tannins and Hypothermia

Oak poisoning occurred in crossbred cattle due to eating immature tender oak (Quercus incana) leaves. Mortality was 70%. The animals exhibited anorexia, severe constipation and brisket edema. The feces were hard, pelleted and coated with blood and mucous. Significant reductions in blood hemoglobin and mean corpuscular hemoglobin, and significant elevations in serum bilirubin were observed. Serum urea nitrogen and creatinine were greatly increased. There was bilirubinuria, proteinuria, hypoproteinemia and hypocalcemia, and greatly increased activities of serum aspartate aminotransferase, lactate dehydrogenase and alkaline phosphatase. The levels of tannins and condensed tannins were 97.7 mg tannic acid equivalent and 5.8 mg catechin equivalent/g of dry leaves. There was extensive nephro- and hepatotoxicity in the affected cattle due to hydrolysable tannins and simple phenols in the oak leaves.

Topics: Anemia, Hemolytic; Animals; Anorexia; Blood Cells; Blood Chemical Analysis; Cattle; Cattle Diseases; Constipation; Edema; Feces; Hypothermia; Kidney Diseases; Liver Diseases; Phenols; Plant Poisoning; Polyuria; Tannins; Trees

The LD(50) +/- S.E. of tannic acid given orally to albino rats was found to be 2.26+/-0.083 g. per kg. body weight, which is higher than its apparent LD(50) when given per rectum. The immediate cause of death was respiratory failure preceded by convulsions when death occurred early and by hypothermic cachexia when death was delayed. Death was associated with a progressively developing hepatic necrosis and nephritis and a temporary acute gastroenteritis. It was accompanied by loss of weight and edema in many organs, evidence of stimulation of the spleen, adrenal cortex and testes, and atrophy of the thymus. Recovery in survivors was associated with a temporary increase in weight of the spleen and testes and persistence of loss of weight in the adrenal, pyloric stomach, and skin.

Topics: Cachexia; Chemical and Drug Induced Liver Injury; Edema; Gastroenteritis; Hepatitis; Hepatitis A; Hypothermia; Liver Diseases; Nephritis; Pathology; Rats; Research; Seizures; Spleen; Tannins; Toxicology