Department of Zoology, Faculty of Sciences, Suez Canal University, Ismailia, Egypt.
Animal Physiology and Poultry, Desert Research Center, Egypt.
J Ethnopharmacol. 2025 Jan 10;336:118729. doi: 10.1016/j.jep.2024.118729. Epub 2024 Aug 23.
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.
Therefore, the present study investigated the safety of Thymelaea hirsuta leaves aqueous extract (THLE) during pregnancy and lactation following maternal rat treatment.
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.
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.
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.
由于人们普遍认为草药产品是天然的且无毒，因此草药的受欢迎程度在全球范围内不断扩大。Thymelaea hirsuta 的叶子传统上被用于治疗人类和动物的习惯性流产。然而，由于缺乏对该植物的安全性评估，特别是在孕妇中，人们对其潜在的胚胎毒性作用表示严重关切。
因此，本研究旨在调查在妊娠和哺乳期母体大鼠接受治疗后，Thymelaea hirsuta 叶水提物（THLE）的安全性。
使用高效液相色谱法（HPLC）鉴定 THLE 的植物化学成分。将 THLE 以 0、250、500 和 1000mg/kg/天的剂量口服给予妊娠大鼠和哺乳期母鼠。在研究结束时，检查母鼠和幼崽的体重、血清生化和血液学指标以及组织病理学变化。还评估了胎儿的观察和组织病理学变化。
我们的研究结果表明，THLE 富含不同的酚类和类黄酮化合物。然而，与对照组母鼠相比，用更高剂量 THLE 治疗的母鼠的 ALT、AST 和催乳素等生化和激素参数显著升高（P≤0.05）。此外，对胎儿的外部、内脏和骨骼检查显示，治疗胎儿的畸形率明显增加。
结果表明，妊娠期间口服更高剂量的 THLE 可能会影响大鼠胚胎的发育，而较低剂量是安全的，并可在妊娠和哺乳期使用以获得其有益效果。
