Effect of Spirulina maxima and its protein extract on micronuclei induction by hydroxyurea in pregnant mice and their fetuses.

The purpose of the present report was to determine the inhibitory effect of Spirulina maxima (Sm) and its protein extract (PE), mainly consisting of C-phycocyanin, on the increase in micronuclei and bone marrow cytotoxicity induced by hydroxyurea (HU) in pregnant mice and their fetuses. The two tested antimutagenic agents were administered daily from day 10 to day 18 of pregnancy, and HU (300 mg/kg) was administered once on day 16 of the assay. The experimental design also included mice that were administered only Sm or PE (1000 and 400 mg/kg, respectively), two control groups that were administered with vehicles (water and 0.

Spirulina maxima and its protein extract protect against hydroxyurea-teratogenic insult in mice.

Congenital malformations are one of the major causes of child mortality all over the world. In order to prevent them it is necessary to find substances that act as anti-teratogenic agents. In this study hydroxyurea (HU), an antineoplastic and teratogenic drug, was administered to pregnant mice because one of its major mechanisms of teratogenesis is the production of reactive oxygen species (ROS).