Banca de DEFESA: ANDREZZA CAVALCANTI DE ANDRADE

Uma banca de DEFESA de DOUTORADO foi cadastrada pelo programa.
STUDENT : ANDREZZA CAVALCANTI DE ANDRADE
DATE: 26/02/2026
TIME: 09:00
LOCAL: Sala 105 do Departamento de Biologia
TITLE:

Epidemiological, Clinical, and Pathological Aspects of Natural Poisoning by Crotalaria juncea in Horses and Experimental Evaluation of Toxicity in Wistar Rats

KEY WORDS:

Pyrrolizidine alkaloids; Toxicosis; Rattus norvegicus; horses; pneumopathy

PAGES: 71
BIG AREA: Ciências Agrárias
AREA: Medicina Veterinária
SUBÁREA: Patologia Animal
SPECIALTY: Anatomia Patologia Animal
SUMMARY:

Plant poisoning remains a major challenge in Veterinary Medicine, and each year new information is added to the literature regarding botanical species of zootechnical importance. Pyrrolizidine alkaloids (PAs) are substances that cause chronic and progressive lesions in the liver, lungs, and brain, and they constitute the toxic principle of Crotalaria spp., the main botanical genus toxic to equids. Outbreaks of poisoning by Crotalaria retusa are frequently reported in Brazil; however, the most recent records of natural poisoning by C. juncea date back 32 years, suggesting underdiagnosis or misinterpretation of clinicopathological conditions by field professionals and highlighting the need for greater attention to disorders secondary to the action of PAs in the organism.In this context, the objective of this thesis was to investigate the toxic effects of Crotalaria juncea ingestion in different animal species through the clinicopathological description of a spontaneous outbreak in horses and a controlled experimental evaluation in Rattus norvegicus, correlating clinical, biochemical, macroscopic, and histopathological findings. To this end, the study was organized into two chapters.Chapter one, entitled “Pulmonary fibrosis in horses associated with spontaneous poisoning by Crotalaria juncea,” was submitted to the journal Toxicon and describes a natural outbreak of poisoning in adult horses, characterized by weight loss, dyspnea, incoordination, and terminal neurological impairment. The most relevant microscopic findings included diffuse interstitial pulmonary fibrosis, marked bronchiolar hyperplasia, and chronic fibrosing bronchiolitis; as well as centrilobular necrosis, sinusoidal dilation, megalocytosis, porto-central fibrosis, and status spongiosus. These alterations emphasize the importance of recognizing chronic pulmonary and hepatic damage that may occur concomitantly in horses exposed to the plant.Chapter two, entitled “Experimental poisoning in rats (Rattus norvegicus) by Crotalaria juncea,” describes an experimental model designed to confirm the pneumotoxic potential of the plant, based on the investigation of clinical, biochemical, and histopathological changes suggestive of chronic pyrrolizidine alkaloid poisoning, in agreement with findings reported in the literature.

COMMITTEE MEMBERS:
Presidente - FABIO DE SOUZA MENDONCA
Externa à Instituição - FERNANDA PEREIRA DA SILVA BARBOSA - IFPB
Externa à Instituição - ISIS DANIELE DOS SANTOS ROCHA - UECE
Externo à Instituição - LUIZ BEZERRA DE BRITO - IPA
Externo à Instituição - SILVIO MIGUEL CASTILLO FONSECA
Externa à Instituição - TELMA DE SOUSA LIMA - UECE