Effect of folic acid on sodium valproate-induced neural tube defects in early chicken embryos

Neural tube defect (NTD) which is a consequence of abnormal neurulation can cause serious medical problems in the prenatal and postnatal periods, can even lead to death. Besides, this congenital malformation has financial and social negative effects.The aim of this study is to elucidate the preventive effect of folic acid on teratogenic effects of VPA in early stage chick embryos on neural tube development. Hundred and fifty specific pathogen-free (SPF) chick eggs were used to investigate the neurulation. SPF eggs were invastigated in five groups (n:30). All of the groups were incubated at 37,2 ± 0,1 °C and 60 ± 5 % relative humidity for 30 hours and the ninth stage of the embryonic development as defined by Hamburger and Hamilton, was reached. At the 30th hour A group - control group, B group - saline injected group(0.02 ml), C group - VPA group(120mg/1000ml- therapeutic plasma level was given for each egg 0.72mg in 0.02ml saline solution), D group - FA group(400mcg was given for each egg 0.342mcg in 0.02ml saline solution) and E group - VPA-FA group(0.72mg VPA-0.342mcg FA). At the end of 72 hours all of embryos were extracted from eggs and they underwent pathological examination with hematoxilen eosine with pathological and immunuhistopathological examinations with P53, bcl2, Tunnel, Caspase 3. A, B, D, groups, showed no neural tube defects. 8 embryos were died in group C while there were 12 embryos with retarded embryological development. No death was noticed in E group. Only 8 embryos were detected with reduced development stage in group E.These findings showed that folic acid effectively prevents the teratogenic influence of VPA on chick embryo at neurulation stages.