Polycyclic hydrocarbons are common environmental contaminants that are carcino-genic and immunosuppressive. The carcino-genic polycyclic hydrocarbon benzo(a)pyrene (BP) is a product found in coal tar, in automobile exhaust fumes especially from diesel engines, and is a component of cigarette smoke. On the other side, curcumin is yellow constituent isolated from Curcuma longa Linn characterized by having compounds of specific anticarcinogenic, anti-inflammatory, antioxidant, and anti-infectious activities. Experimental fertile female animals were divided into four groups; keeping the 1st group as a healthy control. The second group was treated daily with BP intraperitonealy at a dose of 25mg/kg body weight for three weeks. The 3rd group was received oral doses of 200mg/kg body weight /day of curcumin for three weeks. The 4th group was treated with BP then received curcumin at the same doses and the same periods mentioned in the 2nd &3rd groups. The pregnant mice were divided also into four groups; keeping the 1st group as control one and three groups were treated with BP (25mg/kg body weight), curcumin (200mg/kg body weight) and BP & curcumin from the 6th day of gestation till the parturition. The results showed that BP increased the follicular atresia that associated with the formation of numerous corpora-like structures, as well as increased the stroma cellularity. On the other hand, the present study revealed that intragastric administration of 200mg/kg curcumin and BP resoluted the intoxication of BP and ameliorated the histological picture of both ovaries and uteri, but still not closely similar to the control. Few degenerated follicles were detected. The results indicated that oral administration of BP-treated mice with curcumin improved the neonatal growth retardation and reduced both malformation rate and retardation of the skeletal development. The study indicated that the use of curcumin is a very cheap, easily available, effective and acceptable mode of treatment in the developing countries because no toxic or adverse effect was noticed.
Key words: Ovary, Uterus, Newborn, Histopathology, immunohistochemistry, Benzo (a) pyrene, Curcumin, Albino Mice
|
