Failure of dietary bentonite clay, Silent Herder mineral supplement, or parenteral Banamine to alleviate locoweed toxicosis in rats

J Anim Sci. 1997 Jul;75(7):1867-75. doi: 10.2527/1997.7571867x.

Abstract

To evaluate treatments purportedly beneficial for livestock grazing locoweeds (LW), growing rats were fed diets containing 10 or 20% whole-plant Oxytropis sericea (LW) with and without Silent Herder mineral mix (1.5% of diet) or bentonite clay (1.5% of diet). Pregnant female rats fed 10% LW were treated i.m. with Banamine (a prostaglandins suppressor) or saline. The LW contained swainsonine (430 micrograms/g DM) and elicited toxicosis within 10 d at intake of 2 mg/kg BW. In Trial 1, 96 immature male Sprague-Dawley rats (BW approximately 100 g) were fed commercial rat feed (CRF) with and without LW, as follows: 100% CRF, free choice; 100% CRF, restricted intake to equal average intake of rats consuming 10 and 20% LW; 90% CRF+10% LW free choice; and 80% CRF+20% LW free choice. Diets with LW contained either no supplement or supplemental mineral mixture (Silent Herder, 1.5% of diet) or added bentonite clay (1.5% of diet). Twelve rats received each of eight dietary regimens through 28 d. Locoweed depressed (P < .05) feed intake and BW gain, increased (P < .05) relative size of liver, kidneys, heart, spleen, and testes, and altered blood serum components (P < .05) indicating toxicosis. Dietary provision of Silent Herder or bentonite failed to benefit rats that ingested approximately 4 or 8 mg of swainsonine/kg BW daily through 28 d. In Trial 2, 68 young adult female Sprague-Dawley rats (approximately 230 g BW) were mated and directly assigned to three diets (100% CRF, free choice, 100% CRF, intake restricted slightly below average intake of diet by rats consuming LW, or 90% CRF+10% LW free choice) and two treatments (i.m. saline or i.m. Banamine at .25 mg/kg BW daily for 10 d) in a 3 x 2 factorial arrangement. Approximately half (31 of 68) of the impregnated rats were killed at d 10, when Banamine was discontinued, but diets were continued until the remaining females gave birth. Ingested LW provided approximately 2 mg swainsonine/kg BW daily and elicited toxicosis in 10 d, but LW failed to affect numbers of live concepti at d 10 (P > .5) or numbers of offspring at parturition (P > .10). Banamine did not alleviate LW toxicosis of dams (P > .10). Provision of Silent Herder or bentonite in the diet or Banamine i.m. had no benefit for rats fed toxic locoweed.

Publication types

  • Research Support, U.S. Gov't, Non-P.H.S.

MeSH terms

  • Alkaline Phosphatase / blood
  • Animals
  • Animals, Domestic*
  • Animals, Newborn / blood
  • Animals, Newborn / physiology
  • Bentonite / administration & dosage
  • Bentonite / pharmacology*
  • Bentonite / therapeutic use
  • Bilirubin / blood
  • Blood Urea Nitrogen
  • Body Weight / drug effects
  • Body Weight / physiology
  • Cholesterol / blood
  • Clonixin / administration & dosage
  • Clonixin / analogs & derivatives*
  • Clonixin / pharmacology
  • Creatine Kinase / blood
  • Eating / drug effects
  • Eating / physiology
  • Female
  • Food, Fortified
  • Iron / blood
  • Male
  • Minerals / administration & dosage
  • Minerals / pharmacology*
  • Minerals / therapeutic use
  • Plant Poisoning / diet therapy
  • Plant Poisoning / veterinary*
  • Plants, Toxic / chemistry
  • Pregnancy
  • Progesterone / blood
  • Prostaglandin Antagonists / administration & dosage
  • Prostaglandin Antagonists / pharmacology*
  • Prostaglandin Antagonists / therapeutic use
  • Random Allocation
  • Rats
  • Rats, Sprague-Dawley
  • Swainsonine / analysis

Substances

  • Minerals
  • Prostaglandin Antagonists
  • Bentonite
  • Progesterone
  • flunixin meglumine
  • Cholesterol
  • Iron
  • Creatine Kinase
  • Alkaline Phosphatase
  • Bilirubin
  • Swainsonine
  • Clonixin