Prenatal toxicity of cyanide in goats--a model for teratological studies in ruminants.
Although exposure to cyanogenic plants or cyanide during pregnancy has adverse effects, no teratological study with cyanide has been conducted in goats or any other ruminant. The objective of the present study was to evaluate the effects of the maternal exposure to potassium cyanide (KCN) during pregnancy on both dams and offspring and furthermore, to develop a model for prenatal toxicological studies in ruminants. Twenty-six pregnant goats were allocated into four groups and given 0, 1.0, 2.0, or 3.0mg KCN/kg body weight per day orally (administered via twice-daily gavage) from Day 24 of pregnancy to term. However, one control dam and another from the 3.0mg KCN/kg per day group were sacrificed on Day 120. At birth, the kids were examined carefully for gross abnormalities. Three months after birth, the male kids and one dam from each group were sacrificed for histopathological study. Although clinical signs of poisoning were observed in dams, cyanide treatment did not alter the length of gestation or the number of live kids. Two prognata kids were born in the 3.0mg KCN/kg group, and one dam from the same group aborted two fetuses. There were histological lesions only in the KCN-treated dam (and its fetuses) sacrificed on Day 120; these consisted of an increased number of resorption vacuoles of thyroid follicular colloid, and status spongiosis of nervous white matter. This study proposes a new animal model for teratogenic trials that could be important to evaluate the effects of chemicals throughout pregnancy in goats and potentially other ruminants.
Departamento de Medicina Veterinária, Escola Superior de Agricultura de Mossoró, Km 47 BR110, Caixa Postal 147, 59625-900 Mossoró, RN, Brazil.
Benito
B
Soto-Blanco
Silvana L
SL
Górniak
D000014:Abnormalities, Drug-Induced / Q000473:pathology; D000818:Animals; D005260:Female; D005313:Fetal Death / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000662:veterinary; D006041:Goats; D008297:Male; D023421:Models, Animal; D011190:Potassium Cyanide / Q000008:administration & dosage / Q000633:toxicity*; D011247:Pregnancy; D012418:Ruminants; D013961:Thyroid Gland / Q000002:abnormalities / Q000473:pathology; D013974:Thyroxine / Q000097:blood; D014284:Triiodothyronine / Q000097:blood
D014284:Triiodothyronine; D011190:Potassium Cyanide; D013974:Thyroxine