Maternal diabetes is considered one of the most common causes of defective growth of the fetus. Polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFAs) help prevent alloxan-induced type 1 diabetes mellitus (type 1 DM). It was found that arachidonic acid (AA) is the most successful PUFA in preventing rats from developing type 1 diabetes brought on by alloxan. The aim of this work is to investigate the effects of maternal diabetes on the prenatal development of rat vertebral columns and the probable protecting role of arachidonic acid. Randomly selected pregnant rats were divided into four groups: control, alloxan-induced diabetes group (150 mg/kg), alloxan + arachidonic acid group (55μg/kg, followed by alloxan injection), and arachidonic acid group (arachidonic acid only). The female pregnant rats were sacrificed at the gestational days 15, 17 and 19. The fetuses were collected and subjected to morphometric analysis. The lumbar vertebrae and the sacrum were removed and managed for light and electron microscopic examination. In the alloxan-induced diabetic group, the offspring exhibited a significant drop in all body measurements. Histologic examination of lumbar and sacral vertebrae in the offspring of the alloxan-induced diabetic group showed delayed chondrification and ossification. Electron microscopic examination of reserve cell of the alloxan-induced diabetic group of the 19-day-old albino rat fetus shows shrinkage of the cell with irregular outline and cytoplasmic vacuolations. In the alloxan + arachidonic acid group, the morphometric measurements of the offspring and the histological picture of their lumbar and sacral vertebrae were more or less similar to the control group.

Keywords:
Diabetes, Vertebral Column, Arachidonic Acid.