Safety profile of Hoodia gordonii extract: Rabbit prenatal developmental toxicity study

Hoodia gordonii extract was orally administered by gavage to groups of 22 female New Zealand white rabbits from day 3-28 after mating at doses of 0 (control), 3, 6 or 12. mg/kg bodyweight/day. These doses were reached by a dose escalation phase between days 3 and 7 after mating. As well as a vehicle control group, a control group pair-fed to the...

Safety profile of Hoodia gordonii extract: Mouse prenatal developmental toxicity study

Hoodia gordonii extract (0, 5, 15 or 50. mg/kg body weight/day, n= 24 mice/group) was orally administered by gavage to female CD-1 mice from gestation days 5-17. On gestation day 18 the females were euthanized and examined. Treatment at 50. mg/kg/day caused a marked reduction in feed intake and body weight gain. Feed consumption was sporadically...

Integrated in vitro-in silico models for predicting in vivo development toxicity: facilitating non-animal based safety asssment

One-generation reproductive toxicity study of DHA-rich oil in rats

Polyunsaturated fatty acids, including docosahexaenoic acid (DHA), are natural constituents of the human diet. DHA-algal oil is produced through the use of the marine protist, Ulkenia sp. The reproductive toxicity of DHA-algal oil was assessed in a one-generation study. Rats were provided diets containing DHA-algal oil at concentrations of 1.5,...

Anthropometry of fetal growth in rural Malawi in relation to maternal malaria and HIV status

Objective: To describe fetal growth centiles in relation to maternal malaria and HIV status, using cross sectional measurements at birth. Design: A cross sectional study of pregnant women and their babies. Data on maternal socioeconomic status and current pregnancy, including HIV status and newborn anthropometry, were collected. Malaria...

Associations between prenatal and infancy weight gain and BMI, fat mass, and fat distribution in young adulthood: A prospective cohort study in males and females born very preterm

Background: Increasing evidence indicates that adult body composition is associated with prenatal and infancy weight gain, but the relative importance of different time periods has not been elucidated. Objective: The objective was to study the association between prenatal, early postnatal, and late infancy weight gain and body mass index (BMI),...

Embryotoxicity and teratogenicity study with α-cyclodextrin in rabbits

In a standard embryotoxicity/teratogenicity study, α-cyclodextrin (α-CD) was administered to groups of sixteen, artificially inseminated New Zealand White rabbits at dietary concentrations of 0, 5, 10, or 20%. An additional group received a diet containing 20% lactose. Treatment started on day 0 of gestation and ended on day 29 when the animals...

Embryotoxicity and teratogenicity study with α-cyclodextrin in rats

The embryotoxicity/teratogenicity of α-cyclodextrin (α-CD) was examined in Wistar Crl:(WI)WU BR rats. α-CD was fed at dietary concentrations of 0, 1.5, 5, 10, or 20% to groups of 25 pregnant female rats from day 0 to 21 of gestation. An additional group received a diet with 20% lactose. The additions to the diet of α-CD and lactose were made at...

Cisplatin-DNA adduct formation in rat spermatozoa and its effect on fetal development

Exposure of males to some genotoxic chemicals causes DNA damage in spermatozoa resulting in embryotoxicity and developmental defects in their offspring. This study demonstrates that cisplatin-DNA adducts could be measured in spermatozoa following treatment with the antineoplastic drug, cisplatin. The formation of spermatozoa cisplatin-DNA...

Temporal changes in collagen composition and metabolism during rodent palatogenesis

Cleft lip and palate is a common craniofacial malformation in man. The aetiology is multifactorial and not known. Since collagen is a major structural component of the developing palate, we studied its composition and metabolism during palate shelf formation and elevation in the rat. Palatal shelves were harvested at embryonic days (E) 15, 16...

Retinoid signalling during embryogenesis

Conclusion: Retinoids are suspected to have multiple functions during embryogenesis, which are carried out via various different signal transduction pathways involving active retinoids and nuclear retinoid receptors. Research focuses on the identification of the retinoid signal transduction components involved, and on their specific functions...

Impaired prenatal and postnatal growth in Dutch patients with phenylketonuria

Objective - To assess whether physical growth is affected in early treated Dutch patients with phenylketonuria (PKU). Methods - The birth weights of all 137 early detected patients with PKU born in the period from 1974 to 1988 in the Netherlands were compared with reference values. Height, head circumference, and weight were measured at the age...