Table 1.
Effect of artesunate, artemether and arteether on pregnancy and fetal skeleton in albino rats
| Treatment (dose, ip) | No. of resorptions | No. of fetuses alive | No. of fetuses dead | Fetal wt. (g) | Placental wt. (g) | Crown-rump length (mm) | Tail length (mm) | Skeletal abnormalities |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Distilled water (0.5 cc) | 0.5 ± 0.34 | 5.6 ± 0.21 | - | 4.72 ± 0.18 | 0.66 ± 0.01 | 35.25 ± 0.03 | 13.3 ± 0.05 | - |
| Arachis oil (0.5 cc) | 0.33 ± 0.21 | 6 ± 0.26 | - | 4.78 ± 0.13 | 0.68 ± 0.00 | 35.28 ± 0.02 | 13.35 ± 0.01 | - |
| Artesunate (10 mg/kg) | 3.17 ± 0.6 | 0.5 ± 0.4 (3) | 1.5 ± 0.37 (9) | 3.61 ± 0.04** | 0.41 ± 0.00* | 32.03 ± 1.02*** | 11.33 ± 0.00*** | 4 (12) shortened bones (humerus, femur, tibia, fibula) |
| Artesunate (20 mg/kg) | 4.5 ± 0.43* | - | - | - | 0.36 ± 0.00*** | - | - | - |
| Artemether (8 mg/kg) | 4.67 ± 0.33a | - | (1) | (3.25) | 0.39 ± 0.00b | 31.06 (1) | 10.45 (1) | - |
| Artemether (16 mg/kg) | 4.5 ± 0.56a | - | - | - | 0.353 ± 0.00b | - | - | - |
| Arteether (15 mg/kg) | 4.16 ± 0.26a | - | 0.5 (3) | 3.39 ± 0.06a | 0.39 ± 0.00b | 31.17 ± 0.18b | 10.94 ± 0.07b | 1 (3) shortened bones (humerus, femur, tibia, fibula) |
| Arteether (30 mg/kg) | 4.83 ± 0.48a | - | - | - | 0.35 ± 0.0b | - | - | - |
Values are expressed as mean ± SEM, figure in parenthesis represents the actual number,n = 6
*
P < 0.05,
**
P < 0.01,
***
P < 0.001 for the artesunate group as compared with the respective control, Group I
a
P < 0.01,
b
P < 0.001 for the artemether and the arteether groups as compared with the respective control, Group II