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Pyrrolizidine alkaloids

June 10, 2008 - 7:30am
 
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Pyrrolizidine alkaloids

Pyrrolizidine alkaloid intoxication is caused by consumption of plant material containing these alkaloids. The plants may be consumed as food, for medicinal purposes, or as contaminants of other agricultural crops. Cereal crops and forage crops are sometimes contaminated with pyrrolizidine-producing weeds, and the alkaloids find their way into flour and other foods, including milk from cows feeding on these plants. Many plants from the Boraginaceae , Compositae , and Leguminosae families contain well over 100 hepatotoxic pyrrolizidine alkaloids.

What are the characteristics of pyrrolizidine alkaloid poisoning?

Most cases of pyrrolizidine alkaloid toxicity result in moderate to severe liver damage. Gastrointestinal symptoms are usually the first sign of intoxication, and consist predominantly of abdominal pain with vomiting and the development of ascites. Death may ensue from 2 weeks to more than 2 years after poisoning, but patients may recover almost completely if the alkaloid intake is discontinued and the liver damage has not been too severe.

How is pyrrolizidine alkaloid toxicity diagnosed?

Evidence of toxicity may not become apparent until sometime after the alkaloid is ingested. The acute illness has been compared to the Budd-Chiari syndrome (thrombosis of hepatic veins, leading to liver enlargement, portal hypertension, and ascites). Early clinical signs include nausea and acute upper gastric pain, acute abdominal distention with prominent dilated veins on the abdominal wall, fever, and biochemical evidence of liver dysfunction. Fever and jaundice may be present. In some cases the lungs are affected; pulmonary edema and pleural effusions have been observed. Lung damage may be prominent and has been fatal. Chronic illness from ingestion of small amounts of the alkaloids over a long period proceeds through fibrosis of the liver to cirrhosis, which is indistinguishable from cirrhosis of other etiology.

How often does pyrrolizidine alkaloid toxicity occur?

Reports of acute poisoning in the United States among humans are relatively rare. Most result from the use of medicinal preparations as home remedies. However, intoxication of range animals sometimes occur in areas under drought stress, where plants containing alkaloids are common. Milk from dairy animals can become contaminated with the alkaloids, and alkaloids have been found in the honey collected by bees foraging on toxic plants. Mass human poisonings have occurred in other countries when cereal crops used to prepare food were contaminated with seeds containing pyrrolizidine alkaloid.

What are the complications of pyrrolizidine alkaloid toxicity?

No information is currently available.

Who is susceptible to pyrrolizidine alkaloid toxicity?

All humans are believed to be susceptible to the hepatotoxic pyrrolizidine alkaloids. Home remedies and consumption of herbal teas in large quantities can be a risk factor and are the most likely causes of alkaloid poisonings in the United States.

Source: 

Food and Drug Administration

Please be aware that this information is provided to supplement the care provided by your physician. It is neither intended nor implied to be a substitute for professional medical advice. CALL YOUR HEALTHCARE PROVIDER IMMEDIATELY IF YOU THINK YOU MAY HAVE A MEDICAL EMERGENCY. Always seek the advice of your physician or other qualified health provider prior to starting any new treatment or with any questions you may have regarding a medical condition.

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