In this commentary, we describe a model to explain the mechanism of the embryopathy of thalidomide. We propose that thalidomide affects the following pathway during development: insulin-like growth factor I (IGF-I) and fibroblast growth factor 2 (FGF-2) stimulation of the transcription of alphav and beta3 integrin subunit genes. The resulting alphavbeta3 integrin dimer stimulates angiogenesis i...

The mechanisms implicated in the fetal alcohol syndrome are described, with discussion on the effects of alcohol, acetaldehyde, and zinc deficiency on the fetal growth and development.

Serum proteins of pregnant rats were analyzed by paper electrophoresis following administration of the teratogenic disazo dyes trypan blue, Evans blue, Niagara blue 4B, Niagara sky blue 6B, Congo red, and Niagara blue 2B. Sera were obtained from blood taken by cardiac puncture just before dye injection, 48 hours after dye injection, and again at autopsy. All of the dyes tested caused a reductio...

Interspecies differences in regard to the teratogenicity of drugs can be the result of differing pharmacokinetic processes that determine the crucial concentration-time relationships in the embryo. Maternal absorption, as well as distribution, of the drugs does not usually show great species differences. The first-pass effect after oral application is often more pronounced in animals than man (...

Nearly 60 years ago thalidomide was prescribed to treat morning sickness in pregnant women. What followed was the biggest man-made medical disaster ever, where over 10,000 children were born with a range of severe and debilitating malformations. Despite this, the drug is now used successfully to treat a range of adult conditions, including multiple myeloma and complications of leprosy. Tragical...

The inhibiting effects of methylxanthines on urethan-induced lung tumors, malformations, and presumed somatic mutations in mice were studied to determine the contribution of mutational and physiological changes to chemically induced neoplasia and malformation. When young adult or pregnant ICR/Jc1 mice were treated with urethan and then methylxanthines were given, caffeine (1,3,7-trimethylxanthi...

Genetic factors influence adverse pregnancy outcome in both humans and animal models. Animal research reveals that both the maternal and fetal genetic profiles are important for determining the risk of physical birth defects and prenatal mortality. Using a reciprocal-cross breeding design, we investigated whether the mother's genes may be more important than fetal genes in determining risk for ...

Ethanol inhibits cell-cell adhesion mediated by the L1 cell adhesion molecule. 1-Octanol potently antagonizes this cellular action of ethanol and also prevents ethanol-induced dysmorphology and cell death in mouse whole embryo culture. NAPVSIPQ (NAP) and SALLRSIPA (SAL) are active peptide fragments of two neuroprotective proteins: activity-dependent neuroprotective protein and activity-dependen...