Toxicity of dietary Heliotropium circinatum to rats

Pyrrolizidine alkaloid intoxication was produced in adult, male rats by feeding different levels (0, 1, 3, 5 or 10%) of Heliotropium circinatum for 20 w. Combined GC-MS revealed 0.15% total alkaloid content in the plant material of which 12% and 88% were basic and N-oxide forms, respectively. The specific alkaloids identified were europine (67.33%), heliotrine (16.34%), lasiocarpine (8.12%), heleurine (4.18%), echinatine (1.56%), 7-angeylheliotrine (1.19%), and an unknown alkaloid (1.28%). Neither mortality nor significant clinical changes occurred in test groups. Mild to moderate, dose-related hepatic megalocytosis was the most prominent histopathological finding. In addition to chronic hepatotoxicity, notable medial thickening occurred in the pulmonary arterioles and arteries of the high-dosed groups. This study indicated that H. circinatum plant has limited toxic potential in rats with mild to moderate histological changes and no mortality at the dosing levels, total doses, or time of exposure employed.