Khat (Catha Edulis) is a plant that grows primarily in Ethiopia, Kenya and
Yemen (Zein, 1983). The alkaloid cathinone, a phenylalkylamine namely (-)-alphaaminopropiophenone,
is regarded as the main active component of khat (Szendrei,
1980; Kalix, 1991). This substance is metabolized in the body to nor-ephedrine and
nor-pseudo-ephedrine which are readily excreted in urine (Wilder et aI" 1994).
Moreover, nor-pseudo-ephedrine was detected in mother's milk and in the urine of
suckling infants of Khat-chewing lactating women (Kristjanson et aI" 1987).
Cathinone produces amphetamine-like stimulation of the central nervous system
in man, thus it induces a state of euphoria, increased intellectual efficiency,
alertness and subjective well being (Kalix, 1988; Nenclni and Ahmed, 1989;
Brenneisen et al., 1990; Kalix, 1990 & 1992; Wilder et al., 1994). A large number
of people in East Africa and Southern Arabia are used to chew the khat leaves because
of its pleasurable and stimulating effects. Due to its habit-forming property,
khat has been classified as a "Substance of Abuse" by the World Health Organization
(Al-Meshal et aI., 1991). Moreover, Kalix (1991) added that a derivative of
cathinone (d-nor-pseudo-ephedrine) was commonly used in clinical practice as antideprassant
and as an appetite suppressant - as it has the same well known anorexigenic
effect of amphetamine.
Cathiuone was found to have the same mechanism of action of amphetamine
(Schechter, 1990). It is thought to be a dopaminergic drug either through the release
of physiological catecholamine from presynaptic storage sites (Brenneisen et aI., 1990; Kalix, 1991) or through the inhibition of mono-amine oxidase (Calcagnetti
and Schechter, 1992).
A large number of medical problems have been reported in Khat chewers
(Mekasha, 1983: Soufi et al., 1991; Kassie et al., 2001). The toxicological potential
of Khat on various organs was further confirmed by many studies on experimental
animals treated with Khat extract (Saleh et at, 1988: Islam et al., 1990: Hanaa
et al., 1994; Zaghloul and Nada, 1994). Only few reports dealt with its effect on
the growth of the offspring of Khat chewing mothers (Abdul Ghani et al., 1987:
Jansson et al., 1988; Eriksson et al., 1991: Gamal, 1996). Its possible teratogenic
effect, especially on the skeletal system, attracted little attention in the previous
studies (Islam et aI., 1994).
The present study was undertaken to investigate the effect of khat administration
10 pregnant rats on the viability and growth of the fetuses with a special focus
on its possible teratogenic effect on the fetal skeleton.