Neural tube defects. Some remarks on the possible role of glycosaminoglycans in the genesis of the dysraphic state, the anomaly in the configuration of the posterior cranial fossa, and hydrocephalus.

Recent developments in the field of experimentally induced neural tube defects (NTD) indicate that specific substances, namely the glycosaminoglycans (GAGs) may play a role in the genesis of spinal malformations. The authors report the results obtained by evaluating the GAGs in rat fetuses with NTD, secondary to the administration of Trypan Blue during pregnancy. A characteristic decrease in GAGs formation in the spinal and cranial structures as well as in the subependymal regions of the brain was found in the malformed fetuses. The authors hypothesize that this anomaly in GAGs formation is responsible for both the NTD and the associated malformations, namely hydrocephalus and hypoplasia of the posterior cranial fossa.