CAT - Should we cut down all sycamores?

Atypical myopathy is an acquired myonecrotic disease of horses. Cases of AM develop an acute-onset perturbation in lipid metabolism within their skeletal muscle resulting from the inhibition of multiple acyl-CoA dehydrogenase enzymes. This enzymatic deficiency prevents fatty acid oxidation, consequently leading to an overwhelming energy deprivation within muscle fibres. Ingestion of hypoglycin A (HA) (from sycamore-maple seeds), and the subsequent production of its toxic metabolite MCPA, has been shown to be highly associated with AM. Therefore, the removal of horses from UK pastures containing Acer pseudoplatanus trees (sycamore-maple) is strongly recommended to reduce the incidence of AM ...