Poisonous Plant Research Laboratory, Agriculture Research Service, United States Department of Agriculture, Logan, UT 84341, USA.
J Med Toxicol. 2012 Jun;8(2):153-9. doi: 10.1007/s13181-012-0215-5.
This article provides an overview of the Poisonous Plant Research Laboratory (PPRL), about the unique services and activities of the PPRL and the potential assistance that they can provide to plant poisoning incidences. The PPRL is a federal research laboratory. It is part of the Agricultural Research Service, the in-house research arm of the U.S. Department of Agriculture. The mission of the PPRL is to identify toxic plants and their toxic compounds, determine how the plants poison animals, and develop diagnostic and prognostic procedures for poisoned animals. Furthermore, the PPRL's mission is to identify the conditions under which poisoning occurs and develop management strategies and treatments to reduce losses. Information obtained through research efforts at the PPRL is mostly used by the livestock industry, natural resource managers, veterinarians, chemists, plant and animal scientists, extension personnel, and other state and federal agencies. PPRL currently has 9 scientists and 17 support staff, representing various disciplines consisting of toxicology, reproductive toxicology, veterinary medicine, chemistry, animal science, range science, and plant physiology. This team of scientists provides an interdisciplinary approach to applied and basic research to develop solutions to plant intoxications. While the mission of the PPRL primarily impacts the livestock industry, spinoff benefits such as development of animal models, isolation and characterization of novel compounds, elucidation of biological and molecular mechanisms of action, national and international collaborations, and outreach efforts are significant to biomedical researchers. The staff at the PPRL has extensive knowledge regarding a number of poisonous plants. Although the focus of their knowledge is on plants that affect livestock, oftentimes, these plants are also poisonous to humans, and thus, similar principles could apply for cases of human poisonings. Consequently, the information provided herein could be of benefit to healthcare providers for human cases as well.
本文概述了毒物研究实验室（PPRL），介绍了 PPRL 的独特服务和活动，以及它们在植物中毒事件中可能提供的帮助。PPRL 是一个联邦研究实验室，是美国农业部内部研究机构农业研究局的一部分。PPRL 的使命是鉴定有毒植物及其有毒化合物，确定植物如何使动物中毒，并为中毒动物开发诊断和预后程序。此外，PPRL 的使命是确定中毒发生的条件，并制定管理策略和治疗方法以减少损失。通过 PPRL 的研究工作获得的信息主要用于畜牧业、自然资源管理者、兽医、化学家、动植物科学家、推广人员和其他州和联邦机构。PPRL 目前有 9 名科学家和 17 名支持人员，代表了毒理学、生殖毒理学、兽医、化学、动物科学、牧场科学和植物生理学等各个学科。这个科学家团队提供了一种跨学科的方法来进行应用和基础研究，以解决植物中毒问题。虽然 PPRL 的使命主要影响畜牧业，但副产品效益，如动物模型的开发、新型化合物的分离和表征、生物和分子作用机制的阐明、国内外合作以及推广工作，对生物医学研究人员也具有重要意义。PPRL 的工作人员对许多有毒植物有广泛的了解。虽然他们的知识重点是对影响牲畜的植物，但这些植物通常也对人类有毒，因此，类似的原则可能适用于人类中毒的情况。因此，本文提供的信息可能对人类中毒的医疗保健提供者也有帮助。
