Changes in the Deformability and Resistance of Erythrocyte Membranes under the Action of Gamma-Aminobutyric Acid Derivatives in the Offspring of Rats with Experimental Preeclampsia

INTRODUCTION: Preeclampsia is a severe complication of pregnancy associated with the negative consequences for the mother and child. Such complications can be a reduction in the resistance of erythrocyte membranes to damaging agents and alteration of rheological properties of the blood in offspring. Promising compounds for the correction of these negative consequences of preeclampsia are gamma-aminobutyric acid (GABA) derivatives, which showed membrane–protective, antioxidant, and antihypoxic effects in previous studies.

AIM: To evaluate the effect of GABA derivatives Succicard® (4-phenylpiracetam and ethane-1,2-dicarboxylic acid, 2:1), Salifen® (4-amino-3-phenylbutanoic acid and 2-hydroxybenzoic acid, 2:1), and Phenibut® (aminophenylbutyric acid) on the deformability and resistance of erythrocyte membranes in 8- and 14-month-old offspring of rats with experimental preeclampsia (EP).

MATERIALS AND METHODS: The study involved offspring (male and female) of white non-inbred female rats with a normal pregnancy and EP that was modeled by replacement of drinking water with a 1.8% sodium chloride solution during gestation (1–21 days). For 30 days (from day 40 to day 70 of life), pup rats intragastrically received Succicard® (22 mg/kg), Salifen® (7.5 mg/kg), and Phenibut® (25 mg/kg), along with a comparison drug Pantogam® (calcium gopantenate) (50 mg/day) once a day. The offspring of the positive and negative control groups were injected with distilled water in a similar mode. In offspring aged 8 and 14 months, the resistance of erythrocyte membranes to the action of hydrochloric acid and their deformability were determined.

RESULTS: In 8-month-old male offspring of rats with EP, a shorter time of achievement of half the maximal amplitude of erythrogram was noted in acid hemolysis relative to the positive control group, and the erythrocyte elongation index was reduced. Relative to the negative control group, Succicard®, Salifen®, Phenibut®, and Pantogam® promoted the prolongation of hemolysis and the erythrocyte elongation index in 8-month-old male rats in the experimental groups. In 14-month-old male and female rats of different ages, no statistically significant differences were found between the groups.

CONCLUSION: Changes in the stiffness and strength of erythrocyte membranes were noted only in male offspring of rats with EP. Succicard®, Salifen®, Phenibut®, and Pantogam® produced membrane-protective effects on the erythrocytes of 8-month-old male rats of the experimental groups.