Presence of 1,25-dihydroxyvitamin D₃-glycoside in the calcinogenic plant Cestrum diurnum

A DISEASE clinically and morphologically similar to vitamin D-intoxication, characterised by hypercalcaemia and extensive soft tissue calcification, has been described in grazing animals and linked to the ingestion of leaves from several plant species including Cestrum diurnum (C.d.)^1-3 and Solanum malacoxylon³. Early reports indicated that activity resembling the hormonal form of vitamin D₃, 1,25-dihydroxyvitamin D₃ (1,25-(OH)₂D₃), existed in extracts of both of these plants^3-5. The active calcitropic principle from S. malacoxylon has been identified as a 1,25-(OH)₂D₃-glycoside^6-8. We report here the isolation and identification of a 1,25-(OH) ₂D₃-glycoside in C.d. It is proposed that this principle accounts for the hyperabsorption of calcium found in animals eating this plant.