Protective effects of the flavonoid mixture, silymarin, on fetal rat brain and liver.
We investigated the possibility that the flavonoid mixture, silymarin (SY), administered as the compound Silymarin Phytosome (PHYTO), could protect the fetus from maternally ingested EtOH. Seventy-six female rats were randomly assigned to one of seven groups: pair-fed control; chow fed control; EtOH; and four groups receiving EtOH and PHYTO in varying dosages. All groups except the chow-fed control were maintained on a liquid diet. On day 1 of pregnancy the dams began the treatment protocol. On day 21 of pregnancy the rats were sacrificed and the fetuses removed. Gamma glutamyl transpeptidase (GGTP) activity was determined for liver and brain tissue from both the fetuses and the dams. GGTP activity in the EtOH/silymarin treatment groups did not differ significantly from that observed for the pair-fed control group. The observed GGTP activity levels for the EtOH-only group were significantly higher than those attained by the pair-fed control group. Although GGTP activity did not vary significantly with the quantity of PHYTO administered, as PHYTO dose was increased, GGTP activity decreased.
La Grange
L
L
New Mexico Highlands University, Las Vegas 87701, USA.
Wang
M
M
Watkins
R
R
Ortiz
D
D
Sanchez
M E
ME
Konst
J
J
Lee
C
C
Reyes
E
E
D000818:Animals; D001921:Brain / Q000187:drug effects* / Q000196:embryology*; D004305:Dose-Response Relationship, Drug; D000431:Ethanol / Q000009:adverse effects*; D005260:Female; D063647:Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorders / Q000517:prevention & control*; D005419:Flavonoids / Q000494:pharmacology; D008099:Liver / Q000187:drug effects* / Q000196:embryology*; D008431:Maternal-Fetal Exchange; D011247:Pregnancy; D020011:Protective Agents / Q000494:pharmacology; D011897:Random Allocation; D051381:Rats; D017207:Rats, Sprague-Dawley; D012838:Silymarin / Q000494:pharmacology*; D013053:Spectrophotometry; D005723:gamma-Glutamyltransferase / Q000032:analysis
D005419:Flavonoids; D020011:Protective Agents; D012838:Silymarin; D000431:Ethanol; D005723:gamma-Glutamyltransferase