Repercussões materno-fetais e placentárias durante a prenhez de ratas wistar tratadas com etanercepte

Abstract

Etanercept is a drug that inhibits tumor necrosis factor alpha (TNF-α) by binding to its soluble form, as well as TNF-α bound to the cell surface, widely used to treat autoimmune diseases. However, the use of etanercept during pregnancy still needs to be further investigated, as the use of medication during pregnancy can result in maternal and fetal harm. The aim of this work is to evaluate the treatment with etanercept during pregnancy in Wistar rats, in order to analyze maternal reproductive performance and fetal and placental repercussions. The experiments were authorized by the Animal Use Ethics Committee of the Federal University of Mato Grosso (Protocol: 23108.038471 / 2019-14). The rats were mated and randomly distributed into 2 experimental groups: control group and etanercept (n = 10 animals / group). Treatments with etanercept (0.8mg / kg, s.c.), or saline (control group), were carried out on days 0, 6, 12 and 18 of gestation. On the morning of the 21st day of pregnancy, rats were killed in a CO2 chamber and submitted to laparotomy to remove the fetuses, placentas, maternal organs (heart, liver, spleen and kidneys) and ovaries. There were no differences between groups in the following parameters: water and feed consumption; placental efficiency; reproductive parameters, including number of corpus luteum and implants, resorptions, pre- and post-implantation losses, and mean birth weight of offspring. There was an increase in liver weight, a reduction in fetal weight and placentation, a reduction in the area of the placental junction zone, a reduction in the percentage of normal fetuses, and an increase in fetal abnormalities (visceral or skeletal). Therefore, at the dose studied, some changes in fetal parameters are observed after intrauterine exposure to etanercept. However, more studies with different doses are normal to better impact the use of etanercept during pregnancy.