All issues > Volume 38(10); 1995

Original Article

J Korean Pediatr Soc. 1995;38(10):1370-1377. Published online October 15, 1995.

Etretinate Induced Cardiovascular Malformations in Mouse Embryo

Il Kyung IK Kim¹, Chang Sung CS Son², Young Chang YC Dockgo², Yong Hyuk YH Jeon³

¹Department of Pediatrics, Seoul Adventist Hospital Seoul, Korea
²Department of Pediatrics, College of Medicine, Korea University, Seoul Korea
²Department of Pediatrics, College of Medicine, Korea University, Seoul Korea
³Department of Anatomy, College of Medicine, Korea University, Seoul Korea

Abstract

Purpose
: Etretinate(Tigason? is an aromatic retinoid currently in therapeutic use for psoriasis but studies have shown that it is a potent teratogen in human and in experimental animal. So we carried this study to observe teratogenic effects of etretinate and to search a possibility of etretinate for using as an experimental model to induce cardiovascular malformation.
Methods
: In order to determine the effect to etretinate on embryonic cardiovascular system, pregnant ICR mice were given intragastrically single doses of 50mg/kg or 100mg/kg of etretinate at day 8,9 or 10 of gestation.
Results
: All of the 172 treated surviving fetuses, showed extracardiac malformation. Extrecardiac malformations induced were largely craniofacial, limb, tail and thymic defects. Of the 172 treated surviving fetuses, 53(31%) showed cardiovascular anomalis. The highest cardiovascular malformation was induced by administration of 100mg/kg at day 8 of gestation(35/50, 70%), and the most common cardiovascular malformation was transposition of great arteries in the same group.(23/50, 46%)
Conclusion
: The results indicate that etretinate has a teratogenic effect on developing cardiovascular system and the type and incidence of cardiovascular abnormalities are largely dose and stage dependent.

Keywords :Etretinate, Fetal mouse, Cardiac malformation