Pitanga Bruno Penas Seara, Nascimento Ravena P, Silva Victor Diógenes A, Costa Silvia L
Laboratório de Neuroquímica e Biologia Celular, Instituto de Ciências da Saúde, Universidade Federal da Bahia Salvador, Brazil.
Front Pharmacol. 2012 Aug 3;3:144. doi: 10.3389/fphar.2012.00144. eCollection 2012.
The metabolic interactions and signaling between neurons and glial cells are necessary for the development and maintenance of brain functions and structures and for neuroprotection, which includes protection from chemical attack. Astrocytes are essential for cerebral detoxification and present an efficient and specific cytochrome P450 enzymatic system. Whilst Crotalaria (Fabaceae, Leguminosae) plants are used in popular medicine, they are considered toxic and can cause damage to livestock and human health problems. Studies in animals have shown cases of poisoning by plants from the genus Crotalaria, which induced damage to the central nervous system. This finding has been attributed to the toxic effects of the pyrrolizidine alkaloid (PA) monocrotaline (MCT). The involvement of P450 enzymatic systems in MCT hepatic and pulmonary metabolism and toxicity has been elucidated, but little is known about the pathways implicated in the bioactivation of these systems and the direct contribution of these systems to brain toxicity. This review will present the main toxicological aspects of the Crotalaria genus that are established in the literature and recent findings describing the mechanisms involved in the neurotoxic effects of MCT, which was extracted from Crotalaria retusa, and its interaction with neurons in isolated astrocytes.
神经元与神经胶质细胞之间的代谢相互作用和信号传导对于脑功能和结构的发育、维持以及神经保护（包括免受化学攻击）而言是必不可少的。星形胶质细胞对脑解毒至关重要，并呈现出一种高效且特异的细胞色素P450酶系统。虽然猪屎豆属（豆科）植物在传统医学中有所应用，但它们被认为具有毒性，可对家畜造成损害并引发人类健康问题。动物研究已表明存在猪屎豆属植物中毒的案例，这些中毒会导致中枢神经系统受损。这一发现归因于吡咯里西啶生物碱（PA）野百合碱（MCT）的毒性作用。P450酶系统在MCT肝脏和肺部代谢及毒性中的作用已得到阐明，但对于这些系统生物活化所涉及的途径以及这些系统对脑毒性的直接作用却知之甚少。本综述将呈现文献中已确立的猪屎豆属的主要毒理学方面，以及描述从假地蓝中提取的MCT神经毒性作用机制及其与分离星形胶质细胞中神经元相互作用的最新研究结果。
