Teratogenic effect of the administration of dietary phytoesterogens in rats

الملخص EN

Endocrine disruptors, chemicals that disturb the actions of endogenous hormones, have been implicated in birth defects associated with hormone-dependent development.

Phytoestrogens are a class of endocrine disruptors found in plants.

In the current study we examined the effects of exposure to dietary phytoestrogens at prenatal time, on maternal body weight & feed intake, callcium, phosphrous and alkaline phosphatase (ALP) levels of dams as well as development of rat embryos through body weight & CVL, skeletal and visceral examination of foeti at gestation day 19 (GD19) beside histopathological examination.

Dams were fed high phytoestrogens diet containing 1320 μg / g genistein and 704.7 μg / g daidzein one month before gestation and extended during gestation up to GD19.

Maternal body weight & feed intake were significantly (P < 0.05) decreased in phytoestrogens fed dams than control dams.

Serum calcium and phosphorous levels were significantly (P < 0.05) increased and serum ALP activity was increased with higher significance (P < 0.01) in phytoestrogens fed dams than control.

Phytoestrogens exposure via the maternal diet significantly (P < 0.01) decreased foetal body weight and crown vertebral rump length (CVL).

Implantation % and number of pups / litter decreased significantly (P < 0.05), while resorption % was significantly (P < 0.05) higher than control group.

There was no effect of dietary phytoestrogens on placental weight, number of live pups / implantation sites or number of corpora lutae.

The exposure to phytoestrogens via the maternal diet produced wide open fontanella, incomplete ossification of cranial bone, absence of sternebrae, phalanges of fore and hind limbs and coccygeal vertebrae at skeletal level.

Also enophthalmia (sunken eyes) and microphthalmia, hypoplasia of foetal lungs and unilateral or bilateral renal agenesis were evident in maternally treated foeti at visceral level.

Histopathological pathological findings of maternally treated foeti included congestion, and variable degrees of degeneration in liver, lungs, kidney and cartilage.

Moreover foetal testes and ovaries showed germ cells degeneration.

Placenta showed degeneration of the basal layer, necrotic trophoblasts within the labyrinthine layer and hemolysed blood cells.