Clinical and pathological effects of Calotropis procera exposure in sheep and rats

This study aimed to describe the toxic effects resulting from the administration of Calotropis procera (Aiton) W. T. Aiton latex to rats and C. procera leaves to sheep. We studied male sheep that received C. procera leaves by gavage. Twenty male rats were separated into 5 groups and were subjected to an intra-peritoneal injection of fresh C. procera latex (without carrier solvent) at 1.0, 0.6, 0.3 or 0.1 ml of latex/kg of body weight, and control animals were injected with 0.9% NaCl. All rats were treated with the highest dose, but none of the rats from the other groups, died. The histological lesions were restricted to rats dosed with 1.0 ml of latex/kg body weight and included multi-focal coagulation necrosis of cardiac fibers and vacuolized hepatocytes. Subsequently, three groups of two sheep were treated with (1) a single dose of 30 g/kg, (2) a single dose of 60 g/kg or (3) 60 g/kg per day for 10 consecutive days. Exposure to the C. procera leaves was responsible for tachycardia and transitory cardiac arrhythmias in sheep from all groups. Gross pathological analysis of sheep dosed with 60 g/kg per day for 10 days revealed mild ascites, exudates on the trachea, pulmonary edema, mild hemorrhage in the liver, hydropericardium, flaccid heart, ulcers on the abomasum and kidneys presenting pale juxtamedullary cortex. The histological findings of the rat and sheep studies were similar and included multi-focal coagulation necrosis of cardiac fibers and vacuolized hepatocytes. In conclusion, our findings indicate that C. procera is a cardiotoxic and hepatotoxic plant.