title: The influence of aqueous and hydro-alcoholic extracts of roots and rhizomes of Rhodiola kirilowii on the course of pregnancy in mice.
abstract: Plants belonging to the Rhodiola genus, originating from Asia, are traditionally used as tonic, adaptogen, antidepressant and anti-inflammatory drugs. These plants have also potent immunomodulatory properties and in some situations possibly could be used instead of standard antibiotic therapy (e.g. during pregnancy or lactation). The aim of our present study was to establish whether aqueous (RKW) or hydro-alcoholic (RKW-A) extracts from roots and rhizomes of Rhodiola kirilowii given to pregnant mice influence the course of pregnancy and the number of progeny. Performed HPLC analysis showed that the RKW-A extract had a generally higher concentration of all identified polyphenols. The highest differences were observed for (+)-catechin, p-coumaric acid and naringenin. Everyday addition of the RKW or RKW-A extract did not change the length of pregnancy. At the same time, both RKW and RKW-A extracts significantly increased the number of mated females without offspring but only in the RKW-A group we noticed a few neonatal deaths in the first 5 days after delivery. The results reported in the present study do not encourage to the use of R. kirilowii hydro-alcoholic extracts supplementation during pregnancy and lactation, however the possibility of limited dietary intake of R. kirilowii water extract should be thoroughly examined.
authors.affiliation: Department of Regenerative Medicine, Military Institute of Hygiene and Epidemiology, Warsaw, Poland.
authors.forename: Robert
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Zdanowski
authors.affiliation: Department of Regenerative Medicine, Military Institute of Hygiene and Epidemiology, Warsaw, Poland.
authors.forename: Sławomir
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Lewicki
authors.affiliation: Department of Regenerative Medicine, Military Institute of Hygiene and Epidemiology, Warsaw, Poland.
authors.forename: Katarzyna
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Sikorska
authors.affiliation: Department of Regenerative Medicine, Military Institute of Hygiene and Epidemiology, Warsaw, Poland.
authors.forename: Magdalena
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Żmigrodzka
authors.affiliation: Department of Botany, Breeding and Agriculture, Institute of Natural Fibres and Medicinal Plants, Poznań, Poland.
authors.forename: Waldemar
authors.initials: W
authors.lastname: Buchwald
authors.affiliation: Department of Physiological Sciences, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Warsaw University of Life Sciences, Warsaw, Poland.
authors.forename: Jacek
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Wilczak
authors.affiliation: Pathology Department, Biostructure Center, Warsaw Medical University, Warsaw, Poland.
authors.forename: Ewa
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Skopińska-Różewska
keywords: Rhodiola kirilowii; chemical analysis; pregnancy