Lathyrism is a condition caused by eating certain

legumes Legumes are plants in the pea family Fabaceae (or Leguminosae), or the fruit or seeds of such plants. When used as a dry grain for human consumption, the seeds are also called pulses. Legumes are grown agriculturally, primarily for human consu ...

of the

genus Genus (; : genera ) is a taxonomic rank above species and below family (taxonomy), family as used in the biological classification of extant taxon, living and fossil organisms as well as Virus classification#ICTV classification, viruses. In bino ...

Lathyrus ''Lathyrus'' is a genus of flowering plants in the legume family Fabaceae, and contains approximately 160 species. Commonly known as peavines or vetchlings, they are native to temperate areas, with a breakdown of 52 species in Europe, 30 specie ...

''. There are three types of lathyrism: ''

neurolathyrism Neurolathyrism, is a neurological disease of humans, caused by eating certain legumes of the genus ''Lathyrus''. This disease is mainly associated with the consumption of ''Lathyrus sativus'' (also known as ''grass pea'', ''chickling pea'', ''kes ...

'', '' osteolathyrism'', and '' angiolathyrism'', all of which are incurable, differing in their symptoms and in the body tissues affected. Neurolathyrism is the type associated with the consumption of legumes in the genus ''

'' that contain the

toxin A toxin is a naturally occurring poison produced by metabolic activities of living cells or organisms. They occur especially as proteins, often conjugated. The term was first used by organic chemist Ludwig Brieger (1849–1919), derived ...

oxalyldiaminopropionic acid Oxalyldiaminopropionic acid (ODAP) is a structural analogue of the neurotransmitter glutamate found in the grass pea ''Lathyrus sativus''. It is the neurotoxin responsible for the motor neuron degeneration syndrome lathyrism. Sources ODAP is foun ...

(ODAP). ODAP ingestion results in

motor neuron A motor neuron (or motoneuron), also known as efferent neuron is a neuron whose cell body is located in the motor cortex, brainstem or the spinal cord, and whose axon (fiber) projects to the spinal cord or outside of the spinal cord to directly o ...

death. The result is paralysis and muscle atrophy of the lower limbs. Osteolathyrism, a different type of lathyrism, affects the

connective tissue Connective tissue is one of the four primary types of animal tissue, a group of cells that are similar in structure, along with epithelial tissue, muscle tissue, and nervous tissue. It develops mostly from the mesenchyme, derived from the mesod ...

s, not the motor neurons. Osteolathyrism results from the ingestion of ''

Lathyrus odoratus The sweet pea, ''Lathyrus odoratus'', is a flowering plant in the genus ''Lathyrus'' in the family Fabaceae (legumes), native to Sicily, southern Italy and the Aegean Islands. It is an annual climbing plant, growing to a height of , where suit ...

'' seeds (sweet peas), and is often referred to as odoratism. It is caused by a different toxin, beta-aminopropionitrile, which affects the linking of the subunits of

collagen Collagen () is the main structural protein in the extracellular matrix of the connective tissues of many animals. It is the most abundant protein in mammals, making up 25% to 35% of protein content. Amino acids are bound together to form a trip ...

, a major structural

protein Proteins are large biomolecules and macromolecules that comprise one or more long chains of amino acid residue (biochemistry), residues. Proteins perform a vast array of functions within organisms, including Enzyme catalysis, catalysing metab ...

found in

. A third type of lathyrism is angiolathyrism, which is similar to osteolathyrism in its mechanism, employing the toxin beta-aminopropionitrile. The blood vessels are affected, as opposed to bone.

Types

Neurolathyrism

Neurolathyrism is caused by the consumption of large quantities of ''Lathyrus'' grain, specifically the grains in the genus that contain the

glutamate Glutamic acid (symbol Glu or E; known as glutamate in its anionic form) is an α-amino acid that is used by almost all living beings in the biosynthesis of proteins. It is a Essential amino acid, non-essential nutrient for humans, meaning that ...

analogue neurotoxin ODAP (also known as β-''N''-oxalyl-amino-L-alanine, or BOAA). ''

Lathyrus sativus ''Lathyrus sativus'', also known as grass pea, cicerchia, blue sweet pea, chickling pea, chickling vetch, Indian pea, white pea and white vetch, is a legume (family Fabaceae) commonly grown for human consumption and livestock feed in Asia and Eas ...

'' (also known as ''grass pea'', ''chickling pea'', ''kesari dal'', or ''almorta'') and to a lesser degree with ''

Lathyrus cicera ''Lathyrus cicera'' is a species of wild pea known by the common names red pea, red vetchling and flatpod peavine. It is native to Europe, North Africa, and the Middle East, and it is known from other places as an introduced species. This is a h ...

'', '' Lathyrus ochrus'' and ''

Lathyrus clymenum ''Lathyrus clymenum'', also called Spanish vetchling, is a flowering plant in the family Fabaceae, native to the Mediterranean. The seeds are used to prepare a Greek dish called fava santorinis. The plant is cultivated on the island of Santorin ...

Osteolathyrism

Osteolathyrism affects the bones and connecting tissues, instead of the nervous system. It is a skeletal disorder. It is caused by the toxin BAPN, which inhibits the copper-containing

enzyme An enzyme () is a protein that acts as a biological catalyst by accelerating chemical reactions. The molecules upon which enzymes may act are called substrate (chemistry), substrates, and the enzyme converts the substrates into different mol ...

lysyl oxidase Lysyl oxidase (LOX), also known as protein-lysine 6-oxidase, is an enzyme that, in humans, is encoded by the ''LOX'' gene. It catalyzes the conversion of lysine residues into its aldehyde derivative allysine. Allysine form cross-links in extr ...

, responsible for cross-linking tropocollagen and proelastin. BAPN is also a

metabolic product In biochemistry, a metabolite is an intermediate or end product of metabolism. The term is usually used for small molecules. Metabolites have various functions, including fuel, structure, signaling, stimulatory and inhibitory effects on enzymes, c ...

of a compound present in the sprouted seeds of grasspea, pea and lentil.

Angiolathyrism

Angiolathyrism affects the collagen in blood capillaries. It is also caused by the toxin beta-aminopropionitrile.

Prevention

Eating the grasspea with legumes having high concentrations of sulphur-based

amino acid Amino acids are organic compounds that contain both amino and carboxylic acid functional groups. Although over 500 amino acids exist in nature, by far the most important are the 22 α-amino acids incorporated into proteins. Only these 22 a ...

s reduces the risk of lathyrism if such grain is available. Some states in India have banned the sale of ''Lathyrus'' seed in order to prevent its consumption, which in turn lessens the possibility of lathyrism in the general population.

History

The first mentioned intoxication goes back to ancient India.

Hippocrates Hippocrates of Kos (; ; ), also known as Hippocrates II, was a Greek physician and philosopher of the Classical Greece, classical period who is considered one of the most outstanding figures in the history of medicine. He is traditionally referr ...

mentions a neurological disorder in 46 B.C. in Greece caused by Lathyrus seed. Indian medical classic Bhavaprakasha dating from the sixteenth century mentions it, and even its etiology as ''kesari dal''. During the

Spanish War of Independence The Peninsular War (1808–1814) was fought in the Iberian Peninsula by Kingdom of Portugal, Portugal, Spain and the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland, United Kingdom against the invading and occupying forces of the First French ...

against Napoleon, grasspea served as a

famine food A famine food or poverty food is any inexpensive or ready available food used to nourish people in times of hunger and starvation, whether caused by extreme poverty, such as during economic depression or war, or by natural disasters such as dro ...

. This was the subject of one of

Francisco de Goya Francisco José de Goya y Lucientes (; ; 30 March 1746 – 16 April 1828) was a Spanish romantic painter and printmaker. He is considered the most important Spanish artist of the late 18th and early 19th centuries. His paintings, drawings, a ...

's famous aquatint prints titled ''Gracias a la Almorta'' ("Thanks to the Grasspea"), depicting poor people surviving on a porridge made from grasspea flour, one of them lying on the floor, already crippled by it. During the

Second World War World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...

, on the order of Colonel I. Murgescu, commandant of the

Vapniarka concentration camp The Vapniarka concentration camp was a Romania, Romanian-administered concentration camp established in occupied Transnistria Governorate in Vapniarka, Ukraine during the Second World War. History Soon after Romania, under the leadership of I ...

Transnistria Transnistria, officially known as the Pridnestrovian Moldavian Republic and locally as Pridnestrovie, is a Landlocked country, landlocked Transnistria conflict#International recognition of Transnistria, breakaway state internationally recogn ...

, the detainees - most of them Jews - were fed nearly exclusively with grasspea. Consequently, they became ill from lathyrism.isurvived.org
''The Holocaust in Romania Under the Antonescu Government'', by Marcu Rozen.

Related conditions

Disorders that are clinically similar are

konzo Konzo is an epidemic paralytic disease occurring among hunger-stricken rural populations in Africa where a diet dominated by insufficiently processed cassava results in simultaneous malnutrition and high dietary cyanide intake. Konzo was first ...

and

Lytico-bodig disease Lytico-Bodig (also Lytigo-bodig) disease, Guam disease, amyotrophic lateral sclerosis-parkinsonism-dementia complex (ALS-PDC), and Western Pacific amyotrophic lateral sclerosis-parkinsonism-dementia complex is a rare, terminal neurodegenerative dis ...

. Konzo means "tied legs" in the Yaka language, and is common in some African people who are consuming diets poor in protein. The possible molecule causing this problem is thiocyanate, which stimulates AMPA receptors.

References

{{authority control Toxic effect of noxious substances eaten as food Lathyrus