The Use of a Retinoid Receptor Antagonist in a New Model to Study Vitamin A-Dependent Developmental Events
May 1998
in “
PubMed
”
Studysummary In this study, a specific retinoic acid receptor antagonist caused severe craniofacial anomalies in mouse fetuses when administered early in pregnancy, but not limb anomalies, highlighting developmental stage-specific roles of retinoic acid. Our plain-language summary of this paper — not a Tressless recommendation.
The study explored the role of retinoic acid in development by using a retinoid receptor antagonist, AGN 193109, to interfere with retinoic acid receptor functions at specific developmental stages in mice. A single dose of the antagonist on day 8 post coitum caused severe craniofacial and eye malformations in nearly all fetuses, while treatment on day 11 did not affect limb development, even at high doses. Additionally, administration on day 14 delayed skin and hair follicle maturation. This model was deemed effective for investigating the functions of retinoic acid and its receptors in embryogenesis and adult animals.
