The effect of antenatal dexamethasone on maternal and fetal retinol-binding protein.
Sixteen rhesus monkeys received 0.1 to 15 mg/kg of antenatal dexamethasone at 132 days' gestation; seven control animals received placebo. At 135 days' gestation they underwent cesarean section, and maternal and fetal serum was assayed for retinol-binding protein. Fetal and maternal concentrations of retinol-binding protein increased after dexamethasone (p less than 0.05) and there was a trend for fetal levels of retinol-binding protein to increase with increasing dosage (p less than 0.01). Whether the elevation of retinol-binding protein in response to antenatal dexamethasone is a desirable side effect is not clear at this time.
D000818:Animals; D003907:Dexamethasone / Q000494:pharmacology*; D005260:Female; D005312:Fetal Blood / Q000187:drug effects* / Q000378:metabolism; D005325:Fetal Organ Maturity / Q000187:drug effects; D005865:Gestational Age; D008168:Lung / Q000187:drug effects / Q000196:embryology; D008253:Macaca mulatta; D011247:Pregnancy; D012177:Retinol-Binding Proteins / Q000032:analysis*
D012177:Retinol-Binding Proteins; D003907:Dexamethasone