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Teratogenic effect of Aesculus hippocastanum L. extract on fetal development in rats

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Abstract

Objective

Many cultures use herbal medicines in pregnancy as a safer treatment than traditional medicine to promote the mother and/or baby health. Horse chestnut, a medicinal herb that mainly contains aescin, is used for its vagotonic impact, vascular protection, and antiedematous properties. This research sought to assess the impact of prenatal administration of horse chestnut extract on fetal development of rats, which is a novel achievement in teratogenesis studies.

Methods

Pregnant rats were allocated randomly into four groups. Horse chestnut extract was administered through oral gavage to the animals from day 0 to day 16 of pregnancy at doses of 10, 20, and 40 mg/kg. On day 18, after the cesarean process, the effects of the extract were estimated by morphological, skeletal, and histological studies.

Results

Administration of the extract resulted in a substantial decrease in weight, head diameter, tail diameter, and crown-rump length of fetuses. There were no malformations and no lack of toes and legs, and all internal organs of the fetus were completely formed. Also, there was no difference in the overall skeletal opacity and density between the control and treatment groups. Moreover, heart cells and neurons were seen in all the groups but the formation of the central vein, portal area, and hepatic sinusoids were not observed in groups that received the extract.

Conclusion

The result of this study revealed that oral administration of horse chestnut extract in pregnant rats could cause teratogenicity. However, some additional clinical studies may be necessary but according to our data, consumption of this herbal extract during pregnancy is not recommended.

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Acknowledgements

This work was supported by Iran University of Medical Sciences. The financial assistance of the Iran University of Medical Sciences with Grant Number 1400-3-56-22528 is appreciatively confirmed.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Pharmacology and Toxicology, School of Pharmacy, Iran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran

    Marjan Shariatpanahi & Mehdi Aghsami

  2. School of Pharmacy, Iran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran

    Rand Kulab

  3. Neuroscience Research Center (NRC), Iran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran

    Marjan Shariatpanahi & Seyed Behnamedin Jameie

  4. Department of Pharmacognosy, School of Pharmacy, Zanjan University of Medical Sciences, Zanjan, Iran

    Mahdi Tavakolizadeh

  5. Department of Pharmacognosy and Pharmaceutical Biotechnology, School of Pharmacy, Iran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran

    Mahsa Sabernavaei & Mahdi Tavakolizadeh

  6. Department of Anatomy, Iran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran

    Seyed Behnamedin Jameie

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  1. Marjan Shariatpanahi
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  2. Rand Kulab
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  3. Seyed Behnamedin Jameie
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Corresponding authors

Correspondence to Marjan Shariatpanahi or Mehdi Aghsami.

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Conflict of interest

Marjan Shariatpanahi, Rand Kulab, Seyed Behnamedin Jameie, Mahsa Sabernavaei, Mehdi Aghsami, and Mahdi Tavakolizadeh declare that we have no conflict of interest.

Ethical statement

Iran University of Medical Sciences' committee for animal ethics and experiments approved all operational guidelines (Ethical code: IR.IUMS.REC.1400.180).

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Shariatpanahi, M., Kulab, R., Jameie, S.B. et al. Teratogenic effect of Aesculus hippocastanum L. extract on fetal development in rats. Toxicol. Environ. Health Sci. 16, 63–73 (2024). https://doi.org/10.1007/s13530-023-00200-w

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s13530-023-00200-w

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