PHYTOCHEMICAL AND EXPERIMENTAL EVALUATION OF TOXIC COMPOUNDS IN Ateleia glazioviana FOR CATTLE
Gas Chromatography; Poisonous plant; Toxic plant.
Ateleia glazioviana is an important toxic plant in southern Brazil. Considerable economic losses occur annually due to its ingestion by ruminants. The aim of this study is to identify possible toxic active components, as well as detect the toxic effect and degree of irritation ruminants. Samples of A. glazioviana were collected in different situations of maturation degree, and identified for registration in the SISGEN system. An aqueous extract was obtained from the leaves to evaluate the predominantly present compounds in the samples (200g/500ml). The chemical detection of possible toxic compounds was carried out using the Gas Chromatography method (GC FID). Subsequently, with the chromatograms in hand, the most expressive chemical groups were analyzed for comparison with structures with toxic potential described in the literature. Chemical structures were found containing phenolic/ketonic groups (in the spectral region between 4,600 and 4,700Cm-1), which may suggest that they are substances already identified in the Glaviosinia A. and Rotenona species, both of which play an important role in the poisoning of ruminants. Additionally, toxicological tests for the degree of irritation and cellular damage were also performed, and both showed positive results (medium toxic at three levels). However, due to the structural similarities of these molecules, it is necessary to continue the characterization work, by different methods that can detail the compounds involved with greater precision.