You have no items in your shopping cart.
ABSTRACT
Gentamicin is an antibiotic with a broad spectrum that belongs to the drug class known as aminoglycoside used in the treatment of several infections caused by several bacterial species such as respiratory infection, skin, urinary tracts, meningitis, chorioamnionitis, and septicemia. However, taken in pregnancy, gentamicin carries risks for the developing fetus. We examined placental histomorphology and oxidative stress of Wistar dams exposed to gentamicin in utero. A total of thirty-two (32) pregnant Wistar rats weighing between 160g and 170g were assigned into two groups (A and B), with sixteen rats per group. Group A animals served as control and were administered normal saline 0.2ml. Group B animals were administered with a single intraperitoneal dose 80mg/kg body weight of gentamicin on gestation day (GD) 8. Pregnancy was established in animal with four days regular cyclicity (in oestrus) were paired overnight with sexually active males in the ratio of 2:1. Successful mating was confirmed by the presence of vaginal plug and or sperm in the vaginal smear the following morning between 9.00 and 10.00 hours. The day sperm cells were found in the vaginal smear was considered as day 0 of pregnancy. Four dams were sampled (sacrificed) from each group on GDs 13, 15, 17 and 19 and their placenta harvested for histological studies. Oxidative stress parameters of the placenta of rats sampled at GD19 (A4and B4) were analyzed. In the treated group there was a significant decrease in catalase activity, significant increase in gluthathione peroxidase and malondialdehyde activity in the placentas of treated group when compared to the control. Histomorphologically there was dilated and congested maternal sinusoids, infiltrates of inflammatory cells and degenerating cells with pyknotic nuclei on GD13 of treated group, congested maternal sinusoids, congested fetal capillaries, showing dilated and congested blood vessels and vacuolar degeneration of glycogen cell on GD15, GD17, GD19 of treated group. In conclusion, this study reveals that gentamicin negatively affects the placenta development in Wistar Rats. Further studies are recommended to assess the mechanism of Gentamicin-induced placental toxicity, as well the effects of Gentamicininduced placental toxicity on the overall development of the fetus.
