Brain damage and congenital cataract due to autogenously fecal peritonitis in pregnant Wistar rats

Abstract

PURPOSE:To investigate the morphological aspects of brain and eyes in newborn rats whose mother underwent autogenously fecal peritonitis. METHODS:Four pregnant rats that underwent fecal peritonitis, with a 10% fecal suspension in dose of 4 ml per kilogram received two antimicrobial treatments: 1. intraperitoneal moxifloxacin and dexamethazone; and 2. Intravenous meropenem. After head inspection, the brain consistencies and the eyes belonging to all offspring were analyzed. RESULTS:The brains of newborn from rats that received 4 ml/kg of 10% suspension of feces showed, significantly smaller and less than the firm consistency of those in the control group. Congenital cataract was observed in 9 (34.6%). No cataract was observed in the 20 newborn rats from the mothers that received the combination of moxifloxacin and dexamethasone. Cataract could be observed in three (13.6%) offspring from mothers that received meropenem. CONCLUSIONS:Peritonitis can produce brain damage and congenital cataract in rats. The translation to humans is that intra abdominal infection in pregnant women may be associated with damage in brain and eye structures of their concepts. This can be averting using the adequate early therapeutically approach.

Role of moxifloxacin-dexamethasone in cardiac histomorphometric findings among Wistar rats from infected mothers

“…The association of peritoneal infection in pregnant rats with the appearance of encephalomalacia and ocular alterations (cataract) in their offspring has already been demonstrated 3 . The similarity of the degree of differentiation of the neuronal cells of the brain with the cells of the cardiac conduction system reinforces the suspicion that the cardiac histomorphometric findings of the free wall of the left ventricle, evidenced in this research, can be extended to the cardiac conduction tissue.…”

“…The association of ocular and encephalic congenital anomalies in concepts with maternal bacterial endotoxemia has already been demonstrated in pre-clinical study 3 . Induction of peritonitis in rats on the ninth day of pregnancy, using a 10% filtered autogenic fecal suspension (4ml/kg), was associated with the onset of encephalomalacia and cataract.…”

Histopathological Changes on Testes, Liver, Kidney and Brain Tissues in Acute Boric Acid Administration

“…It has been pointed out that the use of boric acid as a topical antimicrobial agent in pregnant women may cause many congenital anomalies, especially congenital cataracts. Anomalies were also observed in rat embryos, especially in the eyes, brain ventricles, central nervous system, cardiovascular system and axial skeleton [9,11]. In this study, it was aimed to determine the histopathological changes caused by boric acid in rat testis, liver, kidney and brain tissues under light microscope after acute oral boric acid administration.…”