1. Effects of Angiotensin-Converting Enzyme Inhibitor Derived from Tropaeolum majus L. in Rat Preimplantation Embryos: Evidence for the Dehydroepiandrosterone and Estradiol Role.
- Author
-
Botelho Lourenço, Emerson Luiz, Muller, Juliane Centeno, Boareto, Ana Claudia, Gomes, Caroline, Lourenço, Ana Carolina, Calloi Palozi, Rhanany Alan, Lima Prando, Thiago Bruno, Junior, Arquimedes Gasparotto, and Dalsenter, Paulo Roberto
- Subjects
- *
PHYTOTHERAPY , *ANALYSIS of variance , *ACE inhibitors , *ANIMAL experimentation , *BLOOD testing , *CHI-squared test , *DEHYDROEPIANDROSTERONE , *DRUG toxicity , *ESTRADIOL , *MEDICINAL plants , *PROGESTERONE , *RATS , *RESEARCH funding , *STATISTICS , *EMBRYOS , *MANN Whitney U Test , *PREGNANCY - Abstract
Although several studies have shown the inhibitory effects of Tropaeolum majus extracts (HETM) on angiotensin-converting enzyme (ACE) activity, no studies have been carried out during the beginning of pregnancy, when humoral and hormonal imbalance may affect zygote and early embryo transport. This study investigates whether HETM can affect embryonic development when administered during the one-cell-blastocyst period. Pregnant Wistar rats received orally the HETM (3, 30, and 300 mg/kg/day) from the est to the 7th gestational day. Rats were killed on the 8th day of pregnancy and the following parameters were evaluated: clinical symptoms of toxicity (including organ weights), number of corpora lutea, implants per group, preimplantation losses ratio, and the serum levels of dehydroepiandrosterone (DHEA), estradiol, and progesterone. No clinical symptoms of maternal toxicity were evidenced. On the 8th day of pregnancy, the levels of DHEA and estradiol were increased and significant preimplantation losses were observed at all doses used. The present study reveals that the HETM can raise levels of DHEA and estradiol and induce difficulty in the embryo implantation in the early stages of pregnancy. The data contributes significantly to the safety aspects of using this natural product when trying to get pregnant or during pregnancy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]
- Published
- 2014
- Full Text
- View/download PDF