Dose-Dependent Teratogenic Effects of Retinoic Acid on Cardiac Morphogenesis: A Folic Acid Rescue

Overview

Congenital heart defects (CHDs), which affect nearly 1% of live births worldwide, arise from disruptions in tightly regulated signaling pathways governing early cardiac morphogenesis. This project investigates whether common micronutrients can modulate teratogenic effects during embryonic heart development. Using a chicken embryo model, retinoic acid, an active metabolite of vitamin A essential for anterior–posterior patterning and cardiogenic gene expression, was applied to induce developmental perturbations. Folic acid (vitamin B9), a key cofactor in one-carbon metabolism and epigenetic regulation of DNA synthesis, was then introduced to evaluate its potential protective effect. Morphological and rhythmic function assessment revealed that retinoic acid exposure led to abnormal cardiac looping and structural malformations, whereas folic acid supplementation partially mitigated these defects, improving cardiac architecture. These findings suggest that micronutrient balance may influence embryonic susceptibility to teratogenic signaling. Further investigation into dose-dependent effects and molecular pathways may inform low-cost preventive strategies for reducing CHD mortalities globally.

Awards (1)

• Selected for CWSF 2026

Competition history

• CWSF 2026 Disease & Illness

Related projects

Closest projects by meaning, across every fair and year in the corpus.