Chinese Medicine Dwarf Lilyturf Tuber Reduces Hyperglycemia-Induced Developmental Anomalies in Mouse Embryos [italic]In Vitro[/italic]

Chinese Medicine Dwarf Lilyturf Tuber Reduces Hyperglycemia-Induced Developmental Anomalies in Mouse Embryos [italic]In Vitro[/italic] Maternal hyperglycemia in earl Maternal hyperglycemia in early stage of pregnancy is associated with pregnant loss and congenital anomalies in offspring. Prevention of the developmental malformations by oral hypoglycemic and insulin therapy remains unsatisfactory. Chinese herbal medicines have being widely used on diabetes for thousands of years with potential therapeutic effects on control of glycemia and its complications. In this study, we investigated the efficacy of the most commonly used Chinese medicines, Dwarf Lilyturf Tuber ([italic]Radix Ophiopogonis[/italic]), in reducing the hyperglycemia-induced developmental anomalies in mouse embryos [italic]in vitro[/italic].[br]Whole mouse embryo culture was employed to induce the diabetic embryopathies. Embryos from non-diabetic mice at late streak gastrulation stage (gestational day 7.5) were cultured in full rat serum, in which D-glucose with or without Dwarf Lilyturf Tuber extracts was supplemented for 48 hours (gestational day 9.5). Developmental morphology in the embryos was assessed and structural anomalies were analysed.[br]Results showed that 4mg/ml D-glucose significantly retarded the development and also induced open neural tube and other defects in mouse embryos, presenting with low mean total morphological score (TMS) 30.4[plusmn]9.4 and high incidences of exencephaly (96.3%) and caudal regression (56.7%). Dwarf Lilyturf Tuber concentrations up to 0.11mg/ml (0.06 of oral clinical dose) did not deteriorate the normal development of control embryos (TMS: 67.7[plusmn]0.9, exencephaly and caudal regression 0%). It significantly improved the development of D-glucose-treated embryos (TCM: 55.5[plusmn]11.6, p[lt]0.01) and reduced the hyperglycemia-induced exencephaly (25.1%, p[lt]0.01) and caudal regression (12.8%, p[lt]0.01). Bioassay-guided fractionation further confirmed hydrophilic sub-fraction of Dwarf Lilyturf Tuber extracts may contribute to the therapeutic effects.[br]The study indicated the efficacy of Dwarf Lilyturf Tuber in attenuating hyperglycemia-induced embryopathy [italic]in vitro[/italic]. YAN TONG, BIK SAN LAU, WING HUNG TAM, CHI CHIU WANG 1274-P Shatin, Hong Kong Pregnancy