Inhibition of Oocyte Maturation in the Estuarine Crab Neohelice Granulata, by the Effect of Anti-Inflammatory Drugs

Abstract

The drugs ibuprofen and diclofenac were assessed in vivo on adult females of the estuarine crab Neohelice granulata. In a first, preliminary assay comprising 60-d, a significant (p < 0.05) lower content of total vitellogenic proteins was detected in the ovary at 10 mg/L of each drug. In a second 90-d assay, comprising the exposure of crabs to 5 mg/L of each drug during the entire pre-reproductive period, a significant (p < 0.05) decrease in the proportion of vitellogenic oocytes was observed by effect of diclofenac. The same effect was also observed in a third assay only comprising the last month of the pre-reproductive period, at 5 mg/L of diclofenac, and also at a mixture of both drugs; besides, this mixture significantly (p < 0.05) increased the proportion of reabsorbed vitellogenic oocytes. The obtained results indicate that the effect of diclofenac is critical at the final stage of ovarian maturation, when the participation of prostaglandins is relevant.