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Aim: Recently, there is an increased average of developing cancers. Though, the chemotherapeutic-treatment is unfavorable during pregnancy due to its harmful effects on developing fetuses, physicians have two ways to minimize these effects either by termination of the pregnancy or minimizing its side effects. The present work aimed to illustrate the susceptibility of cardiac, lung and dorsal aorta function to the widely applicable drugs doxorubicin and cisplatin as well as 5-flurouracil. Materials and Methods: Mother albino rats were arranged into four-groups (control, doxorubicin, cisplatin and 5-flurouracil-treated groups). Each pregnant rat received intraperitoneal administration of 0.2 mg/kg body weight at 10th and 14th day of gestation and sacrificed at parturition (two doses). At parturition, serum of mother rats used to assess troponin I, heat shock protein 70, 8-hydroxydeoxyguanosine, vascular endothelial growth factor and adhesion molecules (ICAM-1 & VCAM-1). Isoenzyme electrophoresis of alkaline and acid phosphatases, glucose-6-phosphate dehydrogenase and lactic dehydrogenase were estimated in serum, myocardium and dorsal aorta of mother rats. The myocardium and lung were processed for histopathological investigations for both mothers and their offspring. Single strand (comet assay) and double strand DNA damage were carried out in heart and dorsal aorta of mother rats. Results: The present finding revealed that there are detected alterations of myocardial markers and lung amino acid metabolism as well as disruption of myocardial isoenzymes. DNA damage of myocardium and dorsal aorta were observed. Conclusions: The authors concluded that the metabolic activity of heart and lung is highly susceptible to doxorubicin and cisplatin treatment compared to 5-flurouracil and the therapeutic doses must be degraded.

Objective: Acrylamide is a neurotoxic material and recently elevated levels of acrylamide in varieties of foodstuffs were reported. The present study aimed to illustrate the demyelination of spinal cord of pups maternally fed a diet containing fried potato chips. Methods: Eighty fertile virgin female Wistar rats were made pregnant after mating with healthy male. Zero dates of gestation were determined and dams were arranged into three groups as control, acrylamide-treated (15 mg/kg body weight, p.o.) and 50% fried potato chips containing diet group. Treatments were carried every other day from 6th day of gestation until 3-week post-partum. The cervical spinal cord was separated and subjected for SDS-PAGE analysis and light and transmission electron microscopy. Results: Comparing with acrylamide-treatment, protein expression in spinal cord of pups maternally fed with fried potatoes was altered. Necrosis of motor neuronal cells within grey matter, hyperplasia of ependymal lining cells and fragility of white matter was detected. At ultrastructural level, the sensory and motor neuronal cells showed convoluted nuclear envelope and either chromatolysis or compacted chromatin material. Fragmentation of rough endoplasmic reticulum and damage of mitochondria become well evident in pups maternally fed with potato chips. The neuronal axons possessed vacuolation and demyelination associated with apparent damage of mitochondria. Conclusion: Supplementation of fried potato chips exerted neurotoxicity either directly through their content of acrylamide or via its metabolite glycidamide. Both components were reported to find their way across the placenta during gestation and breast milk during the lactation period, interfering with spinal cord differentiation and adversely affected demyelination.