The effect of quinolinic acid administered during pregnancy on the nigro-striatal complex of rat's offspring: ultrastructural investigation.

The nigro-striatal complex of rat's offspring was ultrastructurally examined after quinolinic acid administration to mothers during the gestation period, in order to mimick the congenital metabolic disturbances, resulting from an excess of quinolinic acid within foetal tissues. Hence, quinolinic acid was administered to mothers intraperitoneally in a dose of 60 mmol, once daily, throughout the entire gestation period. Brain specimens were taken on day 5 after birth, from experimental and control animals. Within the nigro-striatal complex there can be distinguished the more characteristic neuronal cell body alterations, and the more toxic effect as the edema signs and the retardment of the neuronal cell body maturity. In the substantia nigra, both swollen and dark-degenerated neuronal cell bodies have been identified, while in the striatum the latter forms predominated. The maturation of neuronal cell bodies was retarded, mainly within the striatum.