Teratogenic and embryotoxic effect of papain in rat

Abstract

Crude papain, a proteolytic enzyme, was administered to 100 pregnant rats during 8th-17th day of gestation, orally and intraperitoneally (i.p.) in single or repeated doses and foetuses were collected on the 20th day. Foetal mortality was more marked with i.p. injections than with oral administration and in each case repeated doses were more lethal than single ones. The teratogenic effect was more severe with i.p. administration though there was no significant difference in the incidence of induced defects in the two groups. Repeated oral doses were more teratogenic than single dose. Besides stunted growth observed in most of the foetuses surviving up to the 20th gestation day, subcutaneous haemorrhages and haematomas were seen on various parts of the body. Haemorrhages were also observed on the surface of viscera like liver, kidney and brain and were confirmed histologically. Visceral haemorrhages were twice more common than subcutaneous haemorrhages. Oedema of the body was observed in 8 per cent to 15 per cent of foetuses. Some of the viscera, like brain and kidney were also found oedematous. It appeared that the enzyme could induce teratogenesis through a systemic effect.