Effects of hydroxyprogesterone caproate on the weights of developing adrenal glands in albino rats

Background: the wide use of hydroxyprogesterone caproate in the field of gynaecology and obstetrics necessitates considering its safety not only on the gonads of the fetuses but because of having a common metabolic background,on the developing adrenal glands. aim: to determine the effects of hydroxyprogesterone caproate on the developing adrenal glands of albino rats. methods: this experimental study was conducted at department of anatomy,shaikh zayed federal postgraduate medical institute,lahore in collaboration with department of zoology,quaid-e-azam campus,university of the punjab from march 2010 to july 2010. twelve adult female rats weighing 250-300 grams and three adult male rats weighing 350-450 grams of wistar strain were used in this experiment. two experimental groups of female albino rats received hydroxyprogesterone caproate in doses of 10 and 25 mg per kg body weights. after parturition,the offsprings were sacrificed on 7th day. their adrenal glands were dissected out and studied for gross features. the mean paired weight of adrenal glands in experimental groups was significantly increased as compared to control. results: the results showed that significant increase in weights of paired adrenal glands and relative tissue weight indices in both experimental groups as compared to the control group (p<0.05). conclusion: the study showed that hydroxyprogesterone caproate given in a critical period of development of adrenal glands in a rat pup may cause accelerated maturity of the gland evident by the increase in their weights.