Abstract
Pregnancy brings about strong cravings for nonfood materials, the gestational toxicities of which are not yet ascertained. In this study, we used rat models to investigate the effect of clay beverage consumption during early and late gestation on p-Type ATPases, nephrocardiac integrity, the antioxidant system, and on the activities of the renin–angiotensin–aldosterone system (RAAS). The rats at early (7th day) and late gestation (20th) were administered single doses (500 mg/kg body weight) of clay beverage and examined using ELISA and spectrophotometry. The gestational clay beverage intake significantly elevated the renal hemodynamics, glomerular filtration rate (GFR), anion gap, urinary output, and blood urea nitrogen–creatinine ratio (BUN/Crt). At early and late gestation, clay beverage consumption elevated the heartbeat, atherogenic index of plasma, cardiac risk ratio, and atherogenic coefficients. Creatinine kinase and troponin levels after clay beverage consumption significantly increased with gestation age, while lactate dehydrogenase elevation was independent of gestation age. Mg2+-ATPase and Na+/K+-ATPase significantly decreased during gestation and were further altered with clay beverage intake. The rats showed higher RAAS activities during early and late gestation stages but greatly decreased activities after clay beverage administration. When F2-isoprostane and malondialdehyde levels were measured, slight elevations were found during pregnancy and were greatly elevated with clay beverage intake, while the glutathione reductase, catalase, and superoxide dismutase levels were decreased. We thus discourage clay beverage consumption throughout the entire pregnancy period because of these profound homeostatic imbalances and organ toxicities associated with its consumption.
Highlights
Pregnancy is a vulnerable and delicate period that features several physiological and anatomical changes
The body weight, organ weights, and renal hemodynamics were measured in rats administered with clay beverage during early and late gestation (Table 1)
The body weights and respective organ weights of livers and kidneys significantly decreased on consumption of the clay beverage when compared with dams not administered with the clay beverage
Summary
Pregnancy is a vulnerable and delicate period that features several physiological and anatomical changes. These changes involve almost every organ in the body and commence immediately after conception to harbor fetal development [1]. Renal physiology and hemodynamics are essentially altered during pregnancy through interstitial space expansion [2] and fluid retention [3]. A summary of the anatomical changes during gestation includes the dilation of the ureters, calyces, and pelvis, which is the primary cause of incidences of hydronephrosis that occurs in almost 90% of uncomplicated pregnancies [4]. Consequent to renal vasodilation, changes that occur in the renal physiology affect renal hemodynamics, increasing the
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