The effects of prenatal exposure to varying doses of pantoprazole on the maternal and fetal outcomes in albino rats (<i>rattus norvegicus</i>)

Pantoprazole is a proton pump inhibitor used in the management of hypergastric secretions and gastroesophageal reflux during pregnancy. However, its prenatal effects on maternal and fetal outcomes are not well reported when administered at varying doses and at different gestational periods. A post-test-only experimental study design was adopted in conducting this study. A sample size of 30 female albino rats was used for the study. The 30 albino rats were grouped into two broad study categories: 3 control rats and 27 treatment rats. The 27 treatment rats were subdivided into three study groups of nine rats each according to the doses administered as follows: 9 low-dose rats, 9 medium-dose rats, and 9 high-dose rats The nine rats assemblies were further divided up into three subgroups, each of three rats, according to the time of exposure, as follows: three rats for trimester one, three rats for trimester two, and three rats for trimester three. Daily maternal weights were recorded every morning, and then at gestation day 20, all animals were humanely sacrificed and the fetuses harvested. Continuous data included the maternal and fetal weights, and discrete data included the litter sizes, number of devoured fetuses, resorbed glands, and number of embryolithalities. Data was recorded, coded, and entered in the computer using MS Excel spreadsheets version 13, and analyzed using the SPSS programme for Windows version 25 (one-way Analysis of Variance (ANOVA) followed by Tukey’s post hoc multiple comparisons test). The results were expressed as means ± standard error of the mean (SEM). Results with a P < 0.05 were considered significant in the study. This study observed that pantoprazole, at high doses, was associated with a decrease in the mean maternal weight gain, reduced litter sizes with increased numbers of resorbed endometrial glands, and devoured fetuses.