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). The aim of this work was to determine if Spirulina maxima (SP) and its aqueous protein extract could protect against HU-teratogenic insult in mouse embryos. SP has been used for a long time because of its nutritional and pharmacological properties. The antioxidant activity, one of the most important, is related to the protein extract due to its content of phycobiliproteins. It was observed that neither SP nor its extract provoked teratogenic effects at any dose tested and even increased vitelline yolk sac circulation. Dams exposed to HU (30 mg/kg, i.p.) presented embryos with multiple alterations in their development. Groups treated with SP or its extract, before and after HU exposure, showed a protector effect in a dose-dependent manner. TBARS test confirmed that the protection effect was related to the antioxidant activity of both SP and its extract.