The effect of bee propolis administration on rat fetal development

Background and Objective: Propolis is one of the bee products that widely used in health therapy. However, there are limited studies evaluating the effect of propolis administration at different stages of pregnancy on fetal growth. This study was aimed to analyze the effect of propolis administration during different stages of pregnancy on fetal development. Materials and Methods: In this experimental study, ۲۴ pregnant Wistar rats were divided into ۴ groups including: (۱) control, (۲) propolis (from ۷ to ۱۳ day of gestation), (۳) propolis (from ۱۴ to ۲۰ day of gestation), and (۴) propolis (from ۷ to ۲۰ day of gestation). On the ۲۰th day of pregnancy, the embryos were removed from the uterus. First, the number of obtained embryos from each group was counted. Then, in terms of apparent congenital abnormalities, the number of live fetuses and fetal resorption was evaluated. Finally, the length and weight of the fetuses were measured. Results: The results of the present study showed that the number of fetuses, fetal weight and length in groups received propolis from ۷ to ۲۰ and ۱۴ to ۲۰ day of gestation were significantly higher than the control group (P ۰.۰۵). However, the mean fetal weight and length in the group received propolis from ۷ to ۱۳ day of gestation had no significant difference compared with the control group (P ۰.۰۵). Also, there was no apparent abnormalities in the propolis receiving groups. Conclusion: The study concludes that administration of propolis during pregnancy does not inhibit fetal development and improves the weight and length of the fetus during the period of ۷ to ۲۰ day of gestation.