Toxicity studies of Mimosa pudica in livestock and laboratory animals

Mimosa pudica is a plant that caused severe nephrotoxicity in cattle and thus caused a clinical syndrome of perineal oedema. To study the course of the disease the present study was taken up. The experiment was conducted in ruminants like calves sheep and goats. It was also conducted in lab animals like rat rabbit guinea pig mice and chicken. Feeding the fresh aerial part (150 g/kg to calf 200 g/kg to sheep 250 g/kg to goat) or intraruminal injection of aqueous or cold methanol extract (4 g /kg to calf or 3 g/kg to sheep and 4 g/ kg in goat) resulted in death in 24 hours.Perineal oedema and death was noted in calves sheep and goats (fed the fresh aerial part 75 g/kg to calf or sheep 100 g/kg to goat or i.r. aqueous or cold methanol extract 2.5 g/kg to calf or 2 g/kg to sheep or goat) within 14 days.In ruminants there was increased concentrations of serum creatinine and urea nitrogen indicating the severe nephrotoxicity which was confirmed by histopathology.There was no change in other biochemical or haematological parameters.In lab animals the plant or its extract with highest dose did not show any toxicity. This indicated that the plant is only toxic to ruminants.