IN-VITRO DEVELOPMENT OF RAT EMBRYOS OBTAINED FROM DIABETIC MOTHERS

Rat embryos of 9.5 or 10 days of gestation were removed from control o r streptozotocin-diabetic mothers and cultured in normal rat serum (18 0 mg% glucose) or in diabetic serum (600 mg% glucose). The development of control embryos in normal serum was adequate. Embryos from normal mothers cultured in diabetic serum showed signs of developmental retar dation. The development of embryos obtained from diabetic mothers was severely impaired, regardless of the gestational age or the culture me dium. These results suggest that a diabetic maternal milieu produces i rreversible effects in the embryo very early in gestation.