Insight into Ergot Alkaloids
- Project No: 20251497
- Lead Researcher(s): Natacha Hogan (University of Saskatchewan)
- Collaborators: Gabriel Ribeiro, Markus Brinkmann, Jensen Cherewyk (University of Saskatchewan)
- Year Started: 2026
Background
Ergot occurs when a fungus called Claviceps purpurea infects cereal grains or grasses, replacing the grain with the purplish-black fungal “ergot body.” Inside these ergot bodies are a variety of mycotoxins that pose serious risks to beef cattle health. In higher doses, ergot mycotoxins can impair thermoregulation, or cause abortions, reduced feed intake and average daily gain, lameness, respiratory distress, or even gangrene (hoof/tail/ear sloughing) and death. While the current regulatory limit for ergot in cattle is 2-3 ppm, recent research suggests that this limit may be too high for certain classes of cattle under certain circumstances. Complicating matters is that there are several types of ergot alkaloids that may be present, and they can exist in different forms (R or S epimers). Traditionally, the S epimers were thought to have little biological relevance, but newer research indicates that they may play a larger role in toxicity. From the outside, all ergot bodies look the same, but they may have different alkaloids present in wildly different concentrations, making it difficult to assess true risk.
Objectives
The objectives of this project are to:
- Determine the biotransformation producers of both epimers of two common ergot alkaloids in bovine liver cells
- Determine metabolites and signaling pathways driving ergot alkaloid toxicity
- Determine the impact of feeding ergot contaminated diets on molecular and metabolic pathways in the liver
- Determine the applicability of using bovine liver cell lines as an assessment tool to address ergot toxicity in beef cattle
Implications of the Research
This project aims to develop laboratory based techniques specific to cattle that could be used to identify liver or blood based markers related to ergot exposure or toxicity, which could be used alongside feed testing to support timely intervention. Additionally, the development of a liver cell-based assay could be used to screen potential feed additives, binders, or detoxifying agents for effectiveness in reducing ergot alkaloid toxicity without having to perform expensive live animal trials.
This project is also supported by the Saskatchewan Agriculture Development Fund and the Saskatchewan Cattle Association
