Embryonic Retinoid Concentrations after Maternal Intake of Isotretinoin

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Abstract
To the Editor: The high risk of major malformation or spontaneous abortion in humans associated with fetal exposure to isotretinoin (Accutane, or 13-cis-retinoic acid) was well documented in 1985 by Lammer et al. in the Journal.1 Earlier experiments in mice demonstrated that the all-trans form of retinoic acid (tretinoin, or Retin-A) was highly teratogenic, and the 13-cis form only marginally so.2 Not until 1986, when precise measurements with use of high–performance liquid chromatography detected embryonic retinoid concentrations, was an answer for this discrepancy found. It was shown that in mice, the all-trans form of . . .