Efeitos do extrato aquoso de strychnos pseudoquina na prenhez de ratas wistar: repercussões fetais

Abstract

The use of plants for medicinal purposes to treat, cure and prevent diseases is one of the oldest forms of medicinal practice for mankind. This makes studies with plants important, with a view to expanding scientific knowledge. Strychnos pseudoquina, popularly known as quina do cerrado, is widely used in folk medicine for having febrifugal properties and treating liver and gastric problems. However, there is no scientific evidence on the effects of its use during pregnancy. Therefore, the objective of this study was to evaluate the fetal repercussions resulting from the administration of the aqueous extract of S. pseudoquina during the pregnancy of rats. To carry out the experiment, Wistar rats (male and female) were mated. The pregnant rats were randomly assigned to four experimental groups (n = 12 animals / group): Control - rats treated with water; Treated 75, Treated 150 and Treated 300 - rats treated with the aqueous extract of S. pseudoquina at doses of 75, 150 and 300 mg / Kg, respectively. The oral administration of the aqueous extract occurred from day 0 to the 21st day of pregnancy. On the last day of pregnancy, the rats were anesthetized and laparotomy was performed. The fetuses were removed, weighed and analyzed for the occurrence of external anomalies, and later processed for the analysis of skeletal and visceral anomalies. The results showed that the treatment with the plant in the Treated 150 group led to changes in fetal development, evidenced by the increase in the percentage of large fetuses for gestational age (LGA) and skeletal anomalies. The Treated 300 group showed a decrease in fetal weight, an increase in small fetuses for gestational age (SGA) and a reduction in ossification count. Therefore, it is concluded that treatment with S. pseudoquina in the highest dose causes changes in fetal development, confirmed by intrauterine growth restriction (IUGR), decreased fetal weight and ossification centers and increased skeletal anomalies. Thus, the use of this plant during pregnancy can be harmful depending on the dose used.