Biomarkers and their potential for detecting livestock plant poisonings in Western North America

Abstract

The United States National Cancer Institute defines a biomarker as: “A biological molecule found in blood, other body fluids, or tissues that is a sign of a normal or abnormal process, or of a condition or disease.” In Veterinary Medicine, biomarkers associated with plant poisonings of livestock have great utility. Since grazing livestock poisoned by toxic plants are often found dead, biomarkers of plant poisoning allow for a more rapid postmortem diagnosis and response to prevent further deaths. The presence and concentration of toxins in poisonous plants are biomarkers of risk for livestock poisoning that can be measured by the chemical analysis of plant material. More difficult is, the detection of plant toxins or biomarkers in biological samples from intoxicated or deceased animals. The purpose of this article is to review potential biomarkers of plant poisoning in grazing livestock in the Western North America including recently investigated non-invasive sampling techniques. Plants discussed include larkspur, lupine, water hemlock, swainsonine-containing plants, selenium-containing plants, and pyrrolizidine alkaloid containing plants. Other factors such as animal age and sex that affect plant biomarker concentrations in vivo are also discussed.

Metabolomic analysis of swainsonine poisoning in renal tubular epithelial cells

“…In veterinary medicine, these characteristic metabolic changes related to livestock plant poisoning have great practical application. Clinical symptoms in livestock often have certain specificity but only show when poisoning is severe enough, while these specific changes in the metabolites can help diagnosis of earlier and faster ( 7 ), so as to respond more quickly taking corresponding measures to minimize losses. Our study shows that after SW treatment, based on metabolic specificity and the VIP values and Log 2 FC of differential metabolites, we have identified five metabolites which may be used for diagnosis for SW poisoning.…”

“…Locoweed, a plant species with a global distribution ( 1 ), has been documented in various countries including the United States ( 2 ), Brazil ( 3 ), Argentina ( 4 ), Australia ( 5 ), and China ( 6 ). The earliest instances of poisonous plant poisoning diseases in the western region of the country were documented in the United States in 1873 ( 7 ). In China, the distribution of locoweed is mainly concentrated in Qinghai, Xinjiang, Tibet, Gansu, and other regions ( 8 ).…”

Development of Novel Formulation for Sustained Release of Drug to Prevent Swainsonine-Containing Plants Poisoning in Livestock

“…Swainsonine-containing plants are mainly neurotoxic and have also been shown to have reproductive and embryonic developmental toxicity, causing neurological dysfunction, reduced reproductive capacity, and reduced production performance in livestock [ 2 , 3 ]. The short half-life of swainsonine (elimination half-life of 20 h) hinders the validity of serum swainsonine concentration as a biomarker, and histopathology is usually the best diagnostic method for swainsonine-containing plant poisoning [ 4 ].…”