Histopathological evaluation of fetuses and neonates of albino rats treated with the drug prednisone during pregnancy and lactation / Nouf Bader Mohawesh Alduweesh ; Supervised Abdelwahab Elghareeb , Aliaa Mahmoud Issa , Heba Ali Abdelrahman

Thesis (Ph.D.) - Cairo University - Faculty of Science - Department of Zoology

Teratology is the study of the abnormal development in embryos and the causes of congenital malformation or birth defects. One of the main causative factors for teratogenesis and the appearance congenital anomalies in offspring is drug use during the period of pregnancy and lactation. Glucocorticoids (GCs), steroid hormones produced predominantly by the adrenal gland, are key mediators of stress responses. Relative to late pregnancy; surprisingly little is known about the effects of glucocorticoid exposure on the developing fetus in early pregnancy. One of the most commonly used corticosteroids in pregnancy is prednisone. It is predominantly used for its anti-inflammatory effects, immunosuppression and treatment of autoimmune conditions. At present no adequate data is available that as control to illustrate the safety use of prednisone on the pregnant female and their embryos and during lactation, so in the present study we examine the embryo toxic effects of prednisone on pregnant rat's offspring if prednisone was given orally at a recommended daily dose during pregnancy and lactation

Issued also as CD