Carcinogenicity of bracken fern (Pteridium esculentum) in New Zealand

Authors: Agnew MP, Embling PP, Lauren DR, Holland PT, Smith BL
Publication: New Zealand Veterinary Journal, Volume 36, Issue 2, pp 56-58, Jun 1988
Publisher: Taylor and Francis

Animal type: Livestock
Subject Terms: Toxicology, Poisoning - plant, Neoplasia, Oncology
Article class: Scientific Article

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Abstract: Bracken fern (Pteridium esculentum) was harvested from two sites LB and TB one of which (TB) was on a central North Island New Zealand farm where bovine enzootic haematuria (BEH) was known to occur. The fern was dried, ground and incorporated (25% w/w) into a pelleted diet and fed to femrale rats for a total of 162 days. Fifteen weeks later when the rats were autopsied it was found that numerous tumours, mainly of the ileum and urinary bladder were present in the animals fed the bracken fern from the TB site. Neoplasms were found in 85% of rats from the TB group compared with 11% in the LB group while only a single tumour (a haemangioma of the uterus) was observed in the controls. In all, there were neoplasms in 42, 5 and 1 organ/s from the TB, LB and control rat groups respectively (p<0.001). Analysis of the fern and pellets for ptaquiloside, the carcinogen in bracken fern, showed much higher levels present in the material from the TB site. There was 26 and 2270 µg ptaquiloside/g of dried fern and, for pellets from the same fern, 6.5 and 355 µg ptaquiloside/g of pellets, for one collection from the LB and TB sources respectively.

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