EFFECT OF KHAT ON INTRAUTERINE FETAL GROWTH AND ON THE DEVELOPMENT OF THE FETAL SKEI.ETON IN ALBINO RATS | ||
| The Egyptian Journal of Anatomy | ||
| Article 3, Volume 26, Issue 1, January 2003, Pages 57-84 PDF (2.01 M) | ||
| Document Type: Original Article | ||
| DOI: 10.21608/ejana.2003.5870 | ||
| Author | ||
| Naglaa Ibrahim | ||
| Department of Anatomy, Faculty of Medicine, Cairo University | ||
| Abstract | ||
| Khat (Catha Edulis) is a plant that grows primarily in Ethiopia, Kenya and Yemen (Zein, 1983). The alkaloid cathinone, a phenylalkylamine namely (-)-alphaaminopropiophenone, is regarded as the main active component of khat (Szendrei, 1980; Kalix, 1991). This substance is metabolized in the body to nor-ephedrine and nor-pseudo-ephedrine which are readily excreted in urine (Wilder et aI" 1994). Moreover, nor-pseudo-ephedrine was detected in mother's milk and in the urine of suckling infants of Khat-chewing lactating women (Kristjanson et aI" 1987). Cathinone produces amphetamine-like stimulation of the central nervous system in man, thus it induces a state of euphoria, increased intellectual efficiency, alertness and subjective well being (Kalix, 1988; Nenclni and Ahmed, 1989; Brenneisen et al., 1990; Kalix, 1990 & 1992; Wilder et al., 1994). A large number of people in East Africa and Southern Arabia are used to chew the khat leaves because of its pleasurable and stimulating effects. Due to its habit-forming property, khat has been classified as a "Substance of Abuse" by the World Health Organization (Al-Meshal et aI., 1991). Moreover, Kalix (1991) added that a derivative of cathinone (d-nor-pseudo-ephedrine) was commonly used in clinical practice as antideprassant and as an appetite suppressant - as it has the same well known anorexigenic effect of amphetamine. Cathiuone was found to have the same mechanism of action of amphetamine (Schechter, 1990). It is thought to be a dopaminergic drug either through the release of physiological catecholamine from presynaptic storage sites (Brenneisen et aI., 1990; Kalix, 1991) or through the inhibition of mono-amine oxidase (Calcagnetti and Schechter, 1992). A large number of medical problems have been reported in Khat chewers (Mekasha, 1983: Soufi et al., 1991; Kassie et al., 2001). The toxicological potential of Khat on various organs was further confirmed by many studies on experimental animals treated with Khat extract (Saleh et at, 1988: Islam et al., 1990: Hanaa et al., 1994; Zaghloul and Nada, 1994). Only few reports dealt with its effect on the growth of the offspring of Khat chewing mothers (Abdul Ghani et al., 1987: Jansson et al., 1988; Eriksson et al., 1991: Gamal, 1996). Its possible teratogenic effect, especially on the skeletal system, attracted little attention in the previous studies (Islam et aI., 1994). The present study was undertaken to investigate the effect of khat administration 10 pregnant rats on the viability and growth of the fetuses with a special focus on its possible teratogenic effect on the fetal skeleton. | ||
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