Histopathological Evaluation of the Teratogenic Potential of Lixisenatide on the Cerebral Cortex of Developing Cheek Embryo

Background and Objectives: Chick embryos are commonly used in research to investigate the negative impacts of various drugs. One drug, lixisenatide, is superior to other GLP1 receptor antagonists for treating type 2 diabetes mellitus. However, the specific impact of lixisenatide on the developing cerebral cortex of the chick embryo remains unclear. Therefore, further research is necessary to fully understand the potential adverse effects of lixisenatide on brain development.

Materials and Methods: It’s an experimental study done at the Department of Anatomy, Santosh Medical College, Ghaziabad, Uttar Pradesh. The study aimed to investigate the effects on specific parameter in two groups, a control group, and an experimental group. The expected mean ± SD of the parameter for the control and experimental groups were found to be 27±5.32 and 32±5.30, respectively, based on a literature survey and pilot study. To achieve appropriate sample size, G*Power software was used, with an alpha level of 5% and a power of 95.36%, which resulted in an effect size of 1.961 and a sample size of 28 for each group, leading to a total sample size of 280.The chick embryos first sacrificed then dissected, and the brain was separated and kept in a 10% formaldehyde solution. To identify histological characteristics of the cerebral cortex, the light and compound microscope were used for sections.

Results: During the experiment, Lixisenatide induced necrotic changes and cellular condensation in chick embryo’s cerebral cortex, specifically in groups C, D, and E. Additionally, there was mild distortion found in the cortex indicating degenerative changes experimental group E. There was a statistically significant increase in histopathological changes observed in the cerebral cortex as the dose of Lixisenatide increased in each experimental group (p<0.05).

Conclusion: Insufficient research has been conducted on the development of resistance to lixisenatide. Despite its widespread use, observations have revealed that lixisenatide has adverse effects on the cerebral cortex of chick embryos, including cellular condensation and necrotic changes and mild distortion found in the cortex indicating degenerative changes in experimental groups C, D & E. Therefore, it is imperative that the administration of this vital medication is carefully considered to prevent neuronal complications.