Histological effect of choloroquine on developing ovaries of albino rats

Objectives: to study the histological features of ovaries in the offspring of female rats. methods: in this experimental study 30 female rats and 10 male rats were selected. they were divided into five groups containing 6 rats in each group. total gestational period in rats is 21 days,it was divided into three trimester each of 7 days. chloroquine phosphate (resochin,bayer) in powdered form was used. results: gross appearance of adult female pregnant rats in control and experimental groups were normal and their female offsprings at the time of delivery were also normal and active. histological evaluation revealed that lining epithelium of control and experimental groups was similar and no difference was observed. chloroquine administration during gestational period adversely affected the paired ovarian weight & relative tissue weight indices at puberty in all the experimental groups. chloroquine renders the organs more susceptible to subsequent oxidative stress it also causes decrease in activities of catalase. conclusion: it is concluded that chloroquine affects female offspring's weight if used during gestational period,so chloroquine administration during pregnancy must be used with caution.