Biomaterial Database

Studies on medicinal plants of Sri Lanka: occurrence of pyrrolizidine alkaloids and hepatotoxic properties in some traditional medicinal herbs. 1981

S N Arseculeratne, and A A Gunatilaka, and R G Panabokke

There is a paucity of data on the occurrence of hepatotoxic and hepatocarcinogenic pyrrolizidine alkaloids in medicinal plants, and there are no data on the hepatotoxic properties of herbal medicines that are used in the traditional pharmacopoiea of Sri Lanka and other Asian and African countries. In view of the extensive consumption of these herbs and the occurrence of chronic liver diseases including hepatocellular cancer in this and other countries of South Asia, we have screened fifty medicinal plants for pyrrolizidine alkaloids and have obtained positive results with three species, namely Crotalaria verrucosa L., Holarrhena antidysenterica (L.) Br., and Cassia auriculata L. Feeding trials in rats with materials from these three species produced liver lesions--disruption of the centrilobular veins, congestion or haemorrhage in the centrilobular sinusoids, centrilobular or focal hepatocellular necrosis--and histopathology in the lungs and kidneys which were compatible with the action of pyrrolizidine alkaloids. The presence of alkaloids in C. auriculata has not been previously reported nor has the presence of pyrrolizidine alkaloids in H. antidysenterica. It is suggested that the consumption of herbal medicines that contain pyrrolizidine alkaloids could contribute to the high incidence of chronic liver disease including primary hepatocellular cancer in Asian and African countries.

UI	MeSH Term	Description	Entries
D008099	Liver	A large lobed glandular organ in the abdomen of vertebrates that is responsible for detoxification, metabolism, synthesis and storage of various substances.	Livers
D010946	Plants, Medicinal	Plants whose roots, leaves, seeds, bark, or other constituent parts possess therapeutic, tonic, purgative, curative or other pharmacologic attributes, when administered to man or animals.	Herbs, Medicinal,Medicinal Herbs,Healing Plants,Medicinal Plants,Pharmaceutical Plants,Healing Plant,Herb, Medicinal,Medicinal Herb,Medicinal Plant,Pharmaceutical Plant,Plant, Healing,Plant, Medicinal,Plant, Pharmaceutical,Plants, Healing,Plants, Pharmaceutical
D011763	Pyrrolizidine Alkaloids	A group of ALKALOIDS, characterized by a nitrogen-containing necine, occurring mainly in plants of the BORAGINACEAE; COMPOSITAE; and LEGUMINOSAE plant families. They can be activated in the liver by hydrolysis of the ester and desaturation of the necine base to reactive electrophilic pyrrolic CYTOTOXINS.	Pyrrolizidine Alkaloid,Senecio Alkaloid,Senecio Alkaloids,Alkaloid, Pyrrolizidine,Alkaloid, Senecio,Alkaloids, Pyrrolizidine,Alkaloids, Senecio
D002366	Cassia	A plant genus of the family FABACEAE. Many species of this genus, including the medicinal C. senna and C. angustifolia, have been reclassified into the Senna genus (SENNA PLANT) and some to CHAMAECRISTA.	Indian Laburnum,Cassia fistula,Cassia fistulas,Cassias,Indian Laburnums,Laburnum, Indian,Laburnums, Indian,fistulas, Cassia
D000818	Animals	Unicellular or multicellular, heterotrophic organisms, that have sensation and the power of voluntary movement. Under the older five kingdom paradigm, Animalia was one of the kingdoms. Under the modern three domain model, Animalia represents one of the many groups in the domain EUKARYOTA.	Animal,Metazoa,Animalia
D013188	Sri Lanka	Country in southern Asia, an island in the Indian Ocean, south of India. The capital is Colombo.	Ceylon
D051381	Rats	The common name for the genus Rattus.	Rattus,Rats, Laboratory,Rats, Norway,Rattus norvegicus,Laboratory Rat,Laboratory Rats,Norway Rat,Norway Rats,Rat,Rat, Laboratory,Rat, Norway,norvegicus, Rattus
D056486	Chemical and Drug Induced Liver Injury	A spectrum of clinical liver diseases ranging from mild biochemical abnormalities to ACUTE LIVER FAILURE, caused by drugs, drug metabolites, herbal and dietary supplements and chemicals from the environment.	Drug-Induced Liver Injury,Liver Injury, Drug-Induced,Acute Liver Injury, Drug-Induced,Chemically-Induced Liver Toxicity,Drug-Induced Acute Liver Injury,Drug-Induced Liver Disease,Hepatitis, Drug-Induced,Hepatitis, Toxic,Liver Injury, Drug-Induced, Acute,Toxic Hepatitis,Acute Liver Injury, Drug Induced,Chemically Induced Liver Toxicity,Chemically-Induced Liver Toxicities,Disease, Drug-Induced Liver,Diseases, Drug-Induced Liver,Drug Induced Acute Liver Injury,Drug Induced Liver Disease,Drug Induced Liver Injury,Drug-Induced Hepatitides,Drug-Induced Hepatitis,Drug-Induced Liver Diseases,Drug-Induced Liver Injuries,Hepatitides, Drug-Induced,Hepatitides, Toxic,Hepatitis, Drug Induced,Injuries, Drug-Induced Liver,Injury, Drug-Induced Liver,Liver Disease, Drug-Induced,Liver Diseases, Drug-Induced,Liver Injuries, Drug-Induced,Liver Injury, Drug Induced,Liver Toxicities, Chemically-Induced,Liver Toxicity, Chemically-Induced,Toxic Hepatitides,Toxicities, Chemically-Induced Liver,Toxicity, Chemically-Induced Liver