na INLIS000000000016904 20241112085628 0010-0721001436 Myodegeneration in Rats Fed Mindi (Melia azedarach) / Bahri, Sjamsul Proceedings of the Sixth Congress Federation of Asian Veterinary Associations (FAVA). Denpasar-Bali Indonesia. October 16-19, 1988 1988 p. 287-289. ARTVET1436 ARTVET1436 241112 | | | Bahri, Sjamsul Sani, Yulvian Hooper, P. T. The tree, Melia azedarach L, known locally as mindi and as white cedar in Australia, has been linked to poisoning in man and animals. In West Java in 1985 the leave of Melia were proposed as a traditional medicine for a variety of human diseases. Leaves are fed to ruminants in Bali during the dry season. To study the toxicity of Melia, young rats were divided into 6 groups of 5 rats. Rats in group 1 to 4 were fed daily a diet containing 25% Melia leaves (dry) for 7, 14, 21 and 28 days, while groups 5 and 6 received a control diet. Sixty % (3/5) rats in group 3 died before 3 weeks of treatment, and 4/5 rats in group 4 died before 28 days treatment. Signs including anorexis, weakness and mild incoordination were observed in most rats in groups 1 to 4 but not in the controls. Paralysis of rear limbs and recumbancy were also seen in groups 3 and 4. On histological examinations, skeletal muscle changes were seen in all rats in groups 3 and 4. These lesions were characterized by necrosis and frag- mentation of fibres, hyaline degeneration, proliferation and invasion by sarcolemmal nuclei and mac- rophages. These muscle changes have not been reported to be caused by the tetranortriterpene meliatoxins previously isolated from fruit of Australian Melia azedarach and shown to be responsible for an acute nervous syndrome and death in pigs. ARTVET1436