What Makes it So Deadly?
Creeping Indigo is VERY PALATABLE to our animals. Actually, MANY have shown to PREFER it over the taste of regular grass. Especially, in the fall when the grass begins to die and lack flavor. CI remains green and delicious and actually, seeds most in the Fall. C.I. is a "legume" and SO IS Alfalfa... and you know how our babies feel about their Alfalfa and Alfalfa treats!
That is what makes THE DEADLY DIFFERENCE with this weed. Many other weeds are not a risk for well fed and cared for animals.. But, CI is.
Creeping Indigo contains two toxins:
3-nitropropionate (3-NPA) - A highly toxic compound, produced by the plant primarily as defense against destruction by herbivores. The toxin is a potent and irreversible inhibitor of mitochondrial succinate dehydrogenase, a key enzyme in transforming glucose and oxygen into useable energy. Nerve cells are extremely vulnerable to energy deprivation, thus accounting for the early and prominent neurologic signs seen with all types of 3-NPA toxicity. Because it is metabolized quickly, it is unlikely to be found in the serum of affected animals.
Indospicine - A non-protein amino acid. It is toxic to the liver because of antagonism to the essential amino acid arginine, with which it competes. It is a CUMULATIVE toxin meaning: it builds in their system over a LIFETIME and persists, even after, removal from the weed. One of its principal toxic actions is inhibition of nitric oxide synthase, an action likely associated with the development of corneal edema and ulceration of mucous membranes. Although horses are relatively resistant to the liver damaging effects of this toxin, it persists in the tissues of horses dying or killed with the disease and these tissues are potentially toxic. Indospicine CAN BE detected in the serum of affected animals however, that test is not currently included in U.S. toxicology panels.
How much has to be consumed in order to cause illness has not yet been studied and or published.
That is what makes THE DEADLY DIFFERENCE with this weed. Many other weeds are not a risk for well fed and cared for animals.. But, CI is.
Creeping Indigo contains two toxins:
3-nitropropionate (3-NPA) - A highly toxic compound, produced by the plant primarily as defense against destruction by herbivores. The toxin is a potent and irreversible inhibitor of mitochondrial succinate dehydrogenase, a key enzyme in transforming glucose and oxygen into useable energy. Nerve cells are extremely vulnerable to energy deprivation, thus accounting for the early and prominent neurologic signs seen with all types of 3-NPA toxicity. Because it is metabolized quickly, it is unlikely to be found in the serum of affected animals.
Indospicine - A non-protein amino acid. It is toxic to the liver because of antagonism to the essential amino acid arginine, with which it competes. It is a CUMULATIVE toxin meaning: it builds in their system over a LIFETIME and persists, even after, removal from the weed. One of its principal toxic actions is inhibition of nitric oxide synthase, an action likely associated with the development of corneal edema and ulceration of mucous membranes. Although horses are relatively resistant to the liver damaging effects of this toxin, it persists in the tissues of horses dying or killed with the disease and these tissues are potentially toxic. Indospicine CAN BE detected in the serum of affected animals however, that test is not currently included in U.S. toxicology panels.
How much has to be consumed in order to cause illness has not yet been studied and or published.
the toxins :
Over the last decade, there has been resolution of the previous confusion about the roles of the two putative toxins of creeping indigo, 3-nitropropionate (3-NPA) and indospicine. It is now clear that 3-NPA causes the largely irreversible neurologic signs described above while indospicine causes the corneal edema, ulcerations, and other non-neurologic signs. Each of these toxins is described briefly:
3-nitropropionate. 3-NPA is a highly toxic compound, produced by the plant primarily as defense against destruction by herbivores. This nitrotoxin is by no means unique toIndigofera but is produced as anti-herbivore defense by a vast array of plants and fungi. Poisoning associated with 3-NPA therefore occurs quite commonly in a variety of settings and the mechanism is well understood. The toxin is a potent and irreversible inhibitor of mitochondrial succinate dehydrogenase, a key enzyme in transforming glucose and oxygen into useable energy. Nerve cells are extremely vulnerable to energy deprivation, thus accounting for the early and prominent neurologic signs seen with all types of 3-NPA toxicity. 3-NPA accounts for 0.24 to 1.5% of the dry matter of creeping indigo. Because it is metabolized quickly, it is unlikely to be found in the serum of affected animals.
Indospicine is a non-protein amino acid. It is toxic to the liver because of antagonism to the essential amino acid arginine, with which it competes. One of its principal toxic actions is inhibition of nitric oxide synthase, an action likely associated with the development of corneal edema and ulceration of mucous membranes. Although horses are relatively resistant to the liver damaging effects of this toxin, it persists in the tissues of horses dying or killed with the disease and these tissues are potentially toxic if fed to dogs. Indospicine accounts for 0.1 to 0.5% of the dry matter of creeping indigo and it can be detected in the serum of affected animals.
Resource for this information: http://largeanimal.vethospitals.ufl.edu/2014/11/03/creeping-indigo-toxicity/
3-nitropropionate. 3-NPA is a highly toxic compound, produced by the plant primarily as defense against destruction by herbivores. This nitrotoxin is by no means unique toIndigofera but is produced as anti-herbivore defense by a vast array of plants and fungi. Poisoning associated with 3-NPA therefore occurs quite commonly in a variety of settings and the mechanism is well understood. The toxin is a potent and irreversible inhibitor of mitochondrial succinate dehydrogenase, a key enzyme in transforming glucose and oxygen into useable energy. Nerve cells are extremely vulnerable to energy deprivation, thus accounting for the early and prominent neurologic signs seen with all types of 3-NPA toxicity. 3-NPA accounts for 0.24 to 1.5% of the dry matter of creeping indigo. Because it is metabolized quickly, it is unlikely to be found in the serum of affected animals.
Indospicine is a non-protein amino acid. It is toxic to the liver because of antagonism to the essential amino acid arginine, with which it competes. One of its principal toxic actions is inhibition of nitric oxide synthase, an action likely associated with the development of corneal edema and ulceration of mucous membranes. Although horses are relatively resistant to the liver damaging effects of this toxin, it persists in the tissues of horses dying or killed with the disease and these tissues are potentially toxic if fed to dogs. Indospicine accounts for 0.1 to 0.5% of the dry matter of creeping indigo and it can be detected in the serum of affected animals.
Resource for this information: http://largeanimal.vethospitals.ufl.edu/2014/11/03/creeping-indigo-toxicity/
