Determinação da teratogenicidade dos extratos etanólico e aquoso de sementes de Mimosa tenuiflora em animais de laboratório.

Abstract

Several abnormalities were observed in goats and sheep in Northeastern semiarid region in Brazil as palate cleft, microphthalmia, scoliosis and permanent flexure of fore limbs. It has been demonstrated that these abnormalities are caused by Mimosa tenuiflora ingestion. The aims of this work were to evaluate the teratogenic effects of Mimosa tenuiflora etanolic and aqueous extracts in rats, to study the kinds of abnormalities provoked by Mimosa tenuiflora during the pregnancy. For this, 36 pregnant Wistar rats were used, distributed in three groups which two of them were experimental groups, which will receive by “gavage” 0,03g the etanolic and aqueous extracts and the control group will receive water by “gavage” from 6th to 20th pregnancy day. In the experimental group that received aqueous extract was observed 6 kinds of abnormalities as palate cleft, scoliosis and aplasia of two sternebrae which were statistically significant in comparison to control group, but in the experimental group that received etanolic extract was observed 8 kinds of abnormalities as palate cleft, aplasia of one vertebrae and two sternebrae, and aplasia of one caudal vertebrae and the increasing of anterior falanges were statistically significant in comparison to control group. These results suggest that the seeds of Mimosa tenuiflora have teratogenic substances, and those substances, yet unknown, are present in ethanolic and aqueous extracts of seeds of this plant.