title: Effects of Ginkgo biloba extract on the embryo-fetal development in Wistar rats.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Ginkgo biloba extract (GBE) is an herbal medicine used for treating neurodegenerative diseases, cerebrovascular insufficiency, peripheral arterial occlusive disease, and also vestibular disturbance. Some components of GBE have presented estrogenic effects and, in a previous study, high dosages of GBE caused intra-uterine growth retardation in fetuses of Wistar rats treated during the fetogenesis period.
  
  
  METHODS
  Pregnant Wistar rats were treated, through gavage, with different dosages of aqueous GBE (3.5, 7.0, and 14.0 mg/Kg/day), during the tubal transit and implantation period. Rats were killed on the 15th day of pregnancy and the following parameters were evaluated: clinical symptoms of maternal toxicity; maternal body weight; feed and water intake; maternal liver, kidney, and ovary weights; number of corpora lutea; implants per group ratio; pre- and post-implantation loss per group ratio; live fetuses mean; dead fetuses percentage; fetus and placenta weight per offspring ratio; and fetal external malformation.
  
  
  RESULTS
  No significant alteration was found for both the maternal and embryonic parameters evaluated.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The GBE treatment in pregnant Wistar rats, during the tubal transit and implantation period, caused no toxic effect on the maternal organism and did not induce embryonic death, growth retardation, and/or fetal malformations.
authors.affiliation: Centro de Biologia da Reprodução, Federal University of Juiz de Fora, MG, Brazil.
authors.forename: Eduardo Siqueira
authors.initials: ES
authors.lastname: Fernandes
authors.forename: Rafael Moraes
authors.initials: RM
authors.lastname: Pinto
authors.forename: João Evangelista
authors.initials: JE
authors.lastname: de Paula Reis
authors.forename: Martha
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: de Oliveira Guerra
authors.forename: Vera Maria
authors.initials: VM
authors.lastname: Peters
mesh_terms: D000284:Administration, Oral; D000818:Animals; D001835:Body Weight / Q000187:drug effects; D004435:Eating / Q000187:drug effects; D004622:Embryo, Mammalian / Q000187:drug effects* / Q000196:embryology; D047108:Embryonic Development / Q000187:drug effects*; D005260:Female; D047109:Fetal Development / Q000187:drug effects*; D020441:Ginkgo biloba / Q000737:chemistry*; D018811:Maternal Exposure; D009929:Organ Size / Q000187:drug effects; D010936:Plant Extracts / Q000145:classification / Q000633:toxicity*; D011247:Pregnancy; D051381:Rats; D017208:Rats, Wistar; D013723:Teratogens / Q000145:classification / Q000633:toxicity*
chemical_list: D010936:Plant Extracts; D013723:Teratogens