Effect of pure tannic acid and tannic acid of tea on general morphology, liver and kidney cytology, and protein excretion of 11-day old duck (Anas domestica) embryos

ABSTRACT

Tannic acid is a component of many plant-derived foods, used as a food additive and found in beverages like black tea. It was shown to have an ability to pass the blood-placental barrier thus its effects on embryos should be investigated. This study aims to determine the effects of different tannic acid concentrations and tannic acid as a component of tea on general morphology, on liver and kidney cytology, and on protein utilization. Thirty-six 11-day old duck embryos were randomly grouped into six groups of six eggs each, namely control, low tannin, tannic acid equivalent of black tea (TAEBT), medium tannin, high tannin, and tea. The different groups were given 1 ml of different prepared solutions namely PBS for the control, 0.01 g/L tannic acid for low tannin, 0.05 g/L tannic acid for TAEBT, 15 g/L tannic acid for medium tannin, 30 g/L for high tannin, and black tea for tea. General morphology was measured as weight in g and height in cm, liver and kidney cytology by nucleocytoplasmic ratio, protein excretion by Bradford method. Weight, height, and protein concentration via absorbance of the different groups were significantly different (P value 0.01) and concentrations of 15 g/L and 30 g/L tannic acid belonged to different homologous subsets. Kidney nucleocytoplasmic ratios showed no significant results at alpha