Teratogenic Effect of Maternal Vitamin A Consumption on the Cerebellum, Limbs and Other Morphological Parameters of the Pups of Wistar Rats

Vitamin A is a commonly consumed vitamin in raw foods and in form of supplement. Previous researches showed that single doses of this vitamin when administered at targeted gestation periods produced varying degrees of congenital malformations in different organs in the pups of rats including the brain. This study intends to evaluate the teratogenic potentials of vitamin A. A total of twenty (20) female Wistar rats weighing an average of 150g were randomly separated into four groups of five rats each. The rats were mated and given increasing doses of vitamin A- 400mg/kg, 500mg/kg and 600mg/kg for groups B, C and D respectively. Group A was the control group and received only food and water like the rest of the groups. Administration lasted for 14days, after which the rats were allowed to deliver. Most of the rats in the experimental groups displayed various signs of toxicity, ranging from significant weight loss, well reduced activity, reduced food and water consumption, peeling of hairs, obvious signs of spontaneous abortion as well as death. Physical examination was carried out on the pups using a magnifying hand lens to check for any form of physical malformation on the limbs, face and other morphological parameters. This was done on days 1, 7 and 16 post- partum. The pups were then sacrificed. The histology of the cerebellum showed no significant differences between the experimental groups and the control. However, the results of the oxidative stress markers showed significant levels of oxidative stress in the homogenized brain samples as compared to the control. Oxidative stress is a possible indication of underlying tissue damage. Our results revealed that the damages done to the pup tissues were better appreciated at the molecular levels than were seen in H&E preparations

Key Words: Vitamin A, teratogen, cerebellum, morphological, anti-oxidant