Prenatal vitamin E improves lung and heart hypoplasia in experimental diaphargamatic hernia

• Published in: Pediatric surgery international 2003-07, Vol.19 (5), p.331-334
• Main Authors: Gonzalez-Reyes, S., Alvarez, L., Diez-Pardo, J. A., Tovar, J. A.
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• ISSN: 0179-0358; 1437-9813
• DOI: 10.1007/s00383-003-1005-6

Nitrofen induces in rats diaphragmatic hernia (CDH) with heart and lung hypoplasia by a mechanism involving oxidation. The aim of this study was to examine if prenatal administration of the anti-oxidant agent vitamin E (VitE) prevents to some extent heart and lung hypoplasia. Pregnant rats received on E9.5 either 100 mg of nitrofen alone or followed by 150 IU of VitE on E16.5-E20.5. Control animals received either vehicle or VitE alone. The fetuses were recovered on E21. The hearts and lungs were weighed and DNA and proteins were measured. Sections of the heart and lung were immunohistochemically stained for ki-67, Tunel and TTF-1, and the proportions of proliferating, apoptotic and TTF-1-expressing cells were determined. Cultured human pneumocytes were exposed to the same agents and similarly processed. TTF-1 expression and the proportion of proliferating cells were quantitated. The ANOVA or Kruskall-Wallis tests were used for comparison with p