LAB MEETING 1: LITERATURE SEARCH FOR LABORATORY EXPERIMENTS

By Stacey Philip (investigator)12/07/08

Ahmara GibbonsJane McGregor

Mast Charter School

OVERVIEW

Introduction Hypertensives Benefit the Mother Beta-Blockers Can Pose Danger to the

Fetus Antihypertensives for preeclampsia can

affect the fetus Hypothesis

INTRODUCTION

Why is it important to study the effects of hypertensives on embryos? Pregnant women are already prone to

hypertension such as pre eclampsia and need to know if they should treat it, or ignore and try to control it.

Women who take hypertensives may not know they are pregnant and should know if hypertensives are causing harm to the embryo.

ANTIHYPERTENSIVES BENEFIT THE MOTHER

Do antihypertensives (medicine that reduces and/or controls blood pressure) affect the perinatal in chronic or late hypertension??

Antihypertensives benefit the mother but the effect of the embryo is less clear. However, certain effects did occur during the study: Smaller infants for those who

were treated with atenolol (a type of antihypertensive.

Respiratory Distress Syndrome was decreased

BMJ. Clinical Review. 5 December 2008

BETA-BLOCKERS CAN POSE POTENTIAL DANGER TO THE FETUS

Does any type of hypertension drug effect an unborn child?

Beta-blockers: Delay spontaneous respiration Cause bradycardia (slow heart

rate Cause hypoglycemia (low

glucose in blood) Cause hyperbilirubinemia (high

bilirubin in blood) Atenolol:

Can cause lower weight Propanolol:

Can cause all of the above plus growth retardation and birth apnea. Heart Views. Vol 1. No.

4. 1999.

ANTIHYPERTENSIVES FOR PREECLAMPSIA CAN AFFECT THE FETUS

Is the fetus affected when the mother is treated for preeclampsia?

Antihypertensives are given to the mother to lower the blood pressure. Causes the fetal growth to

reduce rapidly. Causes abruptio

placentae (seperation of placenta and uterus)

UptoDate. Last literature review version 16.3. 2008.

HYPOTHESIS

The question/problem I am planning to do is to see if whether hypertensives or antihypertensives have any effect on the embryo of zebrafish and how it can affect their growth.

Based on the data I collected, the hypertensives will have a small effect on zebrafish embryos, such as stunt growth. If there are severe effects, they will be rare.