Protective effect of quercetin on skeletal and neural tube teratogenicity induced by cyclophosphamide in rat fetuses

Cyclophosphamide (CP) is a drug commonly used to treat neoplastic disease and some autoimmune diseases. It is also a well-known and well-studied teratogen causing a variety of birth defects in fetuses of pregnant women treated with the drug. There are many reports that show the adverse effects of CP can be decreased by use of antioxidant drugs. It appears that, quercetin has antioxidant effect. The aim of this study was prevention or decrease of teratogenicity of CP in fetuses of rats by quercetin. This study was performed on 35 pregnant rats divided into six groups. Control group was received normal saline (5 mL kg^-1, intraperitoneally) and 2-6 groups received a single dose of CP (15 mg kg^-1), a single dose of quercetin (75 or 200 mg kg^-1), CP plus quercetin (75 or 200 mg kg^-1) intraperitoneally at 9th day of gestation, respectively. Fetuses were collected at 20th day of gestation and after determination of weight and crown rump length were stained by alizarin red – alcian blue method and skeletal system were examined by stereomicroscope. The results showed that the cleft palate, exencephaly, spina bifida and omphalocele incidence were 55.56%, 27.77%, 33.34% and 11.11%, in fetuses of rat that received only CP, respectively. However, it decreased to 16.00%, 16.00%, 16.00% and 8.00% by quercetin (75 mg kg^-1) and so to 12.90%, 12.90%, 6.45% and 3.28% by quercetin (200 mg kg^-1), respectively. On the basis of results, quercetin significantly can decrease teratogenicity induced by CP.