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Effect of prenatally administered hypericum (St John's wort) on growth and physical maturation of mouse offspring
W F Rayburn1, C L Gonzalez, H D Christensen
1Section of Maternal-Fetal Medicine, Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, The University of Oklahoma Health Sciences Center, Oklahoma City, USA.
Objective:
Our purpose was to determine whether prenatal exposure to the herb hypericum (St John's wort) affects long-term growth and physical maturation of mouse offspring.
Study Design:
Forty CD-1 mice were randomly assigned to receive daily doses of either 180 mg/kg per day hypericum (n = 20) or a placebo (n = 20) for 2 weeks before conception and throughout gestation. Perinatal outcomes, growth, and physical milestones of the offspring were compared in a blinded manner. Variables were compared by analysis of variance or by chi2 testing.
Results:
The gestational ages at delivery and litter sizes did not differ between the hypericum-exposed and the placebo-exposed offspring. The body weight, body length, and head circumference measurements from postnatal day 3 through adulthood increased in a manner that was indistinguishable between the two groups of offspring, regardless of gender. No differences in reaching physical milestones (teeth eruptions, eye opening, external genitalia) were noted between the 2 groups. The reproductive capability, perinatal outcomes, and growth and development of the second-generation offspring were unaffected by hypericum exposure.
Conclusion:
Maternal administration of hypericum before and throughout gestation did not affect long-term growth and physical maturation of exposed mouse offspring.
