Monocrotaline (Crotaline) is a pyrrolizidine alkaloid and a toxic plant constituent that poisons livestock and humans through the ingestion of contaminated grains and other foods. The alkaloid causes pulmonary artery hypertension, right ventricular hypertrophy, and pathological changes in the pulmonary vasculature. Significant attenuation of the cardiopulmonary changes is noted after oral magnesium treatment.

Monocrotaline (MCT) is an 11-membered macrocyclic pyrrolizidine alkaloid (PA) derived from the seeds of the Crotalaria spectabilis plant[1]. Monocrotaline is a natural ligand that exhibits dose-dependent cytotoxicity with potent antineoplastic activity. The in vitro cytotoxicity of monocrotaline is proved at IC50 24.966 µg/mL and genotoxicity at 2 X IC50 against HepG2 cells[2].

MCT leads to a pulmonary vascular syndrome in rats characterized by proliferative pulmonary vasculitis, pulmonary hypertension (PH), and cor pulmonale[3]. Among preClinicalal models of pulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH), monocrotaline animal model offers the advantage of mimic several key aspects of human PAH, including vascular remodeling, proliferation of smooth muscle cells, endothelial dysfunction, upregulation of inflammatory cytokines, and right ventricle failure, requiring a single drug injection[4]. Changes in many pathways associated with the development of PH, including activated glycolysis, increased markers of proliferation, disruptions in carnitine homeostasis, increased inflammatory and fibrosis biomarkers, and a reduction in glutathione biosynthesis are observed with the injection of monocrotaline[5].