Progesterone in high doses causes Neural tube defects in early chick embryo model [Yüksek Dozdaki Progesteron Erken Civciv Embryo Modelinde Nöral Tüp Defektlerine Neden Olur]

Introduction: progesterone is an essential hormone for the establishment and maintenance of pregnancy by inducing secretary changes in the lining of the uterus,which are important for implantation of the fertilized ovum. during pregnancy in-vitro fertilization (ivf) and intracytoplasmic sperm injection (icsi) are the clinical context in which natural,exogenous progesterone is administered during the period of organogenesis of the embryo. ivf& icsi are associated with increased incidence of birth defects. objective: to describe the effect of high dose progesterone on occurrence of neural tube defects in chick embryos. material and methods: 45 fertile,specific pathogen free eggs of fyoumi species of chick were selected at zero hour of incubation. they were incubated at 37.5o c and 75% relative humidity until the embryos reached stage eight of development. at this stage the eggs were divided into three groups consisting of 15 eggs per group. the first group was incubated without any operation.the second group was injected with physiological saline and third group was injected with high dose progesterone.after 48 hours of incubation,all embryos were reviewed for the presence of neural tube defects under light microscopy. results: none of the eggs in group1& group2,showed ntds,whereas 75 % (9/12) of the embryos in the group 3 (high dose progesterone injected) showed ntds. conclusion: exogenous progesterone at levels twenty times above its physiologic range in chick embryos causes ntds further studies are needed to explain the mechanisms of this teratogenic effect,its clinical significance,and prevention.