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BackgroundSilymarin is an antioxidant without side effects even at relatively high physiological dosage. Therefore, it is safely used as a herbal medicine for treating different diseases.Aim of workThe purpose of this study was to examine the toxicity of cadmium (Cd) in pregnant rats and their fetuses and the ameliorative effects of silymarin (SL) against this toxicity.Materials & methodsA total of 24 pregnant rats allocated into four equal groups. Control, silymarin (200 mg/kg), Cd (5 mg/kg), and a combination of Cd and silymarin concurrent from 6 to 20th gestational day. Number of corpora lutea, dams', gravid uteri, placental weights, and likewise fetal body weights and lengths were analyzed as physical parameters. Serum levels of aspartate transaminase, alanine transaminase, creatinine, urea, uric acid, and maternal and fetal liver tissues for malondialdehyde, superoxide dismutase, catalase and glutathione activity were studied. The histology of hepatic and renal tissues for both mothers and fetuses was examined. Data were statistically analyzed by analysis of variance test and Duncan's multiple range test was used to compare group means.ResultsThe findings evidenced that Cd causes teratogenic abnormalities and histopathological variation in hepatic and renal tissues of both mothers and fetuses. Cd triggers oxidative stress and disrupts liver and kidney function. In Cd + silymarin treated rats exhibited improvement in the pregnancy outcomes, reduced histopathological changes, oxidative stress as well as liver and kidney enzymes.ConclusionWe deduced that using of silymarin during gestation is effective and ameliorate the toxic maternal complications caused by cadmium.

Background: The outcome of intracytoplasmic sperm injection (ICSI) and embryo development are significantly influenced by sperm quality. Objective:The aim of the present study is to find the different outcomes of ICSI by using hyaluronic acid (HA) and hypo-osmotic swelling (HOS) test in sperm selection so as to obtain the best results of ICSI outcomes and the best embryos with high quality to increase pregnancy rate in cases of infertility. Patients and Methods: This study was carried out on 100 patients in ICSI cycles with confirmed diagnosis with unexplained infertility or repeated failure of ICSI cycles, and patients with HOS test positive semen profile. Statistics have been made for the study results. Results: There was significant difference between the HOS and HA groups regarding the fertilization rates, cleavage stage, and blastulation quality (63.7% VS 85.9%; 54.3% VS 80.7% and 50.8% VS 66.6% respectively). However, no statistically significant difference was found between the HOS and HA groups regarding oocytes injected (6.46 % VS 6.56%; P =0.870). They were almost equal in number in ICSI, to avoid any factors which may affect the results. Conclusion: HA could be thought of as the best routine on a regular basis for sperm selection before ICSI. Finally, we have achieved our main goal from the study, which is getting the best protocol for sperm selection in ICSI, which gives the best embryos quality for embryo transfer and increase pregnancy rate in cases of infertility.