It is nearly four decades since the discovery of ODAP as the major neurotoxic constituent of Lathyrus sativus seeds. However, several basic questions relating to neurolathyrism still remain unanswered. We are unable to convince several governments to ban the cultivation of the pulse and to take on a more serious approach to introducing the low toxin varieties. Meanwhile, farmers continue to gro...

Point mutations result from errors made during DNA replication or repair, so they are usually expected to be homogeneous across all regions of a genome. However, we have found a region of chloroplast DNA in plants related to sweetpea (Lathyrus) whose local point mutation rate is at least 20 times higher than elsewhere in the same molecule. There are very few precedents for such heterogeneity in...

BACKGROUND Caley Pea (Lathyrus hirsutus) is potentially toxic to horses, but large case series are not reported. OBJECTIVES To describe the clinical signs of horses intoxicated with Lathyrus hirsutus and speculate on the neuroanatomical lesion localization and pathogenesis based upon the observed clinical signs. ANIMALS Twenty-two of 25 horses ranging in age from 6 to 34 months were affecte...

In the last five decades study on plant secondary metabolites have been increasing. Higher plants with a wide range of secondary metabolites have been very important in the search of new therapeutic agents. Flavonoids are most widely distributed secondary natural metabolites that found in plants which occuring in free forms or as glycosides with polyphenolic structure. In this study secondary m...

Grass pea (Lathyrus sativus L.) is an important legume crop grown mainly in South Asia and Sub-Saharan Africa. This underutilized legume can withstand harsh environmental conditions including drought and flooding. During drought-induced famines, this protein-rich legume serves as a food source for poor farmers when other crops fail under harsh environmental conditions; however, its use is limit...

In the last five decades study on plant secondary metabolites have been increasing. Higher plants with a wide range of secondary metabolites have been very important in the search of new therapeutic agents. Flavonoids are most widely distributed secondary natural metabolites that found in plants which occuring in free forms or as glycosides with polyphenolic structure. In this study secondary m...

BACKGROUND The use of traditional foods can enrich our diet, perpetuating important elements of local knowledge and cultural inheritance. Raw, soaked and cooked samples of two Fabaceae species (Cicer arietinum L. and Lathyrus sativus L.) were characterized regarding nutritional and bioactive properties. RESULTS L. sativus gave the highest carbohydrate, protein, ash, saturated fatty acid and p...