Pregnancy Outcome in Female Rats Exposed to Bispyribac Sodium and Ameliorative Effect of Nigella Sativa Oil

Abstract

Bispyribac sodium is commonly used as a herbicide worldwide. Few studies had investigated the health impact of exposure to it. Redox homeostasis has a great role during organogenesis through in cell growth, differentiation, and death. The aim of this study is to investigate the redox homeostasis imbalance and teratogenic effect of BPS in female rats exposed to bispyribac sodium (BPS) during organogenesis and evaluates the protective role of Nigella Sativa Oil (NSO). Pregnant female rats were grouped into four groups, negative and positive (NSO) control groups. While the others, BPS with and without NSO treatment groups. Results showed that BPS exposure during the pregnancy led to maternal and fetotoxicity as evidenced by preimplantation, post-implantation loss, reduction in placenta weight, reduction in fetal weight, fetal length, skeletal anomalies (incomplete ossification, misaligned sternbrae), visceral malformation (anophthalmia, microphthalmia, internal hydrocephaly, and microcephaly) and oxidative stress in dams serum. NSO treatment exhibited amelioration in the aforementioned maternal and fetotoxicity against BPS exposure.

Keywords

• fetotoxicity; maternal toxicity; bispyribac sodium; nigella sativa oil; oxidative stress