Improved fertility through superoxide removal by Toki-shakuyaku-san in mice--a preliminary study.
The effect of a superoxide dismutase inhibitor on pregnancy rate and fetal survival, and the effect of concomitant treatment with Toki-shakuyaku-san, was studied. Twelve week-old IV CS female mice were given diethyldithiocarbamate (DEDC; 0.9, 9, 45, and 225 mg kg(-1)) intraperitioneally, from Day 3 to Day 5 of pregnancy, every 12 h, for a total of six times. Two additional groups received both 45 mg kg DEDC and Toki-shakuyaku-san (50 or 200 mg/100 mL), by water bottle, from 12 h before to 12 h after DEDC administration. For each group, the pregnancy rate, the number of surviving fetuses, and the number of resorbed fetuses was calculated. Pregnancy rates were 95.5, 81.8, 54.5 and 0%, respectively, in the DEDC groups and were 100% in the control group. The fetal resorption rate was 0.9 in the control group, and 1.0, 1.7, and 2.3, respectively, in the 0.9, 9, 45 mg kg(-1) DEDC groups. Administration of 200 mg Toki-shakuyaku-san significantly (P<0.05) improved the pregnancy rate to 81.8%, and improved the degree of reduced intercellular interactions and insufficient decidual reactions found on Day 5 in the endometrium of the DEDC groups. Toki-shakuyaku-san reduces the adverse effects of excess superoxides on the endometrium during implantation.
Ota
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H
Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Akita University School of Medicine, Akita-city, Akita-ken, Japan. otah@obgyn.med.akita-u.ac.jp
Igarashi
S
S
Tanaka
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T
D000818:Animals; D003656:Decidua / Q000502:physiology; D004050:Ditiocarb / Q000494:pharmacology; D004365:Drugs, Chinese Herbal / Q000494:pharmacology*; D004717:Endometrium / Q000187:drug effects / Q000502:physiology; D004791:Enzyme Inhibitors / Q000494:pharmacology; D005260:Female; D005298:Fertility / Q000187:drug effects*; D005327:Fetal Resorption; D016166:Free Radical Scavengers; D051379:Mice; D011247:Pregnancy; D013482:Superoxide Dismutase / Q000037:antagonists & inhibitors; D013481:Superoxides / Q000378:metabolism / Q000494:pharmacology*
D004365:Drugs, Chinese Herbal; D004791:Enzyme Inhibitors; D016166:Free Radical Scavengers; C413220:toki-shakuyaku-san; D013481:Superoxides; D004050:Ditiocarb; D013482:Superoxide Dismutase