Protective effect of royal jelly against nicotine–induced embryotoxicity in adult female rats

Background: Nicotine (NT), a potent parasympathomimetic stimulant, has been associated with serious adverse health effects. Royal jelly (RJ), a honey bee secretion used in the nutrition of larvae as well as adult queens, has remarkable pharmacological properties. The objective of present study was to explore the effects of RJ on early embryo development in NT-exposed adult female rats.Methods: In this experimental study, 35 female Wistar rats were randomly divided into 7 equal groups including control, NT (0.50 mg/kg), NT (1.00 mg/kg), NT (2.00 mg/kg), NT (0.50 mg/kg) + RJ (100 mg/kg), NT (1.00 mg/kg) + RJ (100 mg/kg) and NT (2.00 mg/kg) + RJ (100 mg/kg) groups. Percentages of zygote, two cell embryo, blastocyst and hatched blastocyst were evaluated after 49 days.Result: Percentages of zygote, two cell embryo, blastocyst and hatched blastocyst reduced in NT-treated groups in a dose-dependent manner. Noticeably, RJ co-administration ameliorated NT-induced early developmental arrest.Conclusion: These findings suggest that NT-related developmental toxicities in rats can be reduced by RJ co-treatment.

کلیدواژه ها:

Early embryo development ، Rat ، Royal jelly ، Nicotine