Effects of unilateral uterine artery ligation on skin development.
BACKGROUND
It has been previously demonstrated that intrauterine growth retardation (IUGR) due to vascular insufficiency in humans results in newborn infants with marked loss of subcutaneous fat and decreased content of differentiation-specific epidermal structural proteins.


OBJECTIVE
In this study, the teratogenic effects of impaired maternal blood flow were investigated histologically on rat skin.


METHODS
Twenty Spraque-Dawley female rats were separated into two groups (n = 10), a control (sham-operated) and an experimental group. The experimental group of fetal rats were subjected to IUGR by unilateral ligation of the maternal uterine artery on the 18th day of pregnancy. The maternal rats were subjected to cesarean hysterectomy on the 21st day of pregnancy and a skin biopsy was taken from the respective litters of both groups.


RESULTS
In histopathological examination, normal epidermis and dermis were observed in the control group of litters and littermate rats from the opposite uterine horn (non-ligated side). A statistically significant reduced body weight and height were noted in the ligated side of the litters.


CONCLUSIONS
Our findings give further evidence to the concept that normal maternal blood flow is essential for fetal growth and decreased maternal blood flow may create an impairment in skin development.
Inalöz
H S
HS
Department of Dermatology, Univeristy of Gaziantep Faculty of Medicine, Kilis Yolu Uzeri, Turkey.
Sari
I
I
Inalöz
S S
SS
Bayhan
G
G
Unal
B
B
Yayla
M
M
Eralp
A
A
Yüncü
M
M
D000818:Animals; D001158:Arteries / Q000601:surgery*; D001706:Biopsy; D004817:Epidermis / Q000473:pathology; D005260:Female; D005317:Fetal Growth Retardation / Q000209:etiology* / Q000473:pathology; D005865:Gestational Age; D008026:Ligation; D011247:Pregnancy; D051381:Rats; D017207:Rats, Sprague-Dawley; D012867:Skin / Q000196:embryology* / Q000473:pathology; D014599:Uterus / Q000098:blood supply*