Description:
<jats:p>The use of medicinal plants by pregnant women has not been extensively validated and screened for their influence on offspring. The aim of this study was to determine the medicinal plants used, prevalence of their use among pregnant women in Lagos state, Nigeria, and to investigate the effect of these plants on cardiovascular system development.
 An Ethnobothanical survey was carried out among traditional herbal practitioners and pregnant women attending antenatal clinics in Lagos State public hospitals using structured questionnaires. Transgenic zebrafish embryos were treated with various concentrations (0.08mg/ml – 1.28mg/ml) of plant extracts between 4 – 72 hours post‐fertilization to determine the effects on the cardiovascular system.</jats:p><jats:p>The survey showed that 44.2% of the pregnant women used herbal medicine and 50% of these women had used <jats:italic>Enantia chlorantha</jats:italic> which was among the recommended plants for use by herb sellers. Pericardial edema and the presence of a tubular heart were observed in the 1.28mg/ml group. There was also, a significant dose dependent decrease in the blood flow rate and a disruption in the morphology of the intersegmental vessels some of which failed to develop.</jats:p><jats:p>These research findings suggest that <jats:italic>Enantia chlorantha</jats:italic> possibly has an effect on angiogenesis. And it, offers a basis for further investigation of the molecular mechanism by which this plant might be responsible for these effects.</jats:p>