MITOCHONDRIAL MYOPATHY IN SENNA OCCIDENTALIS-SEED-FED CHICKEN

Plants of the genus Senna (formerly Cassia) have been recognized as th e cause of a natural and experimental syndrome of muscle degeneration frequently leading to death in animals, Histologically, it demonstrate d skeletal end cardiac muscle necrosis, with floccular degeneration an d proliferation of sarcolemmal nuclei, Recently, it was described as a n experimental model of mitochondrial myopathy in hens chronically tre ated with Senna occidentalis, Currently, skeletal muscles of chicks in toxicated with seeds of the poisonous plant S. occidentalis were studi ed by histochemistry and electron microscopy, Since birth, the birds w ere fed ground dried seeds of this plant with a regular chicken ration at a dose of 4% for 11 days, microscopic examination revealed, beside s muscle-fiber atrophy, lipid storage in most fibers and a moderate am ount of cytochrome oxidase-negative fibers, By electron microscopy, en larged mitochondria with disrupted or excessively branched cristae wer e seen, This picture was characteristic of mitochondrial myopathy, The se findings have hitherto remained unnoticed in skeletal muscle of you ng birds treated with S. occidentalis. (C) 1997 Academic Press.