20th Day Of Gestation Research Articles

Effect of Irisin on Experimentally-Induced Preeclampsia in Female Albino Rats

AbstractBackground: Preeclampsia is a syndrome associated with pregnancy and characterized by new onset hypertension and proteinuria that might result from hypoxic placenta which secretes pathogenic factors that enter the maternal blood stream and result in endothelial dysfunction. Irisin is a myokine that improves endothelial dysfunction and has anti-oxidant and anti-inflammatory effects. Therefore, the current study aims to explore the possible effects of irisin on a model of preeclampsia induced experimentally in adult female albino rats and to explain the possible underlying mechanisms.Material and Methods: 24 adult female albino rats were divided into three groups: Group I (control pregnant rats): That were injected daily with saline solution from 7th day to 14th day of gestation, Group II (preeclamptic rats): In which pregnant rats were injected daily with L-NAME starting from the 7th day to 14th day of gestation, and Group III (irisin-treated preeclamptic rats): In which L-NAME-induced preec-lamptic rats were treated daily with intravenous irisin; 2μg/kg; from 10th day to 19th day of gestation. In all groups, systolic and diastolic Blood Pressure (BP), Total Urinary Proteins/24 hour (TUP), number of living pups and serum Endothelin-1 (ET-1), Interleukin-6 (IL-6), Nitric Oxide (NO), Placental Growth Factor (PGF), insulin, glucose, Super Oxide Dismutase (SOD), Malondialdehyde (MDA) were measured and HOMA-IR was calculated.Results: Irisin-treated preeclamptic rats showed significant decrease in systoilic BP, diastolic BP, TUP, ET-1, IL-6, HOMA-IR, MDA and significant increase in the number of living pups, NO, PGF, SOD in comparison to preeclamptic rats.Conclusion: Irisin may be a promising molecule for treatment of vascular complications of preeclampsia, as manifested by the improvement of hypertension and proteinuria in preeclamptic rats, through several mechanisms that may involve decreasing the oxidative stress, IL-6, ET-1 and insulin resistance or increasing the levels of PGF and NO.

Maternal and Fetal Toxicity of Carisoprodol

Aim of the work: this study aimed to detect the histological and histochemical changes in liver tissue of pregnant rats and their fetuses after treatment with carisoprodol. Material and methods: thirty pregnant female rats were randomly categorized into three groups (ten pregnant female rats in each group). The first was administered oral doses of distilled water and was served as control. The other two groups were administered oral doses of carisoprodol in the distilled water equivalent to 10.8 mg and 21.6 mg/100g body weight/day respectively for 15 days from the 6th day to the 20th day of gestation. Numerous histological and histochemical studies were done to detect the histopathological and histochemical changes. Results: maternal and fetal liver tissue of both treated groups showed lots of degenerative changes post-treatment withcarisoprodol. The severity of these changes was more obvious in fetal liver tissue of both groups this was accompanied with numerous histochemical changes. Conclusion: treatment of pregnant rats withcarisoprodol led to numerous dystrophic changes in maternal and fetal liver tissue.

OZONE THERAPY: TERATOGENIC STUDY OF OZONE. POSSIBLE INDICATIONS IN OBSTETRICS AND GYNECOLOGY

OZONE THERAPY: TERATOGENIC STUDY OF OZONE. POSSIBLE INDICATIONS IN OBSTETRICS AND GYNECOLOGY

Gestational Exposure to the Synthetic Cathinone Methylenedioxypyrovalerone Results in Reduced Maternal Care and Behavioral Alterations in Mouse Pups.

The member of synthetic cathinone family, methylenedioxypyrovalerone (MDPV), is a frequently used psychoactive drug of abuse. The objective of our study was to determine the effect of MDPV (administered from the 8th to the 14th day of gestation) on the behavior of neonatal and adolescent mice, as well as its effect on maternal care. We measured maternal care (pup retrieval test, nest building), locomotor activity (open field test), and motor coordination (grip strength test) of dams, whereas on pups we examined locomotor activity at postnatal day 7 and day 21 (open field test) and motor coordination on day 21 (grip strength test). On fresh-frozen brain samples of the dams we examined the expression of two important peptides implicated in the regulation of maternal behavior and lactation: tuberoinfundibular peptide 39 (TIP39) mRNA in the thalamic posterior intralaminar complex, and amylin mRNA in the medial preoptic nucleus. We detected decreased birth rate and survival of offspring, and reduced maternal care in the drug-treated animals, whereas there was no difference between the motility of treated and control mothers. Locomotor activity of the pups was increased in the MDPV treated group both at 7 and 21 days of age, while motor coordination was unaffected by MDPV treatment. TIP39 and amylin were detected in their typical location but failed to show a significant difference of expression between the drug-treated and control groups. The results suggest that chronic systemic administration of the cathinone agent MDPV to pregnant mice can reduce birth rate and maternal care, and it also enhances motility (without impairment of motor coordination) of the offspring.

Rekombinan Vascular Endothelial Growth Factor-121 Menekan Ekspresi Heat Shock Protein-70 pada Plasenta Mencit Model Preeklampsia (VASCULAR ENDOTHELIAL GROWTH FACTOR-121 RECOMBINANT DEPRESSIS HEAT SHOCK PROTEIN-70 EXPRESSION IN PREECLAMPSIA MICE PLACENTA

Preeclampsia has remained a major cause of morbidity and maternal-perinatal mortality. Oxidative stress that occurs in preeclampsia increases HSP-70 expression. Therefore, VEGF therapy is expected to recover this oxidative stress. This research aimed to determine the role of VEGF-121 recombinant on HSP-70 expression in mice model of preeclampsia. This research was an explanatory study conducted at Animal Cage Experiment, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Airlangga University. The samples were 30 mice that were divided into 3 groups, namely a group of 10 normal pregnant mice, a group of 10 mice model of preeclampsia, and a group of 10 mice model of preeclampsia with VEGF-121 recombinant therapy. On the 16th day of gestation, HSP-70 expressions in the placenta of all mice were examined using immunohistochemical methods. The data were analyzed using Kruskall-Wallis test of SPSS program. The mean of HSP-70 expression in normal pregnancy group was 1.69 ± 0.68, in preeclampsia model group was 3.50 ± 0.95 with p = 0.00, and in preeclampsia model group with VEGF-121 recombinant therapy was 2.24 ± 0.84 with p = 0.00. In short, VEGF-121 recombinant has a role in lowering HSP-70 expression in mice placenta model of preeclampsia

TGF-β1 EXPRESSION BY GLIOMA C6 CELLS IN VITRO

FRBCS was obtained from suspensions of fetal rat brain cells on the 14th (E14) day of gestation. C6glioma cells were cultured for 48h in the presence of FRBCS or FRBCS + anti-TGF-β1 monoclonal antibody. Immunocytochemical staining for TGF-β1 and p53was performed. The proportion of TGF-β1-immunopositive tumor cells in C6glioma cultures was statistically significantly higher than in the control cell cultures of normal fetal rat brain. FRBCS reduced the proportion of TGF-β1-immunopositive tumor cells and increased the proportion of p53-immunopositive cells in C6glioma cultures. In cells cultured with FRBCS + anti-TGF-β1monoclonal antibody, the above effects of FRBCS were abrogated. The obtained results suggest that TGF-β1seems to be responsible for decrease in TGF-β1 expression and increase in p53expression in C6glioma cells treated with FRBCS.

Effects of Ethanolic Fruit Extract of Picralima nitida (Stapf) on Conception and Estrogenicity in Female Albino Rats

In search for medicinal plants with renowned reputation of contraceptive and fertility-modulating ability, this work was designed to evaluate the effects of ethanolic fruit extract of Picralima nitida on conception and oestrogenicity using twentyone sexually mature and twenty-four sexually immature female Sprague Dawley rats respectively. For the anti-conceptive study, 0 mg/kg, 50 mg/kg and 500 mg/kg of the extract was administered from day 1to day 4 of gestation (7 rats per group). On the 20th day of gestation, percentage of pregnant females (PPF), live foetal number (LFN), corpora lutea number (CLN), resorbed embryo number (REN), foetal crown-rump length (FCRL) and fertility indices (FI) were evaluated. For the anti-estrogenic study, Groups 1 to 3 (ovariectomized immature female rats) received 0.1 mg/kg of Stilboestrol, 50 mg/kg of the extract, and 0.2 ml of paraffin respectively, once daily for four consecutive days. Group 4 comprised of sham-operated immature female rats with their ovaries intact. The extract elicited absolute conception failure in 42.86% of the treated animals. The extract significantly (p < 0.05) reduced the FCRL, LFN and FI, but increased the REN. Evaluation of the allometric weights of the uterine tissues, endometrial thickness and vaginal opening revealed that the extract at 50 mg/kg body weight was antioestrogenic in activity. Findings from this research strongly suggest that the ethanolic fruit extract of Picralima nitida possesses significant post-coital anti-fertility activity in rats, which could not be attributed to its oestrogenic activity.

Experimental diabetes impairs maternal reproductive performance in pregnant Wistar rats and their offspring

ABSTRACTThe aim of this study was to determine the effect of mild hyperglycemia on metabolism during pregnancy, the maternal reproductive performance, and the characteristics of the offspring in neonatal mild diabetic-induced Wistar rats. The experimental diabetes model was generated by neonatal streptozotocin administration (100 mg of streptozotocin/Kg bw/sc) in female Wistar rats. At adulthood, the control and diabetic group were mated. At the 20th day of gestation, a maternal and fetal blood sample were collected for biochemical measurement. The maternal livers, fetal livers, and placenta were removed for oxidative stress measurements. Maternal reproductive outcomes and fetal and placental morphometric measurements were analyzed. The fetuses were classified as small, appropriate, and large for pregnancy age, and examined for the presence of external anomalies. The diabetic group showed mild hyperglycemia, altered glucose tolerance, increased total cholesterol, triglycerides, and hemoglobin A1c during pregnancy. At the 20th day of gestation the diabetic mothers presented increased reabsorptions and embryonic losses before and after implantation, reduced corpora lutea number, litter size, implantation sites, live fetuses, and decreased efficiency of implantation rate. Similarly, the offspring showed reduced fetal, craniofacial, and placental dimensions, in addition to a higher proportion of small fetuses for pregnancy age. Mild hyperglycemia during pregnancy did not generate marked oxidative stress in the mother, and in fetal liver and placenta decreased antioxidant activity was evident by significant consumption of reduced glutathione. Mild diabetes led to a negative impact on maternal reproductive performance and characteristics of the offspring. This experimental model reproduced maternal and fetal outcomes of pregnant rats presenting controlled diabetes.Abbreviations: bw: body weight; sc: subcutaneous; DM: diabetes mellitus; STZ: streptozotocin; OGTT: oral glucose tolerance test; ITT: insulin tolerance test; GSH: glutathione; MDA: malondialdehyde; AOPPs: advanced oxidation protein products; TBARs: thiobarbituric acid reaction; SPA: small for pregancy age; APA: appropriate for pregnancy age; LPG: large for pregnancy age; ROS: reactive oxygen species

Quantum dots mediated embryotoxicity via placental damage

The increasing use of nanoparticles in consumer products raises the concerns of their safety. This study investigated the biological effects of quantum dots (QD) exposure to rats during pregnancy. CdTe QD were injected on the 13th gestation day. Morphological features of 121 fetuses and histological analysis of placentas were performed on the 20th gestation day. The results showed that QD exhibit dose dependent embryotoxicity: survival rates of fetuses were 97% (5mg/kg dose), 86% (10mg/kg dose) and 43% (20mg/kg dose). QD exposure also resulted in the reduction of fetal body length and mass, disturbed ossification of limbs and caused placental tissue damage. QD exhibit no teratogenic effects at the applied doses. It is hypothesized that embryogenesis was impeded due to the placental damage rather than QD penetration and accumulation in the fetuses. To conclude, mothers should be protected from QD exposure during pregnancy.

Safflower (Carthamus tinctorius L.) oil during pregnancy and lactation influences brain excitability and cortex oxidative status in the rat offspring

Objectives: To evaluate how safflower oil (SFO) influences brain electrophysiology and cortical oxidative status in the offspring, mothers received a diet with SFO during brain development period.Methods: Beginning on the 14th day of gestation and throughout lactation, rats received safflower (safflower group – SG) or soybean oil (control group – CG) in their diet. At 65 days old, cortical spreading depression (CSD) and cortex oxidative status were analyzed in the offspring.Results: SG presented reduction of the CSD velocity as compared to the CG (SG: 3.24 ± 0.09; CG: 3.37 ± 0.07 mm/min). SFO reduced levels of lipid peroxidation by 39.4%. SG showed the following increases: glutathione-S-transferase, 40.8% and reduced glutathione, 34.3%. However, SFO decreased superoxide dismutase by 40.4% and catalase by 64.1%. To control for interhemispheric effects, since CSD was recorded only in the right cortex, we evaluated the oxidative status in both sides of the cortex; no differences were observed.Discussion: Data show that when SFO is consumed by the female rats during pregnancy and lactation, the offspring present long-term effects on brain electrophysiology and cortical oxidative state. The present study highlights the relevance of understanding the SFO intake of pregnant and lactating mammals.

Prenatal Exposure to LPS Alters The Intrarenal RAS in Offspring, Which Is Ameliorated by Adipose Tissue-Derived Mesenchymal Stem Cells.

Prenatal lipopolysaccharide (LPS) exposure causes hypertension in rat offspring through an unknown mechanism. Here, we investigated the role of the intrarenal renin-angiotensin system (RAS) in hypertension induced by prenatal LPS exposure and also explored whether adipose tissue-derived mesenchymal stem cells (ADSCs) can ameliorate the effects of prenatal LPS exposure in rat offspring. Sixty-four pregnant rats were randomly divided into 4 groups (n = 16 in each), namely, a control group and an LPS group, which were intraperitoneally injected with vehicle and 0.79 mg/kg LPS, respectively, on the 8th, 10th, and 12th days of gestation; an ADSCs group, which was intravenously injected with 1.8 × 107 ADSCs on the 8th, 10th, and 12th days of gestation; and an LPS + ADSCs group, which received a combination of the treatments administered to the LPS and ADSCs groups. Prenatal LPS exposure increased blood pressure, Ang II expression, Ang II-positive, monocyte and lymphocyte, apoptotic cells in the kidney, and induced renal histological changes in offspring; however, the LPS and control groups did not differ significantly with respect to plasma renin activity levels, Ang II levels, or renal function. ADSCs treatment attenuated the blood pressure and also ameliorated the other effects of LPS-treated adult offspring. Prenatal exposure to LPS activates the intrarenal RAS but not the circulating RAS and thus induces increases in blood pressure in adult offspring; however, ADSCs treatment attenuates the blood pressure increases resulting from LPS exposure and also ameliorates the other phenotypic changes induced by LPS treatment by inhibiting intrarenal RAS activation.

POSSIBLE TERATOGENIC EFFECTS OF ANTIEPILEPTICS IN ALBINO RATS: COMPARATIVE STUDY BETWEEN OLD AND NEW GENERATIONS: PART II

All antiepileptic drugs (AEDs) are either known or suspected of being teratogenic. The possible teratogenic mechanism is likely to be multiple even for the same drug. Treatment of females with epilepsy in the childbearing period raises questions due to interactions between epilepsy, antiepileptic drugs (AEDs) and different forms of reproductive life. The use of AEDs in these females is a balance between seizure control and adverse effects of these drugs, which are both potentially harmful to the developing fetus, neurological development, growth and subsequent pediatric progress, which presents unique challenges to both the clinicians and their patients. Recently, number of commercially available AEDs has steadily increased. This work is a randomized single blind control trial that aims to study the possible teratogenic effects of AEDs by comparing carbamazepine (old generation) with lamotrigine (new generation) in order to detect the drug that can be used safely by epileptic pregnant females. Pregnant female albino rats (120 in number) were used. They were randomly classified into six groups (2 control and 4 treated groups) each contained 20 pregnant rats. Animals were killed on the 20th day of gestation, dissected and fetuses were exposed and randomly classified into two subgroups: The first (1/3 of fetuses) were eviscerated and preserved in 95% ethyl alcohol for skeletal staining, using Alizarin red stain. Examination included: bones of axial skeleton (skull, vertebral column, sternum and ribs) and appendicular skeleton (clavicle, scapula, forelimbs and hind limbs). The second (2/3) were fixed in Bouin’ s solution for visceral examination. Examination of the axial skeleton: craniofacial bones showed highly significant reduction in complete ossification centers (OCs) of all treated groups in comparison with the control with no significant difference between lamotrigine and carbamazepine in therapeutic doses. Other parts of axial skeleton were not affected in therapeutic treated groups. Appendicular skeleton, except metacarpal OCs, showed no difference from control in therapeutic doses. There was a highly significant reduction in complete metacarpal OCs of both doses of carbamazepine and ¼ LD50 of lamotrigine, in comparison with the control, but there was a highly significant increase in both doses of lamotrigine in comparison with corresponding doses of carbamazepine. Similarly, there was a highly significant reduction in complete metatarsal OCs in both ¼ LD50 doses in comparison with the control. No significant difference was recorded in complete metatarsal OCs of therapeutic dose of lamotrigine and a highly significant increase in ¼ LD50 dose in comparison with corresponding doses of carbamazepine.Visceral findings: no abnormalities were detected among fetuses in therapeutic doses of treated groups. Fetuses of ¼ LD50 treated groups showed internal abnormalities in heads cross sections, while other levels showed no difference from control. Conclusion: lamotrigine in therapeutic dose can be used safely by epileptic pregnant females.

The Effects of Maternal Hyperthyroidism on Histologic Changes in Parietal Lobe in Rat Embryos

Background: Maternal hyperthyroidism causes developmental defects on the nervous system of fetuses. Objectives: The present study was designed to study the effects of maternal hyperthyroidism on the development of the parietal lobe in the brain of rat embryos. Methods: In this experimental study, thirty Sprague-Dawley rats were randomly divided into three groups. The control group received no injections, the sham group received intraperitoneal injections of distilled water solution containing salt and polysorbate (solvent of levothyroxine), and the experimental group received once-daily, intraperitoneal injections of 0.5 mg/kg levothyroxine for a 10-day period to become hyperthyroid rats. The hyperthyroid rats were then mated, and all pregnant rats were killed on the 20th day of gestation. Fetuses were removed, fixed, and processed for histological procedures. The fetuses were sagitally sectioned at 5 µ thickness and stained with hematoxylin-eosin (H and E) technique. The sections were examined using a light microscope and Motic software. Results: The results showed no significant difference in the studied variables between the sham and control groups. A significantly increase in body weight and a significant decrease in crown-rump length of embryos was observed in the experimental group when compared to the control group. The mean total thickness of the parietal cortex, ventricular layer, and intermediate layer of embryos showed a significant decrease in the experimental group compared to the control and sham groups. The mean number of cells also showed a significant decrease in the intermediate and ventricular layers in the experimental group compared to the control and sham groups. Conclusions: This study showed that maternal hyperthyroidism leads to a reduction in development of the parietal cortex in embryos. Maternal hyperthyroidism can disturb the growth and development of embryos.

Histological and Ultrastructural Studies on the Effect Amoxicillin on the Stomach of Mouse Fetuses

Introduction: B-Lactam antibiotics are widely used because of their lack of toxicity in humans. However, during pregnancy, exposure of the fetus is likely to occur due to b-lactam antibiotics cross the placenta. The potential adverse effects of amoxicillin were examined in stomach of mice fetuses. Material and Methods: This study was aimed to evaluate the possible side effects produced by amoxicillin prenatal administration on the stomach of fetuses. Twenty pregnant mice were used in this study; and were divided into two groups: the first group served as a control group and injected by saline solution (the drug solvent); the second group treated with amoxicillin dose of 205 mg/kg body weight. The treatment was daily administered interperitoneally, from the 7th day of gestation till the 14th day of gestation (GDs 7-14). The developing 19-days old fetuses were examined histologically and ultrastructurally to determine any disorders in the stomach. Results: This study illustrated marked deleterious consequences in the gastric wall of 19 day old fetus, following the treatment with amoxicillin, ranging from marked vacuolations and erosions in the epithelial and glandular cells of the gastric mucosa to conspicuous necrosis of glandular (parietal and zymogenic) cells. The electron microscopical examination of the gastric mucosal cells of fetuses maternally treated with amoxicillin, revealed conspicuous alterations, in the cytoplasmic organelles of gastric mucosal cells (surface epithelial, peptic and parietal cells). The cisternae of RER were dilated and fragmented. The mitochondria displayed gradual devastations. Conclusions: Therefore, the destructive impacts of amoxicillin on the stomach of mice fetuses indicated that it should be used under restricted precautions in the medical fields to protect the pregnant women from its hazardous impact.

Effects of Artesunate on some biochemical parameters in pregnant albino Wistar rats challenged with lethal strain Plasmodium berghei NK65: Appreciating the activities of artemisinin drugs on key pregnancy hormone balance

In humans, malaria in pregnancy can cause serious maternal and foetal morbidity and in extreme untreated cases, foetal mortality occurs. The therapeutic approach to curbing this malaise is the administration of an effective and/or combinations of anti-malaria medicaments. Acute or chronic administration of some of these drugs, however, gives rise to some adverse medical conditions including reproductive dysfunction, especially in pregnancy. Studies aimed at the hormonal interplays following administration of these drugs in pregnancy have been limited due to too few appropriate animal models. In this experiment, pregnant albino rats were infected with rodent parasite, Plasmodium berghei on the 5th day of gestation, following which biochemical changes, specific for pregnancy maintenance were monitored in the blood of test rats. We observed that infecting the pregnant rats with P. berghei negatively impacted the measured biological parameters (hormones) compared to unchallenged controls. The observed effect was however retreated following oral administration of 3mg/kg body weight, qDay of Artesunate until the 17th day of gestation. Findings, therefore, suggest that Artesunate is an effective therapeutic agent in pregnancy, demonstrated by the restoration of the hormonal changes occasioned by the parasitic infection.

Ketamine administered pregnant rats impair learning and memory in offspring via the CREB pathway.

Ketamine has been reported to impair the capacity for learning and memory. This study examined whether these capacities were also altered in the offspring and investigated the role of the CREB signaling pathway in pregnant rats, subjected to ketamine-induced anesthesia. On the 14th day of gestation (P14), female rats were anesthetized for 3 h via intravenous ketamine injection (200 mg/Kg). Morris water maze task, contextual and cued fear conditioning, and olfactory tasks were executed between the 25th to 30th day after birth (B25-30) on rat pups, and rats were sacrificed on B30. Nerve density and dendritic spine density were examined via Nissl’s and Golgi staining. Simultaneously, the contents of Ca2+/Calmodulin-Dependent Protein Kinase II (CaMKII), p-CaMKII, CaMKIV, p-CaMKIV, Extracellular Regulated Protein Kinases (ERK), p-ERK, Protein Kinase A (PKA), p-PKA, cAMP-Response Element Binding Protein (CREB), p-CREB, and Brain Derived Neurotrophic Factor (BDNF) were detected in the hippocampus. We pretreated PC12 cells with both PKA inhibitor (H89) and ERK inhibitor (SCH772984), thus detecting levels of ERK, p-ERK, PKA, p-PKA, p-CREB, and BDNF. The results revealed that ketamine impaired the learning ability and spatial as well as conditioned memory in the offspring, and significantly decreased the protein levels of ERK, p-ERK, PKA, p-PKA, p-CREB, and BDNF. We found that ERK and PKA (but not CaMKII or CaMKIV) have the ability to regulate the CREB-BDNF pathway during ketamine-induced anesthesia in pregnant rats. Furthermore, ERK and PKA are mutually compensatory for the regulation of the CREB-BDNF pathway.

Reconstruction of Drug-induced Cleft Palate Using Bone Marrow Mesenchymal Stem Cell in Rodents.

Background:Triamcinolone acetonide (TAC) (Kenacort*) is a commonly used synthetic glucocorticoid in today's medical practice. The drug is also a potential agent in inducing cleft palates in rats. This drug has been used to induce cleft palate in the fetus of the pregnant rats to bring out a suitable animal model for human cleft lip and palate. The drug was given intraperitoneally to induce congenital cleft palate in pregnant mother rats.Aim:The aim of this study is to induce congenital cleft palate in pregnant Wister albino rats and reconstruct the defect with bone marrow mesenchymal stem cells (BMSCs) isolated from the same species along with PLGA (poly lactic co glycolic acid) scaffold.Methods:Twenty female animals were divided into two groups. Each group contains 10 animals. The animals were allowed to mate with male rat during the esterase period and the day, in hich vaginal plug was noticed was taken to be day 0. The pregnant rats were given triamcinolone acetonide (Kenacort* 10 mg/1 ml intramuscularly/intravenous [IM/IV] injections) injection intraperitoneally at two different dosages as the existing literature. The injection was given on the 10, 12, and 14th day of gestation. The clinical changes observed were recorded, and the change in the body weight was noted carefully. Group 1 which received 0.5 mg/kg body weight of TAC had many drug toxic effects. Group 2 which received 0.05 mg/kg body weight produced cleft palate in rat pups. The pups were divided into three groups. Group A control group without cell transplant, the cleft was allowed to close by itself. Group B containing palate reconstructed with plain PLGA scaffold (Bioscaffold, Singapore) without BMSC, Group C containing BMSC and PLGA scaffold (Bioscaffold, Singapore), Group C operated for the cleft palate reconstruction using BMSCs and PLGA scaffold. There was faster and efficient reconstruction of bone in the cleft defect in Group C while there was no defect closure in Group A and B.Results:There was complete reconstruction of the cleft palate in the group of rat pups which received BMSCs along with PLGA scaffold. Bone growth in the cleft defect was faster; complete fusion of the defect was achieved.Conclusion:The dosage of drug used for inducing cleft palate was standardized in rodents for a definitive congenital cleft palate model. The cleft palate induced was reconstructed using BMSCs and PLGA scaffold. This was compared with a control group and the other group with plain PLGA used for reconstruction of the palate. This study will invite future research in the effect of the drug on human beings, especially on pregnant mothers.

Characterization of the Effects of the Shiitake Culinary-Medicinal Mushroom, Lentinus edodes (Agaricomycetes), on Severe Gestational Diabetes Mellitus in Rats.

This study evaluated the protective effect of Lentinus edodes in rats with streptozotocin-induced gestational diabetes mellitus (STZ-GDM) when administered orally. The rats received from the 1st to the 19th day of gestation daily doses of 100 or 200 mg/kg of lyophilized and reconstituted L. edodes; the animals in the saline control group and diabetic control group received a saline solution (DS). Gestational diabetes mellitus was induced by streptozotocin (80 mg/kg, administered intraperitoneally) on the fourth day of pregnancy; blood glucose > 180 mg/dL was considered to indicate STZ-GDM. L. edodes reduced catalase in plasma. We also observed reduced glucose in plasma, urea, triglycerides, and aspartate aminotransferase. There was a decrease in preimplantation loss when compared with the DS group. The doses of L. edodes used here had a protective effect on the preimplantation parameters in STZGDM. However, the mushroom was not able to reverse the deleterious effects caused by streptozotocin throughout the evolution of pregnancy.

Increased GABAA receptor binding in amygdala after prenatal administration of valproic acid to rats.

Prenatal exposure to valproic acid (VPA) enhances the risk for later development of autism spectrum disorders (ASD). An altered gamma-aminobutyric acid (GABA) system may be a key factor in ASD. Here we investigated possible changes in the GABA system in rats exposed to a low dose of prenatal VPA. We performed autoradiography with [3H]muscimol, (a GABAA receptor agonist), and [11C]Ro15-4513 (a partial agonist of the GABAA α1+5 receptor subtypes), in brain sections containing amygdala, thalamus and hippocampus of rats treated prenatally with 20 mg/kg VPA or saline from the 12th day of gestation. Result Prenatal VPA significantly increased [11C]Ro15-4513 binding in the left amygdala compared with controls (p<0.05). This difference was not observed in the hippocampus, thalamus or right amygdala. No differences were observed in [3H]muscimol binding. We observed an asymmetric increase in GABAA receptor binding. Disturbances in the GABAA receptor system have also been detected in human autism with [11C]Ro15-4513.

Altered spermatogenesis, steroidogenesis and suppressed fertility in adult male rats exposed to genistein, a non-steroidal phytoestrogen during embryonic development

This article focuses on the effects of prenatal exposure to genistein on the mother, her pregnancy and reproductive functions of the male progeny, since these issues have ethological relevance in both animals and humans. Pregnant Wistar rats received i.p. injections of genistein at a dose level of 2, 20 or 100 mg/kg body weight daily from 12th to 19th day of gestation. Male pups from control and genistein exposed animals were weaned and allowed to develop until 100 days of age; however, when they were 90 days old, twelve males from each group were cohabited with untreated 90-day old females for 8 days. Results revealed a significant decrease in indices of reproductive organs in adult male rats exposed to genistein during embryonic development. Dose dependent reduction was observed in daily sperm production and epididymal sperm density and quality in genistein treated rats. Significant decrease was observed in the activity levels of 3β- and 17β-hydroxysteroid dehydrogenases in testis of experimental rats with a decline in plasma testosterone levels. Histological examination of testis of genistein treated rats indicated deterioration in testicular architecture. In the fertility study, the mean number of implantations and live fetuses per dam mated with 100 mg genistein exposed males was reduced.