Calcinosis in ruminants due to plant poisoning: contributions on the pathogenesis.

Abstract

The effects of plant-induced hypervitaminosis D on cell differentiation in the skin, aorta and lung of ruminants were studied. Skin and aorta tissue samples from experimentally Solanum glaucophyllum (Sg)-intoxicated cows were obtained and analysed. Also, aortas and lungs of sheep with spontaneous enzootic calcinosis (EC) induced by Nierembergia veitchii (Nv), and the same organs of rabbits intoxicated with Sg, were analysed by electron microscopy and immunohistochemical techniques. Sg-poisoned heifers showed a highly significant decrease in epidermal thickness due to a reduction in cell layers; also, a qualitative and quantitative atrophy of sebaceous and sweat glands was observed. Sg intoxication affected the proliferation of keratinocytes. The main ultrastructural alterations observed in aorta and lung of EC affected sheep and rabbits were a modification in smooth muscle cells (SMCs) and the activation of fibroblasts in the interstitium. Some macrophages and multinucleated giant cells, with calcium crystals in the cytoplasm, were found in areas of increased matrix in these tissues. A decrease in the amount of elastic fibres as a function of the intoxication time was observed. This reduction was significant after 15 days of intoxication.

Effects of Solanum glaucophyllum toxicity on cell proliferation and apoptosis in the small and large intestine of rabbits

“…⁄ = p < 0.01. Gimeno et al, 2004;Razzaque and Lanske, 2006;Fontana and Zanuzzi, 2007;Medici et al, 2008;Zanuzzi et al, 2008;Fontana et al, 2009;Fontana, 2010;Zanuzzi et al, 2010). Morphological modifications have been reported in the crypts of the small intestine of rats treated with metrotrexate (Verburg et al, 2000), and in the mucosa and lamina propria of young rats fed with low protein content diet (Rodrigues et al, 1985).…”

“…Rabbits are useful as experimental model. They are highly susceptible to experimental treatment with S. glaucophyllum in a way similar to the natural intoxication that occurs in ruminants (Dallorso et al, 2001;Gimeno et al, 2004;Fontana and Zanuzzi, 2007;Zanuzzi et al, 2008;2010).…”

“…Experimental studies performed in animal models treated with S. glaucophyllum have shown changes in cell proliferation, differentiation and apoptosis in aorta, lungs (Barros and Gimeno, 2000;Portiansky et al, 2002), skin 2004), thymus, lymph nodes and spleen (Fontana and Zanuzzi, 2007;Fontana, 2009;Fontana et al, 2009). In the intestine the effects of this treatment include specific changes in Paneth cells (Zanuzzi et al, 2008) and in the carbohydrate expression pattern of enterocytes and goblet cells (Zanuzzi et al, 2010).…”

Bone changes caused by experimental Solanum malacoxylon poisoning in rabbits

“…bone disease, psoriasis, and cancer (Clemens et al 1983, Rice et al 1992, Walters 1992, Bikle & Pillai 1993. Changes in cell differentiation induced by calcinogenic plants have been analysed in skin, aorta and lung , 2004, Portiansky et al 2002.…”

Toxic Chemical Compounds of the Solanaceae

“…The influence of UV light (6 h radiation with 254 nm) in the calcinogenic activity of T. flavescens and N. veitchii has been tested [169]. Mello and Habermehl [170] Cell differentiation damage induced by calcinogenic plants has been analyzed in skin, aorta and lungs [171]. Aguirre et al [172] reported the bone and growth cartilage changes after subacute poisoning of rabbits with S. glaucophyllum.…”