Hesperidin, a natural citrus flavanone, alleviates hyperglycaemic state and attenuates embryopathies in pregnant diabetic mice

In this study, we attempted to investigate the effect of hesperidin, a natural antioxidant citrus flavanone, on diabetes-induced embryopathies in mice. Streptozotocin (STZ) was injected intraperitoneally in 60 mg/kg bw/day for 3 consecutive days to induce diabetes in virgin females. 72 h later, mating was applied and hesperidin was orally given to pregnant diabetic mice in 20 ppm from the 1st to the 18th day of approximately 19 days-gestational length. Maternal body weight and glycaemia were measured throughout pregnancy. Mice were euthanized on day 18 in order to evaluate the teratological parameters. The results showed a considerable decrease of maternal body weight at the last week of pregnancy in hesperidin-treated diabetic mice. Maternal glycaemia was slowly attenuated by hesperidin with a significantly manifest effect on days 11 and 18. This flavanone enhanced the number of implantations per litter, the overall number of foetuses and the absolute and relative foetal weights while reducing malformations and resorptions rates. The red alizarin-staining procedure for foetal skeleton demonstrated a full protective role of hesperidin since, as in controls, no skeletal defects were found in treated diabetic group. These findings suggest that hesperidin may have a prophylactic effect against diabetic embryopathies in mice.