Abstract
Summary
Direct intraamniotic injections (ia) of the glucocorticoid dexamethasone produced low fetal mortality and a high incidence of cleft palate in rat fetuses. Administration of 120 μg/30 μl of the hormone 12 to 24 hr before palate closure (day 15 of pregnancy) resulted in 100% retarded skeletal development and 91% cleft palate in term fetuses. Subcutaneous maternal injections of 0.4 mg daily for 3 days prior to palate closure resulted in a similar incidence of palatal defects. Intraamniotic injections of dexamethasone and the nicotinamide antimetabolite 6-aminonicotinamide (6-AN) failed to reduce or prevent the development of congenital malformations, potentiating the production of full cleft palate.
Get full access to this article
View all access options for this article.