Maternal bilateral adrenalectomy alters nuclear composition in cerebral cortex of fetal rat

The present study examined the effects of maternal bilateral adrenalectomy on cell nucleus composition of developing fetal rat cerebral cortex. Pregnant adult rats underwent adrenalectomy (ADX) on day 4 of gestation. Fetal brain tissues from sham and ADX groups were examined at each of 10 embryonal stages, E11-E20. From each fetus three slides of dorsal-central region of developing brain were taken and the diameter and long axis of nucleus of cells in these samples were measured. Maternal adrenalectomy generally produces increased nuclear diameter and number of ovoid nucleus in fetal cerebral cortex especially late prenatal stages. It is shown that ADX may change nuclear composition of developing cerebral cortex.