The developmental gross morphology of pancreas in chick embryo after prenatal administration of valproic acid.

OBJECTIVE To determine the effects of prenatal administration of valproic acid on the developmental gross morphology of pancreas in chick embryo. STUDY DESIGN Experimental study. PLACE AND DURATION OF STUDY Anatomy Department, Regional Centre, College of Physicians and Surgeons, Islamabad, from February 2010 to February 2011. METHODOLOGY An experimental group-A and control group-B, comprised of 30 eggs each. Freshly laid fertilized chicken eggs of experimental group were injected with valproic acid, incubated and hatched. Eggs of control group underwent sham treatment using normal saline. The chicks were sacrificed on hatching or day 22 of incubation, whichever was earlier. The pancreata of only alive chicks of both groups were dissected out, and evaluated for gross morphology in terms of length and weight by statistically comparing with control ones. Then pancreata were stained with aldehyde fuchsin and orange-G stain to study other obvious histological effects, if any. RESULTS Chicken embryos exposed to valproic acid in ovo, showed significant decrease in length and weight of pancreata. The mean of length (cm) of pancreata in group-A was 2.208 ± 0.166, and group-B was 2.300 ± 0.102 (p=0.008). The mean of weight (g) of pancreata in group-A was 0.032 ± 0.009, and group-B was 0.048 ± 0.005 (p=0.001). CONCLUSION Valproic acid exposure showed retarding effect on the gross development of pancreas as depicted by decrease in the length and weight of pancreata.