Effects of Excess Intake of Biotin on Embryonic Development in Mice

Abstract

This study was conducted to examine the effects of excessive biotin intake during gestation on the reproductive performance in mice. There were no changes in the weight and relative weight of organs in the biotin-excessive dams, which did not exhibit any overt signs of skin. However, the fetal body weight and length were significantly decreased by excessive biotin intake. The biotin concentration in the liver and amniotic fluid in fetuses was higher, compared to that in their dams with an excessive biotin intake. This indicates that much more biotin was easily transported to the fetuses from the dams. In addition, many kinds of external malformations were observed in these fetuses. The predominant malformations were micrognathia, micromelia and edema. However, cleft palate which is induced by biotin deficiency was not induced. These findings demonstrate that in mice the fetuses are more sensitive to excessive biotin intake during gestation than their dams.