Does Vitex Agnus-Castus L. Have Deleterious Effect on Fertility and Pregnancy Outcome? An Experimental Study on Rats for Prediction of Its Safety.

IF 1.2 Q3 INTEGRATIVE & COMPLEMENTARY MEDICINE

Journal of Pharmacopuncture Pub Date : 2022-06-30 DOI:10.3831/KPI.2022.25.2.106

Fateme Sadat Najib, Tahereh Poordast, Monireh Sufi Mahmudi, Zahra Shiravani, Niloofar Namazi, Gholamhossein Ranjbar Omrani

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引用次数: 2

Abstract

Objectives: Herbal medicine is a worldwide health topic. Vitex agnus-castus L. (VAC) is a popular plant used for gynecologic problems due to its hormonal effects. The aim of this study is to reveal VAC extract effect on fetus when this herb is used started from antenatal period or during pregnancy.

Methods: Performed from starting day of January 2019 till February 2019, 48 rats were assigned in randomly divided eight-member six groups control (C1), treated group with 365 mg/kg VAC from initiation of insemination (T1) and 30 days prior to pregnancy (T2), control that underwent caesarean section on 15th day of gestational age (C2) and treated group with 365 mg/kg VAC from initiation of insemination (T3) and 30 days prior to pregnancy (T4) that underwent caesarean section. Weight, sex and number of fetuses, abortion and still birth rate and estradiol level were evaluated using t-test by SPSS software.

Results: We showed increased weight among T1 group considering totally and sex-dependent which is significant (all p-value < 0.05). We also detected significantly decreased weight in T2 in total (p-value < 0.0001) and when considering female fetuses (0.043) but not males (0.17). Although the results showed slightly non-significant increased weight among fetuses of T3 (totally or based on the fetus sex) compared to the control group (C2), T4 group had statistically decreased weight compared to control group. Pregnancy rate and pregnancy outcome were affected by VAC usage. The time of VAC initiation also affected live birth and abortion rates.

Conclusion: VAC extract may affect pregnancy rate, live birth rate, abortion and stillbirth rates. Its effect on the weight and the sex showed dual pattern depends on the time of initiation and pregnancy trimester of evaluation. Prescribing this medicinal plant for patients being prone to pregnancy should be with caution. Further study is recommended.

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牡荆对生育能力和妊娠结局有不良影响吗?大鼠安全性预测的实验研究。

目的:草药是一个世界性的健康话题。由于其激素作用，牡荆(VAC)是一种常用的用于妇科问题的植物。本研究的目的是揭示从产前或怀孕期间开始使用缬草提取物对胎儿的影响。方法:自2019年1月1日至2019年2月1日，将48只大鼠随机分为8只6组，对照组(C1)、自授精开始(T1)和妊娠前30天(T2)给予365 mg/kg VAC的治疗组(C2)、自授精开始(T3)和妊娠前30天(T4)给予365 mg/kg VAC的治疗组(C2)。采用SPSS软件进行t检验，评价体重、性别、胎数、流产率、死胎率、雌二醇水平。结果:T1组体重增加，综合考虑性别依赖性，差异均有统计学意义(p值均< 0.05)。我们还发现T2总体重明显下降(p值< 0.0001)，当考虑女性胎儿(0.043)而不是男性胎儿(0.17)时，体重明显下降。虽然结果显示T3组(完全或基于胎儿性别)与对照组(C2)相比体重略有不显著增加，但T4组与对照组相比体重有统计学上的下降。妊娠率和妊娠结局受VAC使用的影响。VAC开始的时间也影响活产率和流产率。结论:枸杞提取物可影响妊娠率、活产率、流产率和死产率。其对体重和性别的影响表现为双重模式，取决于起始时间和妊娠三个月的评价。给易怀孕的病人开这种药用植物的处方应该谨慎。建议进一步研究。

本文章由计算机程序翻译，如有差异，请以英文原文为准。

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来源期刊

Journal of Pharmacopuncture INTEGRATIVE & COMPLEMENTARY MEDICINE-

CiteScore

2.10

自引率

7.10%

发文量

审稿时长

10 weeks

期刊介绍： The Journal of Pharmacopuncture covers a wide range of basic and clinical science research relevant to all aspects of the biotechnology of integrated approaches using both pharmacology and acupuncture therapeutics, including research involving pharmacology, acupuncture studies and pharmacopuncture studies. The subjects are mainly divided into three categories: pharmacology (applied phytomedicine, plant sciences, pharmacology, toxicology, medicinal plants, traditional medicines, herbal medicine, Sasang constitutional medicine, herbal formulae, foods, agricultural technologies, naturopathy, etc.), acupuncture (acupressure, electroacupuncture, laser acupuncture, moxibustion, cupping, etc.), and pharmacopuncture (aqua-acupuncture, meridian pharmacopuncture, eight-principles pharmacopuncture, animal-based pharmacopuncture, mountain ginseng pharmacopuncture, bee venom therapy, needle embedding therapy, implant therapy, etc.). Other categories include chuna treatment, veterinary acupuncture and related animal studies, alternative medicines for treating cancer and cancer-related symptoms, etc. Broader topical coverage on the effects of acupuncture, the medical plants used in traditional and alternative medicine, pharmacological action and other related modalities, such as anthroposophy, homeopathy, ayurveda, bioelectromagnetic therapy, chiropractic, neural therapy and meditation, can be considered to be within the journal’s scope if based on acupoints and meridians. Submissions of original articles, review articles, systematic reviews, case reports, brief reports, opinions, commentaries, medical lectures, letters to the editor, photo-essays, technical notes, and book reviews are encouraged. Providing free access to the full text of all current and archived articles on its website (www.journal.ac), also searchable through a Google Scholar search.