Co-administration of ascorbic acid with cydophosphamide (CPA) to pregnant mice inhibits the clastogenic activity of CPA in preimplantation murine blastocysts

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Abstract
Cyclophosphamide (CPA) administered at a dose of 15 mg/kg body weight to pregnant inbred CBA/CaH mice 60 h after copulation significantly elevated the incidence of structural chromosomal aberrations and sister-chromatid exchanges in 96 h blastocysts. When ascorbic acid (800 mg/kg body weight) was co-administered with CPA (15 mg/kg) using different injection sites, the incidence of structural chromosomal aberrations and the number of aberrant metaphases were significantly lower as compared to the CPA-exposed embryos, but still significantly higher than untreated controls. Sister-chromatid exchanges were not significantly different in embryos exposed to CPA only when compared to those exposed to CPA and ascorbic acid. In terms of the developmental potential of embryos, pregnant mice injected with both CPA and ascorbic acid had significantly fewer resorptions per mouse, and a significantly higher number of viable fetuses retrieved on the 18th day of gestation when compared to mice injected with CPA alone. The data in this study demonstrate that the co-administration of ascorbic acid with CPA to pregnant mice ameliorates the CPA-induced clastogenicity and improves the developmental potential of these embryos. This study suggests that some of the CPA-induced genotoxicity is due to the generation of reactive oxygen molecules, but further research is necessary before this can be firmly concluded.