The effect of Bombyx mori larvae extract in reducing the toxicity of methotrexate in pregnant female albino rats

Abstract

Methotrexate (MTX) is an anticancer agent which is used alone or in combination with other anticancer agents in the treatment of breast cancer, epidermoid cancers of the head and neck, cutaneous T cell lymphoma, and lung cancer. Bombyx mori larvae have a huge value as health food especially for cardiac and diabetic patients, bronchial asthma, primary trigeminal neuralgia, vocal nodules and polyps and in the treatment of facial palsy and pain. In the present study meeting occurred under the normal conditions and about 40 pregnant female rats were used. Herein the pregnant females will be divided into five groups; group 1 will be used as negative control received distilled water, group 2 will used as positive control and recived buffer of Bombyx mori larvae extract, group 3 was treated with MTX at the 12th day of gestation (at organogenesis phase), group 4 was treated with Bombyx mori larvae extract at 7th , 9th , 11th ,13th and 15th days of gestation (during the oraganogensis period), & group 5 was injected by MTX the 12th day of gestation as well as bombyx mori larvae extract at 7th ,9th ,11th ,13th &15th days of gestation. Animals of all groups will be sacrificed at 20th day, the end of gestation periods. Then livers of all pregnant rats were removed for examination. The obtained results showed decrease in maternal body weight gain plus increase in the abortion rate and uterine weight in the MTX-treated group. In addition, MTX induced an elevation in the examined liver oxidative stress biomarkers plus myeloperoxidase activity and decrease in reduced glutathione content and catalase activity; in mothers. Histopathological studies of liver tissues showed congestion of central vein of mothers in MTX group showing ballooning degeneration of hepatocytes, perivascular inflammatory cells infiltration and strong deposition of collagen fibers. Noteworthy, Bombyx mori larvae induced marked improvement in injuries associated with MTX administration.
 Keywords: Methotrexate, Bombyx mori larvae, Pregnant female rats, Hepatotoxicity.