Teratogenic Effects of Pantothenic Acid Deficiency in the Rat

Abstract

Multiple congenital anomalies in rat fetuses resulted when pantothenic acid deficiency was instituted on the first day of gestation or 4 to 10 days before breeding and continued throughout pregnancy. When the vitamin deficiency was limited to the first 12 or 14 days of the gestation period, few anomalies were observed. However, addition of the antimet-abolite, omega-methyl- pantothenic acid, to the deficient diet for the last two or three days of this period accentuated the deficiency and fetal death with resorption of the entire litter resulted in some cases; in other cases more abnormal young were found than in the absence of the antimetabolite. The abnormalities observed included those previously reported, namely, cerebral and eye defects, digital hemorrhages and edema and, in addition, interventricular septal defects, anomalies of the aortic arch pattern, hydronephrosis and hydroureter, clubfoot, tail defects, cleft palate and dermal defects.