title: Retinoic acid decreases the viability of mouse blastocysts in vitro.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  This study was designed to examine the cytotoxic effect of retinoic acid on the blastocyst stage of mouse embryos and on subsequent early postimplantation embryo development in vitro.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Mouse blastocysts were exposed for 24 h to doses of 0, 0.1 micromol/l and 10 micromol/l all-trans retinoic acid and observed for their capacity to implant and develop during the early postimplantation period in vitro. When retinoic acid-pretreated blastocysts were allowed to implant in vitro, significantly fewer embryos were able to reach a later stage of embryo development. Compared with the findings for the control blastocysts, exposure to retinoic acid resulted in a significant reduction in the average number of total cells in blastocysts and the trophectoderm/inner cell mass lineage. The effect was associated with a significant increase in the frequency of cells identified as being engaged in apoptosis by means of the terminal deoxynucleotidyl transferase-mediated dUTP nick-end labelling and Annexin V techniques.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  This is the first evidence that retinoic acid induces cell death (apoptosis) and inhibits cell proliferation in mouse blastocysts. This results in the retardation of early postimplantation blastocyst development and subsequent blastocyst death.
authors.affiliation: Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Chang Gung Memorial Hospital, Kaohsiung, Taiwan.
authors.forename: Fu-Jen
authors.initials: FJ
authors.lastname: Huang
authors.forename: Chung-Chang
authors.initials: CC
authors.lastname: Shen
authors.forename: Shiuh-Young
authors.initials: SY
authors.lastname: Chang
authors.forename: Tsung-Chieh J
authors.initials: TC
authors.lastname: Wu
authors.forename: Yan-Der
authors.initials: YD
authors.lastname: Hsuuw
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D017209:Apoptosis; D001755:Blastocyst / Q000166:cytology / Q000187:drug effects* / Q000502:physiology*; D002455:Cell Division / Q000187:drug effects; D002470:Cell Survival / Q000187:drug effects; D046508:Culture Techniques; D010064:Embryo Implantation; D005314:Embryonic and Fetal Development / Q000187:drug effects; D005260:Female; D051379:Mice; D008813:Mice, Inbred ICR; D014212:Tretinoin / Q000494:pharmacology*
chemical_list: D014212:Tretinoin