Assessment of reproductive effect of Tessaria absinthioides in comparison to Ilex paraguayensis, Camellia sinensis and its association.

PASCUAL, LOURDES INÉS; CAMPO VERDE ARBOCCO F; ORTIZ I; CASTRO C; GAMARRA LUQUES C; HAPON MB

San Juan

Congreso; XLI Reunión Anual de la Sociedad de Biología de Cuyo.; 2023

Sociedad de Biología de Cuyo

Complementary medicine uses natural products along with standard medical treatment. It consists on the use of plant products in the form of infusions, decoction, and other presentations. The main challenge on the use of these products is to guaranty the safety used for the prevention and improve of human, animal, and environmental health. While there are indications that some natural products may be helpful, more needs to be learned about the effects of these products in the human body, and about their safety and potential interactions with medicines and other natural products. In fact, our research group previously demonstrated that Tessaria absinthioides (Ta) has hypolipidemic, hypoglycemic, antiatherogenic and antitumoral effects. We also showed its action on the female reproduction and pre and postnatal exposure on mice. These studies corroborate that the oral administration of Ta does not alter female reproduction, neither the development of pups during lactation. One approach of the use of Ta could be the combination with yerba mate (I. paraguayensis, Ip) and green tea (C. sinensis, Cs), two widely used infusions in our country, to obtain nutraceuticals products with health benefits. Nevertheless, up to the present there are no previous report of reproductive effects of the combination of Ta with Ip or Cs. The goal of this work was to compare the reproductive effects of Ta, Ip, Cs and its association, to discard deleterious effect on the maternal and offspring physiology. Decoctions were prepared by boiling 5 g of dry leaves in 100 mL of water (5% w/v) during 10 min and administered in the drinking water at a concentration of 1000 mg/kg/day during the entire gestation and lactation on female Wistar rats (n=6-8 per group). Reproductive performance was assessed according to the guidelines OECD (The Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development): Reproduction/Developmental Toxicity Screening Test (OECD TG 421) and Combined Repeated Dose Toxicity Study with the Reproduction/Developmental Toxicity Screening Test (OECD TG 422). Our results showed that Ta did not affect fertility in comparison to controls; the administration of Ip, Cs, and their association with Ta decreased fertility in 50 % of the dams (p