Detection of ptaquiloside and quercetin in certain Indian ferns

摘要

Enzootic bovine haematuria (EBH), which is known to be caused by the interaction of bracken fern toxin (ptaquiloside) and bovine papillomavirus-2 (BPV-2) is a chronic incurable neoplastic ailment of urinary bladder in cattle in certain regions of the world. The present study was aimed to quantify the carcinogen, ptaquiloside (Pta) and flavonoid, quercetin in various ferns growing in certain EBH enzootic areas of two mountainous states of northern India, Himachal Pradesh (HP) and Uttarakhand, where this ailment is a major problem in hill cattle. Of the 25 studied samples of 16 species of ferns, 9 samples collected from both the states were found to contain Pta on HPLC and LCMS analyses. The concentration of Pta present in the fern samples ranged from 0.00 to 1182.84 mu g/g on a dry-matter basis. Further, seven samples revealed the potential to contain Pta. Dryopteris cochleata, Hypodematium crenatum, Pseudocyclosorus can us and Pteris cretica were identified to contain Pta for the first time. Quercetin was also analysed by TLC in 32 fern samples and was detected in 117 samples with its concentration ranging from 0.0% to 0.030%. Samples from HP were found to contain a variable range of quercetin in Christella arida, Deparia japonica, Dryopteris cochleata, Dryopteris juxtaposita, H. crenatum, Polystichum squrrosum and Pteridium revolutum. Similarly, Polystichum squarrosum and Pteris cretica from Uttarakhand contained higher concentration of quercetin. The study also revealed that ferns like D. cochleata, H. crenatum, Onychium tenuifrons, Pseudocyclosorus can us, Pteridium revolutum and Pteris cretica contained both Pta and quercetin. The environmental toxin and flavonoid present in these non-bracken fern species are suspected in the causation of EBH along with BPV-2.