Pine needle abortion biomarker detected in bovine fetal fluids

Abstract

Abstract. Pine needle abortion is a naturally occurring condition in free-range cattle caused by the consumption of pine needles from select species of cypress, juniper, pine, and spruce trees. Confirmatory diagnosis of pine needle abortion has previously relied on a combined case history of pine needle consumption and detection of isocupressic acid in a sample from the dam. Stable metabolites of isocupressic acid include agathic acid, dihydroagathic acid, and tetrahydroagathic acid, which have been shown to be present in the serum of mature animals for a few days following consumption of pine needles. As maternal serum is infrequently submitted for diagnosis of cattle abortions, a diagnostic assay capable of confirming isocupressic acid exposure in other matrices would be desirable. To the authors' knowledge, no previous investigations have indicated whether these stable metabolites of isocupressic acid cross the placenta or are detectable in fetal tissues. Therefore, the presence of agathic acid, dihydroagathic acid, and tetrahydroagathic acid was evaluated using gas chromatography-mass spectroscopy on fetal thoracic fluid and stomach contents collected from 2 aborted bovine fetuses with a recent herd history of pine needle consumption by the dams and a subsequent abortion outbreak in the herd. Only tetrahydroagathic acid was detected in the fetal thoracic fluid and fetal stomach contents. The current study encourages diagnosticians to collect fetal thoracic fluids to permit the detection of tetrahydroagathic acid in cases of suspected pine needle abortion.

Ethnoveterinary for food‐producing animals and related food safety issues: A comprehensive overview about terpenes

“…The abortive effect occurs through the ingestion of these plants or intravenous infusion of isocupressic acid, which means that the abortifacient activity is not dependent on the ruminal metabolism of isocupressic acid (Gardner, Panter, & James, 1999). Cattle abortions and death due to these plant species can cause an economic impact on the livestock industry (Snider, Gardner, Janke, & Ensley, 2015).…”

Chemical Analysis of Plants that Poison Livestock: Successes, Challenges, and Opportunities

“…For example, the toxic principle monofluoroacetate was detected in the rumen contents of a sheep poisoned by Gastrolobium species (Figure G) . Similarly, metabolites of isocupressic acid have been detected in fetal fluid samples associated with calves aborted from ponderosa pine …”

“…27 Similarly, metabolites of isocupressic acid have been detected in fetal fluid samples associated with calves aborted from ponderosa pine. 28 A PCR-based diagnostic tool to determine whether a specific poisonous plant was ingested was recently developed. 29 This method used oligonucleotide primers specific to several larkspur species.…”

Biotransformações dos ácidos ent-poliáltico e ent-diidroagático por culturas microbianas e microssomas hepáticos

“…O diterpeno ácido isocupréssico (Figura 5A) foi associado à indução de aborto em ruminantes após o consumo de agulha do pinheiro de determinadas espécies de coníferas contendo este diterpeno (LEE et al, 2003). O diagnóstico deste quadro é sugerido através da detecção do ácido isocupréssico no plasma bovino, além de seus derivados estáveis ácido agático, ácido diidroagático e ácido tetraidroagático, os quais podem ser detectados mesmo após alguns dias depois do consumo da planta pelos ruminantes (SNIDER et al, 2015).…”

“…Estrutura química do A) ácido isocupréssico e B) ácido agático, os quais foram associados à indução de aborto em bovinos(SNIDER et al, 2015;GARDNER, PANTER & STEGELMEIER, 2010).…”