Background: The adriamycin is an antineoplastic drug used for treatment of various types of cancer . The drug is embryotoxic and teratogenic in rats.
The aim of this work was to confirm the teratogenic effects and the histopathological changes in the abdominopelvic region of the fetal rats following the administration of adriamycin in the pregnant rats.
Material and Methods: Eight pregnant rats were divided into two equal groups :
The control group and the adriamycin group. In control group, the pregnant rats were injected intraperitoneally with a saline at a dose of 2ml /kg B.W. once daily from the 6th to the 9th day of gestation. In adriamycin group ,the pregnant rats were injected intraperitoneally with adriamycin at a dose of 4mg /kg B.W. once daily from the 6th to the 9th day of gestation .On the 20th day of gestation , the pregnant rats underwent a cesarean section .The number of fetuses and their weights were recorded .The abdominopelvic region of the fetuses were examined by the dissecting microscope to discover any congenital anomalies in the gastrointestinal and the genitourinary systems .Two fetuses from each pregnant rats were selected randomly for serial sections and histopathological examination.
Results: There was a significant reduction of the fetal weight (p