Pharmacological aspects of acute treatment glycoside intoxication

Despite the active introduction of surgical treatments for cardiac pathology and new synthetic cardiotonic drugs, cardiac glycosides (CG) remain an important component of the pharmacological treatment of heart diseases. Moreover, interest in this group of drugs is only increasing with the discovery of new pharmacological effects, such as antitumor and antiviral. However, despite many years of experience, the issue of managing patients with symptoms of both acute and chronic poisoning with cardiac glycosides remains one of the leading ones. The literature review provides a brief historical outline of cardiac glycoside poisoning and comprehensively describes the pharmacokinetics and pharmacodynamics of this group of drugs. The clinical picture of intoxication is described. We analyzed modern ideas and limitations of using antidote therapy such as digoxin immune Fab-antibody fragments, as well as the features of pathogenetic and symptomatic treatment of patients with acute glycoside poisoning.

How Toxic is Milkweed when Harvested and Cooked according to Myaamia Tradition?

Asclepias syriaca L. (common milkweed) is known to contain sufficient amounts of cardiac glycosides, which are known to be toxic to humans. Nonetheless, it is traditionally used for food by Native Americans, including the Myaamia people of Indiana and Oklahoma. In order to test the hypothesis that traditional horticultural and culinary practices prevent the Myaamia from ingesting toxic levels of cardiac glycosides, we have determined the level of glycosides (digitoxin equivalent) in A. syriaca 1) in various parts of the plant, 2) at various heights for pre-reproductive plants, and 3) before and after cooking according to traditional Myaamia procedures. Plants were grown, harvested, dried, ground, and extracted twice with ethanol. The amount of digitoxin-equivalent glycoside in plant extract was determined spectrophotometrically using 2,2’,4,4’-tetranitrodiphenyl, a selective derivatizing agent. We find that all parts of the plant contain significant levels of cardiac glycosides at all stages of growth. Plants harvested as young shoots for food, the common practice of the Myaamia, contain slightly lower levels of cardiac glycosides when compared to the leaves and stems of older, taller plants. Moreover, the toxicity is significantly reduced by the traditional Myaamia cooking procedure—a repeated boiling with several changes of water. Therefore, it appears as though the risk of glycoside poisoning from traditional Myaamia use of milkweed for food is moderated by their harvesting practice and traditional cooking procedure.

Poisonous plants : historical overview : Onderstepoort and veterinary research in Africa

South Africa is blessed with one of the richest floras in the world, which - not surprisingly - includes many poisonous plants. Theiler in the founding years believed that plants could be involved in the aetiologies of many of the then unexplained conditions of stock, such as gousiekte and geeldikkop. His subsequent investigations of plant poisonings largely laid the foundation for the future Sections of Toxicology at the Institute and the Faculty of Veterinary Science (UP). The history of research into plant poisonings over the last 100 years is briefly outlined. Some examples of sustained research on important plant poisonings, such as cardiac glycoside poisoning and gousiekte, are given to illustrate our approach to the subject and the progress that has been made. The collation and transfer of information and the impact of plant poisonings on the livestock industry is discussed and possible avenues of future research are investigated.