Increasing doses of diminazene aceturate: adverse reproductive effects in female Wistar rats

Abstract

To investigate the effects of comparatively high doses of diminazene aceturate on the reproductive performance of female rats in the early stage of pregnancy. After oestrus synchronisation and successful mating, 20 pregnant female rats were randomly divided into four groups (A-D). Group A rats served as the control and were given single intraperitoneal injection of 0.5 mL sterile water (vehicle only) while groups B, C and D rats were given single intraperitoneal doses of 7, 14 and 21 mg/kg body weight diminazene aceturate respectively, on day 7 of pregnancy. The gestation length, litter size and weight at birth, and areas of foetal résorption in the uterus were determined post partum. The post-implantation survival index (%) and the gestation index (group %) were also evaluated for rats in all the groups. There was a graded increase in the number of observed resorbed foetuses as the dose of diminazene aceturate was increased, although only groups C (14 mg/kg) and D (21 mg/kg) revealed a significant decrease (P<0.01, ANOVA) in the post implantation survival index of rat embryos. There was also a significant decrease (P<0.05) in the litter weights of rats in groups C and D. Although the pregnant rats showed no overt signs of systemic toxicity even at the highest dose of 21 mg/kg body weight diminazene aceturate in this study, it was concluded that the use of high doses of diminazene aceturate in an effort to combat resistant trypanosomes could have adverse reproductive effects on female animals in the early period of pregnancy.