Effects of In Utero Retinoic Acid Exposure on Mouse Pelage Hair Follicle Development

The study investigated the effects of prenatal exposure to all-trans-retinoic acid (RA) on mouse pelage hair follicle development. Pregnant mice were given a single oral dose of RA at 30 mg/kg body weight on day 11.5 of gestation. The results showed no RA-induced changes in the morphology or temporal expression patterns of keratins during hair follicle morphogenesis. However, there was a significant increase in the number of BrdU-positive nuclei in hair bulbs from RA-exposed fetuses compared to non-exposed mice. The absence of adverse effects from RA suggests that this experimental design could be useful for studying the in vivo effects of retinoids on various skin diseases.