| Abstrakt: |
Ten female Wistar rats were exposed to zero-g during 5 days, i. e., from gestation day 13 to day 18. After recovery the flight animals showed a significant delay in weight gain, thymus involution, decreased liver weight, hemoglobin concentration. Nevertheless, their reproductive function did not differ from that of the controls: the rate of preimplantation and total fetal mortality as well as the number of live fetuses were very similar in the experimental and control animals. The flight group showed a slight decline of fetal weight and water content. The size of the litters produced by the flight and control rats was identical but the mortality rate of those former during the first 7 days after birth was significantly higher. This experiment has demonstrated that the mammalian fetus exposed to zero-g during the last term of pregnancy, i. e., at the stage of active organogenesis, can grow and develop in the normal way. A large body of biological material has been obtained for biochemical and histological examinations that will help evaluate the condition of dams, fetuses, and newborns. |
