Effects of Silymarin after Maternal Exposure to LPS on Histopathologic and Immunologic Profiles in Offsprings

Abstract

Pre parturition and newborn period events like infectious stresses have important effects on the future life of an offspring. LPS can be a cause of bacterial stress in the body. Silymarin is an herbal substance that has some therapeutic effects on body. According to our literature review there was no any study available about silymarin preservative and useful effects after LPS intervention on fetuses in their future life.

Mice of both sex with 25-30 g weight were kept with each other for breeding and the first day of pregnancy was ascertained by observation of vaginal plaque.

Silymarin was suspended in normal saline and then administered to pregnant mice (100 and 250 mg/kg) by stomach gavage for 5 days. Pregnant mice received LPS by one intraperitoneal injection (300 and 500 μg/kg). Half of the offspring's were used for blood sampling for immunologic tests 1.5 hour after immune system stimulation (IP injection of LPS with the dosage of 500 μg/Kg in the day 67 after their birth) IL-1β, TNF-α and IL-6 were measured in them with indirect ELISA kits. Another half of the litters were killed in 70th day of their life (after 3 days of new LPS injection) and whole brain and a specimen from their left lobe of liver was put into neutral buffered formalin.

LPS has caused hyperemia and inflammation in the brain, meninges and liver of treatment groups. Silymarin managed to control the effects of LPS stress on the second generation (received LPS when they were fetus) in a dose dependent manner.

Stresses of mothers during pregnancy can alter in normal physiology of the offspring's and increase the probability of illness in them in the future. These mothers and their litters has an increased level of proinflammatory cytokines in their serum. Silymarin can be useful for protecting the offsprings from LPS effects in the future life.