Prenatal vitamin A deficiency causes laryngeal malformation in rats.
OBJECTIVE
Our previous research demonstrated that vitamin A might be related to vocal fold development. The purpose of this study was to determine whether vitamin A deficiency affects prenatal laryngeal development in rats.


METHODS
Two considerations were necessary in designing a study using a rat model: for embryonic survival, vitamin A is necessary through day 10 of gestation, and laryngeal formation occurs primarily after day 11. Thus, we created a rat model that developed vitamin A deficiency after embryonic day 11. Ten pregnant rats (5 vitamin A-deficient rats and 5 control rats) were studied. Embryos were collected at embryonic day 18.5 and analyzed histologically.


RESULTS
Eighteen percent of the vitamin A-deficient embryos were alive and demonstrated laryngotracheal cartilage malformation, incomplete separation of the glottis, and/or laryngoesophageal clefts.


CONCLUSIONS
These results document the important role played by vitamin A in laryngeal development.
Tateya
Ichiro
I
Division of Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery, Department of Surgery, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Madison, Wisconsin, USA.
Tateya
Tomoko
T
Surles
Rebecca Lynn
RL
Tanumihardjo
Sherry
S
Bless
Diane M
DM
D000818:Animals; D000831:Animals, Newborn; D004195:Disease Models, Animal; D005260:Female; D007818:Laryngeal Diseases / Q000151:congenital / Q000209:etiology* / Q000473:pathology; D007830:Larynx / Q000002:abnormalities* / Q000196:embryology; D011247:Pregnancy; D011248:Pregnancy Complications; D011379:Prognosis; D051381:Rats; D017207:Rats, Sprague-Dawley; D012307:Risk Factors; D014801:Vitamin A / Q000097:blood*; D014802:Vitamin A Deficiency / Q000097:blood / Q000150:complications* / Q000196:embryology
D014801:Vitamin A