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Gad El-Hak HN, Mohallal EME, Abomosallam M. Reproductive and developmental safety evaluation of Thymelaea hirsuta (L.) leaves aqueous extract in Wistar albino rats. JOURNAL OF ETHNOPHARMACOLOGY 2025; 336:118729. [PMID: 39182699 DOI: 10.1016/j.jep.2024.118729] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/15/2024] [Revised: 08/16/2024] [Accepted: 08/21/2024] [Indexed: 08/27/2024]
Abstract
ETHNOPHARMACOLOGICAL RELEVANCE The popularity of herbal medicine is expanding globally due to the common belief that herbal products are natural and nontoxic. Thymelaea hirsuta leaves are traditionally used for the treatment of recurrent abortion in humans and animals. However, a lack of safety evaluation of the plant, particularly in pregnant women, raises serious concerns regarding its potential embryotoxic effects. AIM OF THE STUDY Therefore, the present study investigated the safety of Thymelaea hirsuta leaves aqueous extract (THLE) during pregnancy and lactation following maternal rat treatment. MATERIALS AND METHODS THLE phytochemical compounds were identified using high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC). THLE was orally administered to pregnant rats and lactating dams at dosages of 0, 250, 500, and 1000 mg/kg/day. At the end of the study, dam s' and pups' body weights, serum biochemical and hematological indices, and histopathological changes were investigated. For the fetal observation and histopathological changes were also evaluated. RESULTS Our findings revealed that THLE is rich in different phenolic and flavonoid compounds. However, biochemical and hormonal parameters such as ALT, AST, and prolactin were significantly increased in dams treated with a higher dosage of THLE when compared to the control dams (P ≤ 0.05). Additionally, external, visceral and skeletal examinations of fetuses revealed a marked increase of malformation rates in treated fetuses. CONCLUSIONS The results revealed that higher oral dosing of THLE during pregnancy could affect embryonic development in rats, while lower doses are safe and can be used during pregnancy and lactation to attain its beneficial effects.
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Affiliation(s)
| | | | - Mohamed Abomosallam
- Forensic Medicine and Toxicology Department, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Mansoura University, Mansoura, Egypt.
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Zhang D, Luo M, Guan W, Ding X, Liao B, Su H, Huang J, Bai J, Qiu X, Huang Z, Gong L. Conservation Strategies for Aquilaria sinensis: Insights from DNA Barcoding and ISSR Markers. PLANT FOODS FOR HUMAN NUTRITION (DORDRECHT, NETHERLANDS) 2024; 79:425-431. [PMID: 38383946 DOI: 10.1007/s11130-024-01156-z] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 02/01/2024] [Indexed: 02/23/2024]
Abstract
The evergreen tree species Aquilaria sinensis holds significant economic importance due to its specific medicinal values and increasing market demand. However, the unrestricted illegal exploitation of its wild population poses a threat to its survival. This study aims to contribute to the conservation efforts of A. sinensis by constructing a library database of DNA barcodes, including two chloroplast genes (psbA-trnH and matK) and two nuclear genes (ITS and ITS2). Additionally, the genetic diversity and structure were estimated using inter-simple sequence repeats (ISSR) markers. Four barcodes of 57 collections gained 194 sequences, and 1371 polymorphic bands (98.63%) were observed using DNA ISSR fingerprinting. The Nei's gene diversity (H) of A. sinensis at the species level is 0.2132, while the Shannon information index (I) is 0.3128. The analysis of molecular variance revealed a large significant proportion of total genetic variations and differentiation among populations (Gst = 0.4219), despite a relatively gene flow (Nm = 0.6853) among populations, which were divided into two groups by cluster analysis. There was a close genetic relationship among populations with distances of 0.0845 to 0.5555. This study provides evidence of the efficacy and dependability of establishing a DNA barcode database and using ISSR markers to assess the extent of genetic diversity A. sinensis. Preserving the genetic resources through the conservation of existing populations offers a valuable proposition. The effective utilization of these resources will be further deliberated in subsequent breeding endeavors, with the potential to breed agarwood commercial lines.
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Affiliation(s)
- Danchun Zhang
- The Second Clinical College of Guangzhou University of Chinese Medicine, Guangzhou, Guangdong, China
- Guangdong Provincial Hospital of Chinese Medicine, Guangzhou, Guangdong, China
| | - Manjun Luo
- The Second Clinical College of Guangzhou University of Chinese Medicine, Guangzhou, Guangdong, China
- Guangdong Provincial Hospital of Chinese Medicine, Guangzhou, Guangdong, China
| | - Wan Guan
- Luqiao Hospital, Taizhou Enze Medical Center (Group), Taizhou, Zhejiang, China
| | - XiaoXia Ding
- The Second Clinical College of Guangzhou University of Chinese Medicine, Guangzhou, Guangdong, China
| | - Baosheng Liao
- The Second Clinical College of Guangzhou University of Chinese Medicine, Guangzhou, Guangdong, China
- Guangdong Provincial Hospital of Chinese Medicine, Guangzhou, Guangdong, China
| | - He Su
- The Second Clinical College of Guangzhou University of Chinese Medicine, Guangzhou, Guangdong, China
- Guangdong Provincial Hospital of Chinese Medicine, Guangzhou, Guangdong, China
| | - Juan Huang
- The Second Clinical College of Guangzhou University of Chinese Medicine, Guangzhou, Guangdong, China
- Guangdong Provincial Hospital of Chinese Medicine, Guangzhou, Guangdong, China
| | - Junqi Bai
- The Second Clinical College of Guangzhou University of Chinese Medicine, Guangzhou, Guangdong, China
- Guangdong Provincial Hospital of Chinese Medicine, Guangzhou, Guangdong, China
| | - Xiaohui Qiu
- The Second Clinical College of Guangzhou University of Chinese Medicine, Guangzhou, Guangdong, China
- Guangdong Provincial Hospital of Chinese Medicine, Guangzhou, Guangdong, China
| | - Zhihai Huang
- The Second Clinical College of Guangzhou University of Chinese Medicine, Guangzhou, Guangdong, China.
- Guangdong Provincial Hospital of Chinese Medicine, Guangzhou, Guangdong, China.
- Key Laboratory of Quality Evaluation of Chinese Medicine of the Guangdong Provincial Medical Products Administration, Guangzhou, Guangdong, China.
| | - Lu Gong
- The Second Clinical College of Guangzhou University of Chinese Medicine, Guangzhou, Guangdong, China.
- Guangdong Provincial Hospital of Chinese Medicine, Guangzhou, Guangdong, China.
- Key Laboratory of Quality Evaluation of Chinese Medicine of the Guangdong Provincial Medical Products Administration, Guangzhou, Guangdong, China.
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