Repercussões imunológicas, reprodutivas e fetais do tratamento com Morinda citrifolia na prenhez de ratas com diabete de intensidade moderada

Abstract

Diabetes mellitus is a chronic disease characterized by hyperglycemia resulting of absolute or relative defect in the production and/or action of insulin. During pregnancy, hyperglycemia can cause maternal and fetal complications, leading to metabolic and reproductive abnormalities. Consequently, alternatives are sought to treat diabetes and prevent their complications, and one of these alternatives is the use of medicinal plants, such the Morinda citrifolia (Rubiaceae family), known as Noni. Therefore, this study sought to investigate the effects of treatment with the aqueous extract of M. citrifolia on pregnancy in rats with mild diabetes. For this study, normoglycemic Wistar rats were mated, diabetes was induced in females 24 hours after birth by intravenous administration of streptozotocin at the dose of 100 mg/kg, animals from the nondiabetic groups received citrate buffer. At 110 days of age, the oral glucose tolerance test (OGTT) was performed in the rats, and those with two points above 140 mg/dL (with a maximum limit of 300 mg/dL) were classified as mild diabetes. For the nondiabetic groups, the rats hads glycemia points lower than 140 mg/dL. After that, the rats were mated and randomized to compose the experimental groups: Non-diabetic: rats treated with water; Non-diabetic Treated: rats treated with the plant; Diabetic: diabetic rats treated with water; Diabetic Treated: diabetic rats treated with the plant. The treatment was performed daily and orally throughout the pregnancy, with the aqueous extract of the M. citrifolia fruit at the dose of 750 mg/kg. Blood glucose was measured weekly and OGTT was performed again on the 17th day of pregnancy. On the 21st day of pregnancy the rats were anesthetized with sodium thiopental and performed a laparotomy to remove the uterus and fetuses. In addition, placentas and maternal blood were collected for immunological analysis and leukogram, respectively. The results showed that treatment with the plant did not improve glycemic metabolism. However, when comparing the groups Non-diabetic Treated and Non-diabetic, it was observed that rats receiving treatment experienced a decrease in the concentration of interleukin-6 (IL-6), interferon-gamma (IFN-γ ) and tumor necrosis factor alpha (TNF-α), number of implantations, maternal weight gain and fetuses with normal morphology and increase in preimplantation loss rates. The Diabetic Treated group showed an increase in IFN-γ, TNF-α and interleukin-10 (IL-10) cytokines compared to the Non-diabetic Treated group and increased of pre-implantation loss compared to the Non-Diabetic. All groups presented increased of visceral abnormalities compared to the Non-diabetic group. Therefore, it can be concluded that the treatment with the aqueous extract of M. citrifolia at the dose of 750 mg/kg administered during pregnancy altered maternal and immunological parameters and could be harmful during pregnancy.