Abstract
Valproic acid (VPA) has been widely used for the treatment of convulsive disorders in infants, but there has been concern that VPA administration may interfere with normal brain growth. Effects of VPA on brain growth were studied in young Sprague-Dawley rats. In order to eliminate nutritional factors first-day rats were subjected to implantation of intragastric cannules, through which they received a milk formula for 7 days. Either 75mg/kg or 200mg/kg VPA, or physiological saline was injected daily intraperitoneally during the first week of life. No differences in body weight was seen between control and VPA treated groups. However, VPA treated groups showed decreases not only in the cerebellar weight but also in the levels of protein, DNA, RNA and cholesterol, with the greatest reductions in the 200mg/kg/day group. In addition, VPA retarded cerebellar growth to a greater extent than cerebral growth. Our data indicated that administration of valproic acid during early life might have adverse consequences on brain development.
