Resveratrol and vitamin E rescue valproic acid-induced teratogenicity: the mechanism of action.

1. Valproic acid (VPA) induces haemorrhagic liposis of the cervical muscles in the chicken embryo model (CEM). Vitamin E and resveratrol (RV) exhibit prominent anti-oxidative and glutathione (GSH)-protecting effects. 2. In the present study we hypothesized that vitamin E and RV would ameliorate VPA induced haemorrhagic liposis in chick embryos. To this end, 120 Day 0 fertilized eggs were divided into 10 groups (n = 12 in each). The effects of different combinations of VPA (60 mmol/L), RV (0.2 and 2.0 mmol/L) and vitamin E (0.2 and 2.0 mmol/L) applied to Hamburger and Hamilton (HH) Stage 10 (Day 1.5) embryos were tested in the CEM using established methods. 3. Both RV and vitamin E (both at 2.0 mmol/L) effectively rescued neural tube defects in the early stage CEM and inhibited the malformation rate compared with that in the control group (8.4% and 5.0% vs 36.5 ± 3.0%, respectively; P < 0.05) and suppressed serum homocysteine and S-adenosylhomocysteine concentrations, downregulated cervical muscular carnitine, triglycerides, H2 O2 , malondialdehyde, interleukin-6 and ACC expression (P < 0.05 for all) and upregulated CPT1 expression and GSH (P < 0.05 for both). 4. The haemorrhagic liposis of cervical muscles can be alleviated by RV and vitamin E. It appears that the main mechanism of action of RV and vitamin E in rescuing VPA-induced teratogenicity is through the suppression of reactive oxygen species and upregulation of GSH.