Plant toxicology
1
434 Reviews of recent publications--Fd Chem. Toxic. Vol. 24, No. 5 logical activity. Since the enormous literature on the possible adverse health effects of the well-loved bean is discussed in just under five pages, those looking for any detailed insight into this highly active and at times controversial research field would be well advised to seek assistance elsewhere. Perhaps this is an understandable oversight in a book parading a foreword from the Executive Director of the Inter- national Coffee Organization. Plant Toxicology. Edited by A. A. Seawright, M. P. Hegarty, L. F. James & R. F. Keeler. The Queens- land Poisonous Plants Committee, Yeerongpilly, Queensland, 1985. pp. xxi+625. £35.00. ISBN 0-7242-1217-1. For those of a romatic disposition, poisonous plants will no doubt conjure up images of Conium maculatum and Atropa belladona being swallowed quietly in dark corners or slipped into the food of an enemy. Sadly for them, the present book is merely concerned with livestock keeling over under the influence of things like Astragalus lentiginosus and Swainsona canescens. It contains the proceedings of a 1984 joint Australia-USA conference held in Bris- bane and covers topics such as the toxicity of pyr- rolizidine and indolizidine alkaloids, some plant tera- togens, irritants and neuromuscular toxins, plant' toxins affecting the lungs or heart, and (briefly) some of the relevant economic and therapeutic aspects of plant toxicoses in livestock. A random selection of the individual diseases examined could include an- nual ryegrass toxicity, sawfly larval poisoning, Lan- tana and locoweed poisoning, Veratrum terato- genicity, Paterson's curse and hard yellow liver. The book's stodgy presentation (camera-ready typescript) will not attract any aesthetes to this already un- glamorous topic, but that is probably the point: this is a practical collection for scientists active in this line of research. Farmers, vets, agriculture ministers and poets of a nervous disposition will not find the book terribly useful. Pyrogens: Endotoxins, LAL Testing, and Depyro- genation. Edited by F. C. Pearson, III. Marcel Dekker, New York, 1985. pp. xii + 272. $71.50. ISBN 0-8247-7436-1. The term 'pyrogen' refers to substances that pro- duce elevated body temperatures. Pyrogens are di- vided into two major categories: exogenous pyrogens, which include bacteria, bacterial products, fungi, viruses, polynucleotides, synthetic adjuvants and ste- roids, and endogenous pyrogens, which are produced in response to various exogenous pyrogens. The field of pyrogenicity is somewhat complex and encom- passes a variety of scientific disciplines. The present book, which forms part of the series "Advances in Parenteral Sciences", deals with the generation and biological properties of these materials. It provides a good introduction to the subject, following the classi- cal investigations of fever through to the elucidation of pyrogenic mechanisms and the subsequent development of assays to detect pyrogenic activity. Various aspects of the subject have been covered such as the interaction of endotoxins (high-molecular- weight complexes associated with, and constantly shed from, the outer membrane of gram-negative bacteria) with immune and blood-clotting systems in mammals. Although endotoxins produce several pro- found effects in the body directly or indirectly, their pyrogenic activity is considered to be their most important biological property by the pharmaceutical industry and therefore this area has been considered in some detail. The section on testing for pyrogenicity is compre- hensive and describes the development of the Limulus amoebocyte lysate (LAL) assay and the rabbit pyro- gen test. The relative advantage and disadvantages of these tests are discussed with regard to sensitivity, versatility and legislative requirements, thus giving the reader some insight into the rationale behind the development of these tests. Molecular Aspects of Toxicology. By D. E. Hathway. The Royal Society of Chemistry, London, 1984. pp. xv + 304. £27.50. ISBN 0-85186-068-0. In the introduction to this book, Dr Hathway rightly stresses the inherent complexity of toxicology, and the need for a multidisciplinary approach in understanding the effects that foreign chemicals have on mammalian systems. But Dr Hathway's attempt in this monograph to present a unified account of toxicology for researchers with different scientific backgrounds is not a success, and indeed this book is open to serious criticisms. Three areas in particular may be cited: Dr Hathway's style of writing, his choices (and omissions) from the literature on toxic- ology, and the presentation of subject matter. The author's style of writing is cumbersome, and by including one or more of the three latin phrases vide infra, vide supra and per se on virtually every page, he eventually exasperates the reader. To quote two typically maladroit sentences: "Much experimental evidence (v. infra) supports the contention that ionization (I) and lipophilicity (L) are the physico-chemical factors that are most likely to be involved, as micellar and surface properties, which affect the transport of foreign compounds within the cell and the organism, are complex functions per se'" (p. 10); "However, consideration of the metabolism of ben- zene hydrocarbon homologues features attack on readily metabolizable substituent alkyl groups, in agreement with the arguments used in the Intro- duction (v. supra)" (p. 104). Other inelegant phrases include "biotransformations in the R. T. Williams-sense" (p. 100) and "typical Ingold S~ reagents" (p. 232). The book contains 14 chapters arranged in 7 parts: toxicity of foreign compounds, relation between dose and effect and time, metabolism, pharmacogenetics, biochemical lesions, chemical carcinogenesis and tox- icant allergy. Regrettably the author fails to take the opportunity in his introductory chapter ("Assess- ment of Toxic Risk") to stress the variety of organs susceptible to toxicological insult (either directly or indirectly), and the problems of elucidating mech-
Transcript of Plant toxicology
434 Reviews of recent publications--Fd Chem. Toxic. Vol. 24, No. 5
logical activity. Since the enormous literature on the possible adverse health effects of the well-loved bean is discussed in just under five pages, those looking for any detailed insight into this highly active and at times controversial research field would be well advised to seek assistance elsewhere. Perhaps this is an understandable oversight in a book parading a foreword from the Executive Director of the Inter- national Coffee Organization.
Plant Toxicology. Edited by A. A. Seawright, M. P. Hegarty, L. F. James & R. F. Keeler. The Queens- land Poisonous Plants Committee, Yeerongpilly, Queensland, 1985. pp. xxi+625. £35.00. ISBN 0-7242-1217-1.
For those of a romatic disposition, poisonous plants will no doubt conjure up images of Conium maculatum and Atropa belladona being swallowed quietly in dark corners or slipped into the food of an enemy. Sadly for them, the present book is merely concerned with livestock keeling over under the influence of things like Astragalus lentiginosus and Swainsona canescens. It contains the proceedings of a 1984 joint Austral ia-USA conference held in Bris- bane and covers topics such as the toxicity of pyr- rolizidine and indolizidine alkaloids, some plant tera- togens, irritants and neuromuscular toxins, p lan t ' toxins affecting the lungs or heart, and (briefly) some of the relevant economic and therapeutic aspects of plant toxicoses in livestock. A random selection of the individual diseases examined could include an- nual ryegrass toxicity, sawfly larval poisoning, Lan- tana and locoweed poisoning, Veratrum terato- genicity, Paterson's curse and hard yellow liver. The book's stodgy presentation (camera-ready typescript) will not attract any aesthetes to this already un- glamorous topic, but that is probably the point: this is a practical collection for scientists active in this line of research. Farmers, vets, agriculture ministers and poets of a nervous disposition will not find the book terribly useful.
Pyrogens: Endotoxins, LAL Testing, and Depyro- genation. Edited by F. C. Pearson, III. Marcel Dekker, New York, 1985. pp. xii + 272. $71.50. ISBN 0-8247-7436-1.
The term 'pyrogen' refers to substances that pro- duce elevated body temperatures. Pyrogens are di- vided into two major categories: exogenous pyrogens, which include bacteria, bacterial products, fungi, viruses, polynucleotides, synthetic adjuvants and ste- roids, and endogenous pyrogens, which are produced in response to various exogenous pyrogens. The field of pyrogenicity is somewhat complex and encom- passes a variety of scientific disciplines. The present book, which forms part of the series "Advances in Parenteral Sciences", deals with the generation and biological properties of these materials. It provides a good introduction to the subject, following the classi- cal investigations of fever through to the elucidation of pyrogenic mechanisms and the subsequent development of assays to detect pyrogenic activity. Various aspects of the subject have been covered such
as the interaction of endotoxins (high-molecular- weight complexes associated with, and constantly shed from, the outer membrane of gram-negative bacteria) with immune and blood-clotting systems in mammals. Although endotoxins produce several pro- found effects in the body directly or indirectly, their pyrogenic activity is considered to be their most important biological property by the pharmaceutical industry and therefore this area has been considered in some detail.
The section on testing for pyrogenicity is compre- hensive and describes the development of the Limulus amoebocyte lysate (LAL) assay and the rabbit pyro- gen test. The relative advantage and disadvantages of these tests are discussed with regard to sensitivity, versatility and legislative requirements, thus giving the reader some insight into the rationale behind the development of these tests.
Molecular Aspects of Toxicology. By D. E. Hathway. The Royal Society of Chemistry, London, 1984. pp. xv + 304. £27.50. ISBN 0-85186-068-0.
In the introduction to this book, Dr Hathway rightly stresses the inherent complexity of toxicology, and the need for a multidisciplinary approach in understanding the effects that foreign chemicals have on mammalian systems. But Dr Hathway's attempt in this monograph to present a unified account of toxicology for researchers with different scientific backgrounds is not a success, and indeed this book is open to serious criticisms. Three areas in particular may be cited: Dr Hathway's style of writing, his choices (and omissions) from the literature on toxic- ology, and the presentation of subject matter.
The author's style of writing is cumbersome, and by including one or more of the three latin phrases vide infra, vide supra and per se on virtually every page, he eventually exasperates the reader. To quote two typically maladroit sentences:
"Much experimental evidence (v. infra) supports the contention that ionization (I) and lipophilicity (L) are the physico-chemical factors that are most likely to be involved, as micellar and surface properties, which affect the transport of foreign compounds within the cell and the organism, are complex functions per se'" (p. 10); "However, consideration of the metabolism of ben- zene hydrocarbon homologues features attack on readily metabolizable substituent alkyl groups, in agreement with the arguments used in the Intro- duction (v. supra)" (p. 104).
Other inelegant phrases include "biotransformations in the R. T. Williams-sense" (p. 100) and "typical Ingold S~ reagents" (p. 232).
The book contains 14 chapters arranged in 7 parts: toxicity of foreign compounds, relation between dose and effect and time, metabolism, pharmacogenetics, biochemical lesions, chemical carcinogenesis and tox- icant allergy. Regrettably the author fails to take the opportunity in his introductory chapter ("Assess- ment of Toxic Risk") to stress the variety of organs susceptible to toxicological insult (either directly or indirectly), and the problems of elucidating mech-
