title: Effects of Urginea sanguinea, a traditional asthma remedy, on embryo neuronal development.
abstract: The Southern African plant, Urginea sanguinea Shinz (Hyacinthaceae) (US), is a well-known traditional herbal medicine and it is used for many different ailments, including asthma. Pregnant women also use this plant and little is known regarding the toxic effects of this plant material on the developing foetus. US contains the cardiac glycoside (CG) Transvaalin; CGs are known to cross the placenta and blood-brain barrier and therefore may have a negative effect on the foetal development. To address this, in vitro cytotoxicity of this preparation as well as its effect on chick embryo neural development was investigated. Water extracts of US were shown to be cytotoxic in cell cultures of L929 cell and primary embryonic neural cell cultures. Electron microscopy studies following in ovo exposure revealed altered neuron morphology with patterns of cell damage either associated with apoptosis or necrosis. CGs are known to inhibit membrane bound Na(+)/K(+)-ATPase in conducting tissues, causing disruption of the calcium pathways, mitochondrial calcium overload leading to either apoptosis or necrosis or where both occur, a process of necrapoptosis. The in ovo effects observed strongly indicate that US causes necrapoptosis in chick embryonic neurons.
authors.affiliation: Department of Anatomy, School of Health Sciences, Medical Faculty of the University of Pretoria, Pretoria, South Africa.
authors.forename: J
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Marx
authors.forename: E
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Pretorius
authors.forename: M J
authors.initials: MJ
authors.lastname: Bester
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D001921:Brain / Q000166:cytology; D002452:Cell Count; D002470:Cell Survival / Q000187:drug effects; D002478:Cells, Cultured; D002642:Chick Embryo; D031448:Drimia; D005347:Fibroblasts / Q000187:drug effects; D016488:Medicine, African Traditional; D051379:Mice; D008855:Microscopy, Electron, Scanning; D046529:Microscopy, Electron, Transmission; D009474:Neurons / Q000187:drug effects*; D010936:Plant Extracts / Q000633:toxicity
chemical_list: D010936:Plant Extracts