Substantial Toxic Effect of Water-Pipe Smoking on the Early Stage of Embryonic Development

Abstract

This investigation addresses an important gap on the outcome of WPS during the early stage of embryogenesis. Data of this study point out that WPS can have a very toxic effect on the embryo at this stage. Additionally, results from this report display for the first time that WPS can damage normal angiogenesis of the embryo thus provoking a significant number of embryonic death. Moreover, this study reveals that this effect can occur via the deregulation of several genes related to cell apoptosis, proliferation, and migration.

Teucrium Polium Plant Extract Provokes Substantial Cytotoxicity at the Early Stage of Embryonic Development

“…More specifically, we herein demonstrate that TP plant extract provokes an upregulation of ATF-3, BCL-2, INHB-A, and VEGF-C genes in heart and brain tissues. These data are consistent with our previous work vis-à-vis the outcome of waterpipe smoking (WPS) at the early stage of the normal development of the embryo [15], where we have demonstrated that these genes are important targets of the toxicity incited by WPS. Meanwhile, we report that TP plant extract induces an overexpression of CASPAS-8 in the heart and brain tissues in exposed embryos in comparison with their matched control.…”

“…While examining the embryos daily, we found that approximately 60%, 25%, and 10% of the embryos died 1, 2, and 3 days after the treatment, respectively, compared with the control groups in which <14% of the embryos died (Table 1). This effect on the control groups could be associated with manipulation, as reported in our previous studies [13,15,16]. Thus, TP extract decreases significantly the survival probability of the exposed embryos in comparison with their matched controls (Figure 1); meanwhile, it is important to highlight that 104 of 110 embryos died before 7 days (p < 0.001) of incubation.…”

“…Moreover, our study points out that TP extract can deregulate several key controller genes of cell proliferation, apoptosis, survival, angiogenesis, and migration, which are critical events during embryogenesis, such as of ATF-3, BCL-2, CASPAS-8, INHB-A, VEGF-C, and Cadherin-6 type-2 [15,16]. More specifically, we herein demonstrate that TP plant extract provokes an upregulation of ATF-3, BCL-2, INHB-A, and VEGF-C genes in heart and brain tissues.…”

“…Based on our earlier studies related to toxicity during embryogenesis [15,16], we further examined the expression of ATF-3, BCL-2, CASPAS-8, inhibin subunit beta A (INHB-A), VEGF-C, and Cadherin-6 type-2 genes in heart and brain tissues from TP-exposed embryos in comparison with unexposed ones (controls) by qRT-PCR. We found that ATF-3, We note that approximately 95% of TP-exposed embryos die 3 days after exposure.…”

“…Total RNAs from heart and brain tissues were isolated using RNA extraction kit (QIAGEN Canada Inc., ON, Canada) according to the manufacturer' s protocol. Based on our previous study regarding embryotoxicity, the B-cell lymphoma-2 (BCL-2), caspase-8 (CASPAS-8), activation transcription factor-3 (ATF-3), inhibin beta-A, Cadherin-6 type-2, and vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) genes were selected for our investigation [15,16]. Thus, PCR amplification was performed using primer sets for these genes and glyceraldehyde 3-phosphate dehydrogenase gene was used as control.…”