The post-natal fate of supernumerary ribs in rat teratogenicity studies

A common occurrence in rat teratology studies, supernumerary ribs, have been considered to be indicative of teratogenicity by some authors but not to be so indicative by others. As a teratogenic event is, by definition a permanent change, a study to follow the fate of supernumerary ribs in the development of adulthood of the rat was undertaken. An established teratogen in the rat, aspirin, was used to increase the frequency of supernumerary ribs. Even though aspirin treatment of the dams doubled the initial frequency of supernumerary ribs the results show that over the first 60 days post-partum their frequency in both control and treated groups decline to essentially zero. This decline in frequency of supernumerary ribs is complemented by an increase in the proportion of foetuses with a fully developed transverse process on the first lumbar vertebra. The proposal that supernumerary ribs in the rat are a result of developmental delays in a labile region of the axial skeleton and not a manifestation of a teratogenic event is presented.