Palatal Slit and Cleft Palate in Rats Treated with Glucocorticoids II. Comparative Teratogenicity of Prednisolone, Triamcinolone Acetonide and Hydrocortisone

Abstract

AbstractThe induction of abnormal palatal development by three glucocorticoids; prednisolone, triamcinolone acetonide and hydrocortisone was evaluated in rat fetuses. Pregnant rats were injected subcutaneously with either prednisolone (12.5‐100 mg/kg/day), triamcinolone acetonide (0.25‐2 mg/kg/day) or hydrocortisone (100 mg/kg/day) on days 14 and 15 of gestation. These females were humanely killed on day 20 of gestation and viable fetuses were inspected for their palatal abnormalities. The frequencies of cleft palate were significantly higher in the group treated with 100 mg/kg/day prednisolone (10.6%), and in the groups treated with 0.5, 1 and 2 mg/kg/day triamcinolone acetonide (8.6%, 26.1% and 58.3%, respectively) than the control frequency of 0%. Triamcinolone acetonide was 70 times as potent as prednisolone in inducing palatal slit, with ED50 value of 1.0 mg/kg/day and 70 mg/kg/day, respectively. Hydrocortisone showed no potentiality for the induction of cleft palate and palatal slit. Other developmental abnormalities including omphalocele and general edema, late resorption, and growth retardation were induced by triamcinolone acetonide and prednisolone. These findings indicate that triamcinolone acetonide has a significantly higher potentiality for the induction of palatal slit in rats, as well as in mice, compared to prednisolone and hydrocortisone.