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Exp Clin Endocrinol Diabetes 1984; 84(5): 167-173
DOI: 10.1055/s-0029-1210383
Original

© J. A. Barth Verlag in Georg Thieme Verlag KG Stuttgart · New York

Inhibiting Effects of Hypervitaminosis A on Development of Fetal Rat Adrenal Glands1)

R. Klepac
  • Institute of Biology, School of Medicine (Head: Prof. Dr. N. Škreb), University of Zagreb/Yugoslavia
1) The research was supported by grant No IV/3 from Scientific Fund of the Socialist Republic of Croatia, Yugoslavia.
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Publication History

1983

Publication Date:
17 July 2009 (online)

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Summary

Administration of pregnant rats with excess amounts of vitamin A from the 8th to the 10th day of pregnancy induced destruction in fetal brain. On the last day of pregnancy, fetuses of treated mothers have smaller weight of adrenal glands as compared with intact fetuses. Maternal treatment with high amounts of vitamin A significantly reduced protein and nucleic acids levels and inhibited cell multiplication in fetal rat adrenal glands. Adrenal glands of fetuses from vitamin A treated mothers synthetized in vitro from 4-14C progesterone less amounts of radioactive 11-deoxycorticosterone, corticosterone, 18-hydroxy-11-deoxycorticosterone and aldosterone than adrenal glands of intact fetuses on the last day of intrauterine development. These results showed that maternal hypervitaminosis A depressed morphological and functional development of fetal rat adrenal glands on the last day of pregnancy.

Key words

Vitamin A - Pregnancy - Fetal steroidogenesis - Adrenal gland