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Embryo-fetal development studies with the dietary supplement vinpocetine in the rat and rabbit
- Publication Year :
- 2018
-
Abstract
- Dietary supplement and natural product use is increasing within the United States, resulting in growing concern for exposure in vulnerable populations, including young adults and women of child-bearing potential. Vinpocetine is a semi-synthetic derivative of the Vinca minor extract, vincamine. Human exposure to vinpocetine occurs through its use as a dietary supplement for its purported nootropic and neuroprotective effects. To investigate the effects of vinpocetine on embryo-fetal development, groups of 25 pregnant Sprague-Dawley rats and 8 pregnant New Zealand White rabbits were orally administered 0, 5, 20, or 60 mg vinpocetine/kg and 0, 25, 75, 150, or 300 mg/kg daily from gestational day (GD) 6-20 and GD 7-28, respectively. Pregnant rats dosed with vinpocetine demonstrated dose-dependent increases in post-implantation loss, higher frequency of early and total resorptions, lower fetal body weights, and fewer live fetuses following administration of 60 mg/kg, in the absence of maternal toxicity. Additionally, the rat fetuses displayed dose-dependent increases in the incidences of ventricular septum defects and full supernumerary thoracolumbar ribs. Similarly, albeit at higher doses than the rats, pregnant rabbits administered vinpocetine displayed an increase in post-implantation loss and fewer live fetuses (300 mg/kg), in addition to significantly lower fetal body weights (≥ 75 mg/kg). In conclusion, vinpocetine exposure resulted in similar effects on embryo-fetal development in the rat and rabbit. The species differences in sensitivity and magnitude of response is likely attributable to a species difference in metabolism. Taken together, these data suggest a potential hazard for pregnant women who may be taking vinpocetine.
- Subjects :
- 0301 basic medicine
Embryology
medicine.medical_specialty
Health, Toxicology and Mutagenesis
Vincamine
Toxicology
01 natural sciences
Article
Nootropic
010104 statistics & probability
03 medical and health sciences
Vinpocetine
Internal medicine
medicine
0101 mathematics
Fetus
biology
business.industry
030111 toxicology
Fetal Body Weight
Embryo
Vinca minor
biology.organism_classification
Endocrinology
Pediatrics, Perinatology and Child Health
Gestation
business
Developmental Biology
medicine.drug
Subjects
Details
- Language :
- English
- Database :
- OpenAIRE
- Accession number :
- edsair.doi.dedup.....a57e129cb8026b520ba1f51f89e0793c