Undergraduate Thesis Or Project
 

Persia URSA Lolitrem B Final.pdf

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https://ir.library.oregonstate.edu/concern/undergraduate_thesis_or_projects/x920fz34m

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  • Perennial ryegrass (Lolium perenne) hay is an important source of forage for a variety of livestock species, and is most common in cool, coastal climates such as the Pacific Northwest. An endophyte fungus called Neotyphodium lolii frequently colonizes this grass to promote insect resistance, drought tolerance, and growth enhancement without the need to incorperate excessive use of fertilizers, irrigation or pesticides. Unfortunately, encouragement of endophyte infection can also result in the production of mycotoxins including lolitrem B and ergot alkaloids. Lolitrem B is a tremorgenic neurotoxin that effects livestock and other herbivores and is responsible for the condition known as “ryegrass staggers,” in which animals develop tremors, ataxia and frequently collapse. The ergot alkaloids are vasoconstrictors and prolactin inhibitors that negatively affect thermoregulation, reproductive efficiency and milk yield. The toxicokinetics of lolitrem B have not yet been fully elucidated; however, that of the ergot alkaloid mycotoxin ergovaline has, and the main urinary metabolic breakdown product was determined to be lysergic acid. A thorough understanding of the metabolism of lolitrem B/ergot alkaloids from perennial ryegrass in cattle must be established before a risk assessment can be extended to humans. Therefore, the goal of this project was to evaluate one toxicokinetic compartment, the urine, of cattle fed varying doses of lolitrem B- and ergovaline-containing perennial ryegrass hay for 60 days for lolitrem B and the ergot alkaloid breakdown product lysergic acid via LC-MS/MS. Our experiment confirmed that lolitrem B is not secreted in bovine urine; lysergic was detected in a dose-dependent manner. The tendency for lysergic acid to be excreted in aqueous matrices raises concerns for human consumption of milk products from exposed animals.
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file details Persia_URSA_Lolitrem_B_Final.pdf 2017-07-21 Public Download