The aryl hydrocarbon receptor (encoded by the Ahr locus) is a ligand-activated transcription factor that mediates the toxicology and teratology of 2,3,7,8-tetrachlorodibenzo-p-dioxin (dioxin). In an effort to understand the role of the maternal compartment in dioxin teratology, we designed a breeding strategy that allowed us to compare the teratogenic response in embryos from Ahr(-/-) (null) an...

Mycotoxins are products of the secondary metabolism fungi, which can be present in food as contaminants. According to Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), these substances, making them relevant global health, contaminate approximately 25% all worldwide. The occurrence exposure mycotoxins is more common developing countries, where their effects harmful health due high rate malnutrition place...

The chapter summarizes literature on the teratogenic effects of anticonvulsants and presents data from the Swedish Medical Birth Register. Many anticonvulsants have a teratogenic effect which varies between individual drugs with the highest risk associated with the use of valproic acid and probably topiramide. For some much used drugs like carbamazepine and lamotrigine the risk is not much elev...

Genetic factors influence fetal alcohol spectrum disorders (FASDs) in both humans and animals. Experiments using inbred and selectively bred mouse stocks that controlled for (1) ethanol dose, (2) maternal and fetal blood ethanol levels, and (3) fetal developmental exposure stage, show genotype can affect teratogenic outcome. Other experiments distinguish the teratogenic effects mediated by mate...