The effects of zidovudine (AZT) on the fetus were investigated in pregnant mice by using parameters such as the number of fetuses, fetal size, and the fetal hepatic cell clonogenic assay. AZT caused dose-dependent toxicity to the fetus upon administration via drinking water to pregnant mice from days 1 to 13 of gestation. At the 0.5-mg/ml dose level, AZT caused a decrease in the number of fetus...

The efflux transporter, the breast cancer resistance protein (BCRP), is most abundantly expressed in the apical membrane of the placental syncytiotrophoblasts, indicating that it could play an important role in protecting the fetus by limiting xenobiotic/drug penetration across the placental barrier. In the present study, we examined whether Bcrp1, the murine homolog of human BCRP, limits fetal...

Metronidazole is used to treat trichomoniasis, bacterial vaginosis, and other diseases. There are controversy aspects about its teratogenicity. A teratogenic agent can alter morphology or subsequent function of the fetus. The aim of this study was to examine an alternative method for the recognition of the mechanism or the bimolecular potential changes in mice fetus caused by Metronidazole usin...

Glycosaminoglycan storage begins in prenatal life in patients with mucopolysaccharidosis (MPS). In fact, prenatal hydrops is a common manifestation of MPS VII because of beta-glucuronidase (GUS) deficiency. One way to address prenatal storage might be to deliver the missing enzyme across the placenta into the fetal circulation. Maternal IgG is transported across the placenta by the neonatal Fc ...

Pregnancy is a transient immuno-compromised condition which has evolved to avoid the immune rejection of the fetus by the maternal immune system. The altered immune response of the pregnant female leads to increased susceptibility to invading pathogens, resulting in abortion and congenital defects of the fetus and a subnormal response to vaccination. Active vaccination during pregnancy may lead...