Timbós: ichthyotoxic plants used by Brazilian Indians

The pharmacology of serjanosides, active principles isolated from the fish-poison plant Serjania lethalis St. Hil, a Sapindaceae, was investigated by comparing their actions in fishes and mammals with those of rotenone and certain saponins. The ichthyocid activity of the serjanosides was 2.5 times greater than that of the crude plant extract, approximately 10 times lower than the activity of rotenone, but from 10 to 50 times greater than the activity of the other saponins. When injected in mammals, the serjanosides induced deep prostration, dyspnea, cyanosis, ectopic heart beats, cardiovascular failure and respiratory arrest. These effects, leading to death that was not prevented by artificial respiration, indicated several mechanisms for the toxic action of the serjanosides. In vitro studies with these substances have shown that membrane depolarization and muscle contracture were probably due to unspecific surface actions. Rotenone, under the same experimental conditions induced hypotension, bradycardia and respiratory arrest. Death was prevented by artificial respiration. Ectopic foci, membrane depolarization, contractures and neuromuscular block were not observed after rotenone. Apparently, death from rotenone poisoning was a consequence of respiratory failure of central origin. The serjanosides are rather potent fish poison saponins. Mammals, however, are apparently insensitive to the same specific action since other toxic effects induced by those substances in rats and mice were also observed by employing saponins devoid of fish-killing activity.