Change in lipoperoxidation but not in scavenging enzymes activity during polyamine embryoprotection in rat embryo cultured in hyperglycemic media.

DM1 complicated with pregnancy is the cause of neonatal malformations and low-for-gestational-age neonates. With the use of the whole-embryo culture system, it has been demonstrated that high glucose causes embryo dysmorphogenesis. Previously, our group has found that spermidine or spermine addition reverts almost fully the severity and frequency of dysmorphogenesis, whereas the effect of arginine and putrescine it is only partial. A hypothesis for polyamine mechanism is the amelioration of oxidative stress caused by high glucose. The purpose of this work was to evaluate the effect of polyamines over the activity of scavenging enzymes and lipoperoxidation in whole-embryo rat in culture. Post-implantation (gestational day 10.5) rat embryos were cultured for 24 h in normal medium or hyperglycemic medium, alone or supplemented with L-arginine or polyamine. Embryos were recovered and visualized, and morphologic parameters were registered. Cultured embryos were homogenized, and superoxide dismutase and glutathione-reductase activities, as well as lipoperoxidation, were measured. The activity of superoxide dismutase and glutathione peroxidase were not affected by the treatment, but lipoperoxidation was increased in embryos cultured in hyperglycemic medium; spermidine or spermine supplementation restore lipoperoxidation to near-normal values, and putrescine and L-arginine reverts only partially the glucose effect. Taken together, these results pointed out that spermidine and spermine embryoprotection could be mediated by direct antioxidant activity. However, further studies are needed to support this hypothesis.