RESUMEN
Objective: Hypericum perforatum is widely used for depression and distress treatment as an over-the-counter plant at any age. This study investigated the safety of H. perforatum on ovarian function and infertility. Material and Methods: H. perforatum was given to rats in two different dosages (100 and 300 mg/kg/day) with drinking water for four weeks. Half of the treatment groups were sacrificed at the end of the four-week intervention, the remainder was sacrificed after an additional four-week waiting period to see if there was reversibility. At the end of the experiment, blood samples and both ovarian tissues were obtained under anesthesia with ketamine and xylazine (50 mg/kg and 5 mg/kg, respectively). Results: Although primordial follicle numbers were not affected with a dose of 100 mg/kg, they were significantly decreased (28.6%) when the dose was tripled. Primary follicle numbers stayed the same, but secondary and tertiary follicles numbers were significantly dose-dependently decreased, and remained significantly low four weeks after the intervention. Anti-mullerian hormone (AMH) levels were not significantly different between the groups. Conclusion: H. perforatum treatment did not change serum levels of AMH because the primary follicle number did not decrease. However, the other follicle counts decreased in a dose-dependent manner and full recovery was not regained after four weeks. The detrimental effect of H. perforatum on primordial follicles should be taken into consideration because any woman using H. perforatum could also experience ovarian failure.
RESUMEN
OBJECTIVE: Hypericum perforatum (HP) is a herbal product used in the treatment of depression, but its harm on the fetus has not been established. This study investigated the effects of HP according to fetal clinical, morphologic, and histologic findings. Study design is an animal study. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Fifty-four 4-5-month-old female Wistar rats were divided into three groups: control, 100 mg/kg HP, and 300 mg/kg HP. HP treatment using drinking water was started one week before mating and ended with the delivery of pups. RESULTS: HP exposure before conception diminished the pregnancy rate and decreased the fetal number; during pregnancy it tended to increase the duration of gestation, and deteriorated the fetal development as determined using body weight. It also damaged liver and kidney tissues, most probably due to oxidative stress, as supported through inducible nitric oxide synthase antibody staining findings at both doses. CONCLUSION: HP should not be recommended to women who would like to be pregnant or are pregnant because it can be harmful for both fetal and maternal health.
RESUMEN
The aim of this study was to investigate whether thiamine pyrophosphate (TPP) has biochemical and histological preventive effects on oxidative liver damage induced by paracetamol (APAP). Rats were divided into the following groups: healthy control (HG), APAP (AG, 1500 mg/kg, orally), thiamine pyrophosphate (TPPG, 100 mg/kg, intraperitoneally), APAP+NAC (ANAC, 100 mg/kg, intraperitoneally), APAP+TPP (ATPG) and APAP+NAC+TPP (ANTG). Oxidant, antioxidant parameters, liver function tests and histological assessment were performed between groups. Malondialdehyde levels in the AG, HG, TPPG, ANAC, ATPG and ANTG groups were 0.470 ± 0.210, 0.213 ± 0.004, 0.194 ± 0.001, 0.197 ± 0.06, 0.199 ± 0.008 and 0.173 ± 0.010 µmol/g protein, respectively. Total glutathione levels were 7.787 ± 0.395, 14.925 ± 0.932, 13.200 ± 0.984, 13.162 ± 0.486, 13.287 ± 0.787 and 13.500 ± 0.891 µm/g protein, respectively. In the AG group, marked liver damage occurred with the elevation of liver function tests and oxidative stress markers, such as malondialdehyde, myeloperoxidase and nitric oxide (p < 0.05). Biochemical results were congruent with the histological changes of oxidative damage. Compared to the AG group (p < 0.05), TPP significantly reduced oxidant parameter levels in the ATPG group and simultaneously increased the antioxidant parameter levels of catalase and glutathione. The histological changes were improved to almost normal hepatic structure. Moreover, TPP had nearly the same hepatoprotective effect as NAC, and there was statistically no additional benefit with NAC co-treatment. There was no statistically significant difference (p > 0.05) among the ANAC, ANTG and ATPG groups in terms of oxidant/antioxidant levels. TPP proved to be as efficacious as standard therapy and may be beneficial in APAP-induced hepatotoxicity.