Premium
Species Specificity in Induction of Wavy Ribs: Failure of Furosemide to Induce the Anomaly in Rabbit Fetuses
Author(s) -
NAKATSUKA Toshio,
Fujii Takaaki
Publication year - 1988
Publication title -
congenital anomalies
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
eISSN - 1741-4520
pISSN - 0914-3505
DOI - 10.1111/j.1741-4520.1988.tb00573.x
Subject(s) - furosemide , fetus , ossification , rib cage , anomaly (physics) , anatomy , gestation , biology , andrology , medicine , endocrinology , pregnancy , genetics , physics , condensed matter physics
Despite the strong activity to induce wavy ribs in rat fetuses, furosemide does not seem to have such activity in the rabbit. Since wavy ribs are known to be repairable in the rat during the early postnatal period, there is a possibility that the anomaly once produced in rabbit fetuses disappeared before the examination at term because of their longer duration of gestation. In order to test this possibility, the authors administered furosemide to pregnant rabbits and examined fetuses shortly after the treatment period for the presence of wavy ribs. Furosemide even at doses which were apparently toxic to maternal animals failed to produce the anomaly. Based on these results and in view of the absence of its occurrence in the literature, it may be concluded that there is species specificity in the induction of wavy ribs and this anomaly does not occur in rabbit fetuses. The temporal difference between the onset of ossification and that of increased myometrial contractions may probably be involved in this species specificity.