Toxicological assessment of beta-lapachone on organs from pregnant and non-pregnant rats

• Published in: Phytotherapy research Vol. 23; no. 9; pp. 1276 - 1280
• Main Authors: de Almeida, Edvaldo Rodrigues, Lucena, Flávia Raquel Santos, Silva, Camilla Vila Nova Soares, da Silva Costa-Junior, Wilson, Cavalcanti, Jouse Bezerra, Couto, Gerald Bosco Lindoso, da Silva, Luiz Lúcio Soares, da Mota, Diógenes Luís, da Silveira, Alex Benício, de Sousa Filho, Samuel Daniel, da Silva, Aldo Cezar Passilongo
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Chichester, UK John Wiley '' Sons, Ltd 01.09.2009; John Wiley & Sons, Ltd; Wiley
• Subjects: Alkaline Phosphatase - blood; Animals; biochemical and hematological study; Biological and medical sciences; Female; gamma-Glutamyltransferase - blood; General pharmacology; histological study; Leukocytes - pathology; Male; Medical sciences; Naphthoquinones - toxicity; Pharmacognosy. Homeopathy. Health food; Pharmacology. Drug treatments; Pregnancy; Rats; Rats, Wistar; Spleen - pathology; Teratogens - toxicity; Toxicity Tests, Chronic; Transaminases - blood; Wistar rats; β-lapachone; Evaluation; Rat; Pharmacognosy; Quinone; Rodentia; histological study; biochemical and hematological study; Chenopodiaceae; Beta; Medicinal plant; Pregnancy; Wistar rats; Vertebrata; Mammalia; Dicotyledones; Animal; Angiospermae; Plant origin; Herbaceous plant; Spermatophyta; β-lapachone
• ISSN: 0951-418X; 1099-1573
• DOI: 10.1002/ptr.2646

Naphthoquinones have been studied extensively due to their activity as topoisomerase inhibitors. These enzymes are critical to DNA replication in cells. β-Lapachone (beta-lap) is an o-naphthoquinone chemically obtained from lapachol. This work results in a toxicological evaluation of beta-lap in Wistar rats observing the following parameters: teratology, histology, hematology and serum biochemistry. The data demonstrate teratogenic action at the doses used, as well as hematological alterations in the total leukocytes, monocytes and segmented. The biochemical data demonstrated an increase in gamma glutamyl transferase, alkaline phosphatase and glutamate pyruvate transaminase levels. Histological study showed significant alterations in the spleen, however, the liver and kidney did not present significant alterations. Copyright © 2009 John Wiley '' Sons, Ltd.