Historical QOD 2/24/2009: Comfrey, or “knitbone” (Symphytum officinale), has long been used in herbal medicine for a variety of ailments, especially disorders of bone and teeth. What is the predominant hepatic toxicity following comfrey ingestion, and what compounds are responsible for this toxicity
Hepatotoxic pyrrolizidine alkaloids such as lasiocarpine and symphytine can cause hepatic veno-occlusive disease (and can also be mutagenic and possibly carcinogenic), presumably by being transformed by hepatic microsomal enzymes into highly reactive pyrroles that act as alkylating agents.
(Public Health Nutrition, 2000, 3:501-508 and BMC Bioinformatics 2006, 7(Suppl 2):S16)
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