Towards a better understanding of Ipomoea asarifolia toxicity: Evidence of the involvement of a leaf lectin

►Natural intoxication of livestock by ingestion of I. asarifolia leaves has been reported. ►A lectin-enriched fraction (LEF) was isolated from I. asarifolia leaves. ►LEF induced severe uncoordinated movements in mice and reduced muscular contraction. ►Rat kidneys perfused with LEF increased urinary flow and glomerular filtration rate and decreased tubular transport of Na+, K+ and Cl−. ►The toxic effects induced by LEF strongly suggest that it is one of the toxic principles of I. asarifolia.