title: Postnatal development of pups from nursing rats treated with Gingko biloba.
abstract: The Gingko biloba extract is contraindicated during pregnancy and lactation due to the lack of information about its effects on these reproductive phases. Previous studies have shown that G. biloba extract contains components with estrogenic and antiestrogenic activities, thus nursing dams treated with the extract of this plant could show reduction in milk production, resulting in malnutrition and poor development of pups. This work analyzes the postnatal development of pups, whose mothers were treated with G. biloba extract during the lactation period. Nursing Wistar rats received 3.5 mg/kg/day of G. biloba aqueous extract, corresponding to the highest human dose. Clinical signs of maternal toxicity were evaluated. The growth rate, viability, survival during treatment and lactation indices of the pups were calculated. The physical, motor and sensorial development of the pups was also evaluated. No maternal signs of toxicity were observed. As there were no biological differences between control and G. biloba treated pups, it is possible to assume that, in this experimental design, the administration of G. biloba aqueous extract to nursing rats during the lactation period seems to be devoid of toxic effect to mothers and to the physical, motor and sensory development of the pups.
authors.affiliation: Centro de Biologia da Reprodução, Universidade Federal de Juiz de Fora, caixa postal 328, CEP 36001-970, Juiz de Fora, MG, Brazil.
authors.forename: Dieime Elaine Pereira
authors.initials: DE
authors.lastname: de Faria
authors.forename: Luciana Valente
authors.initials: LV
authors.lastname: Borges
authors.forename: Vera Maria
authors.initials: VM
authors.lastname: Peters
authors.forename: João Evangelista de Paula
authors.initials: JE
authors.lastname: Reis
authors.forename: Luiz Cláudio
authors.initials: LC
authors.lastname: Ribeiro
authors.forename: Rita
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: de Cássia da Silveira E Sá
authors.forename: Martha de Oliveira
authors.initials: Mde O
authors.lastname: Guerra
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D000833:Animals, Suckling / Q000254:growth & development*; D001835:Body Weight / Q000187:drug effects; D005260:Female; D020441:Ginkgo biloba / Q000737:chemistry*; D007774:Lactation; D008297:Male; D010936:Plant Extracts / Q000494:pharmacology*; D011897:Random Allocation; D051381:Rats; D017208:Rats, Wistar
chemical_list: D010936:Plant Extracts