Bicuspid aortic valve and severe aortic stenosis in a newborn exposed to carbamazapine during pregnancy

Prenatal exposure to oxcarbazepine increases hippocampal apoptosis in rat offspring

This study assessed apoptosis in the offspring of rats exposed to oxcarbazepine (OXC) from day 7 to 15 of gestation. Three groups of pregnant Wistar rats were used: 1) Control, treated with saline solution; 2) treated with 100 mg/kg OXC; 3) treated with 100 mg/kg of carbamazepine (CBZ, as a positive control for apoptosis); the route of administration was intragastric. Apoptosis was detected at three postnatal ages using the TUNEL technique in the CA1, and CA3 regions of the hippocampus and in the dentate gyrus (DG); neurogenesis was assessed in the DG using an antibody against doublecortin. The litter characteristics were recorded. OXC increased apoptosis in all regions (p < 0.01) at the three ages evaluated. Lamination disruption occurred in CA1 and CA3 due to the neuron absence and to ectopic neurons; there were also malformations in the dorsal lamina of the DG in 38% and 25% of the pups born from rats treated with OXC and CBZ respectively. CBZ also increased apoptosis. No clear effect on neurogenesis in the DG was observed. The size of the litter was smaller (p < 0.01) in the experimental groups. Nineteen-day OXC fetuses had low weight (p < 0.01), but 21 and 30 postnatal days old CBZ and OXC pups were overweight (p < 0.01). The results demonstrate that OXC administered during gestation is pro-apoptotic, alters the cytoarchitecture of the hippocampus, reduces litter size, and probably influences postnatal weight. We provide evidence of the proapoptotic effect of CBZ when administered early in gestation.

Withdrawal syndrome and hypomagnesaemia and in a newborn exposed to valproic acid and carbamazepine during pregnancy

The usage of drugs during pregnancy affect the fetus and the newborn. In this report, we present findings from a newborn baby, whose mother was epileptic, and was under the treatment of valproic acid and carbamazepine during pregnancy. We have found symptoms of withdrawal syndrome, hyponatremia and feeding problem, which was most probably related to exposure to the mentioned drugs. We have also diagnosed hypomagnesaemia and atrial septal defect 4 milimeters in diameter. There are already many reports about the side effects of valproic acid and carbamazepine usage during pregnancy. To the best of our knowledge, hypomagnesaemia has not yet been reported as a side effect. We think that hypomagnesaemia is also related to the usage of antiepileptics.