Developmental abnormality of the retina caused by postnatal administration of cytosine arabinoside.

Suckling mice were injectd with 30 or 50 mg cytosine arabinoside/kg body weight 2, 3 and 4 days after birth. Within 6 h after the first injection, a number of pyknotic nuclei were found at the inner portion of the undifferentiated nuclear layer of the retinas. 24 h after the final injection, the retinas of these mice showed the large cavity resulting from necrosis of undifferentiated cells and the rosettes in the nuclear layer. The retinas of 20-day-old treated mice showed conspicuous abnormalities with many rosettes in the outer nuclear layer, heterotopic cell mass in the inner plexiform layer, and irregular arrangement of the ganglion cells. 240 days later, histological abnormalities in the retinas of the treated mice were considerably improved except for rosettes, which were still numerous but changed into arch-like structures.