguchi et al, 1998a), decreased weight gain and the lowest feed conversion . Further studies in broiler chickens also revealed that S. occidentalis produced immunotoxic effects (Silva et al, 2003;Hueza et al, 2007). Thus, because the signs of S. occidentalis toxicity in broiler chickens were not specific and the diagnosis was overlooked, a hidden intoxication may be present more frequently than previously thought, and its consequences for the poultry industry must be evaluated.…”

Optimization of Yield for Extraction of an Essential Oil from Cinnamon Using Microwave-Assisted Extraction

“…Cassia occidentalis, seeds are reported to be both toxic [18,19] and medicinal and therefore some care is required in recovery of useful products from Cassia. Ingestion of whole untreated seeds or ground whole seed meals of Cassia species are known to cause illness and death to cattle, horses, pigs and chickens [19].…”