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Administration of the nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drug tolfenamic acid at embryo transfer improves maintenance of pregnancy and embryo survival in recipient mice

  • Embryo Biology
  • Published:
Journal of Assisted Reproduction and Genetics Aims and scope Submit manuscript

Abstract

Purpose

To evaluate the effect of the nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs tolfenamic acid and flunixin meglumine in pregnancy rate and embryo survival of recipient mice subjected to embryo transfer.

Methods

A total of 142 recipient females were transferred with 2,931 embryos and treated with a single injection of tolfenamic acid (1 mg/kg; n = 54 females with 1,129 embryos), flunixin meglumine (2.5 mg/kg; n = 46 females with 942 embryos), or bi-distilled water (10 mL/kg) as control group (n = 42 females with 860 embryos). Pregnancy was checked 2 weeks after embryo transfer, delivery was registered on the due date, and litter size was recorded on Day 7 after birth.

Results

Pregnancy rate of tolfenamic acid treated females was significantly higher than flunixin group (P < 0.05) and showed a tendency to be higher when compared to the control group (P = 0.06). The number of pups born from transferred embryos in pregnant females was significantly higher for both treatment groups compared to controls (P < 0.05). Number of pups from total transferred embryos was higher for both treatment groups (P < 0.05) when compared to controls.

Conclusion

The use of tolfenamic acid at the time of embryo transfer improves both pregnancy rate and number of live pups in recipient mice, with optimal effects observed with flunixin meglumine. We suggest that the use of tolfenamic acid has beneficial effects on the maintenance of pregnancy and embryo survival in recipient mice, which should be taken into account for further studies in other mammalian females.

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Acknowledgments

The authors wish to thank Juan José Goyeneche for statistical support. This project was financially supported by FOCEM (MERCOSUR Structural Convergence Fund), COF 03/11. AM and MC are fellows of Sistema Nacional de Investigadores (SNI).

Conflict of interest

The authors declare that they have no conflict of interest.

Ethical standards

The manuscript does not contain clinical studies or patient data. Experimental animal protocols were opportunely approved by the institutional Animal Ethics Committee, in accordance with national law 18.611.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Unidad de Animales Transgénicos y de Experimentación, Institut Pasteur de Montevideo, Mataojo 2020, 11400, Montevideo, Uruguay

    Geraldine Schlapp, Lucía Goyeneche, Gabriel Fernández & Martina Crispo

  2. Instituto de Reproducción Animal Uruguay, Fundación IRAUy, Montevideo, Uruguay

    Alejo Menchaca

Authors
  1. Geraldine Schlapp
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  2. Lucía Goyeneche
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  3. Gabriel Fernández
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  4. Alejo Menchaca
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  5. Martina Crispo
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Corresponding author

Correspondence to Geraldine Schlapp.

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Capsule

Tolfenamic acid administration at embryo transfer in recipient mice improves pregnancy rate and number of live pups, suggesting beneficial effects on the maintenance of pregnancy and embryo survival.

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Schlapp, G., Goyeneche, L., Fernández, G. et al. Administration of the nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drug tolfenamic acid at embryo transfer improves maintenance of pregnancy and embryo survival in recipient mice. J Assist Reprod Genet 32, 271–275 (2015). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10815-014-0378-x

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10815-014-0378-x

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