A toxicological evaluation of the effect of Carapa guianensis Aublet on pregnancy in Wistar rats

The effects of the administration of Carapa guianensis Aublet (Meliaceae) seed oil were investigated during pregnancy in female Wistar rats. Five groups of pregnant rats (n = 5-9 per group) were treated orally from the 7th to the 14th day of pregnancy (organogenic period), at doses of: 0, 0.375, 0.75, 1.5 and 3.0 g kg(-1). On the 20th day of pregnancy, the animals were sacrificed and laparotomized to evaluate reproductive parameters. The results showed that there was no difference between the control and treated groups in terms of the number of live and dead fetuses, the dam-offspring relationship, the weight of the fetus, the weight of the placentae and ovaries, the number of implantation sites, the number of resorption sites, the number of corpora lutea in the ovaries, and the pre- and post-implantation loss rates. It is therefore concluded that administration of Carapa guianensis seed oil did not bring about any toxic effect on pregnancy in Wistar rats. (C) 2007 Elsevier Ireland Ltd. All rights reserved.