Abstract
The effect of glycine in preventing diabetes teratogenicity was studied in mice. Pregnant female animals were given an IP injection of 200 mg/kg of streptozotocin (STZ) on gestation day (GD) 7. Glycine was administered ad libitum from GD9 through GD19 (day of sacrifice) as a 1 and 2% drinking water solution. Nine whole-litter resorptions, a decreased number of live fetuses and fetal parameters, and an increase in HbA1C levels in diabetic dams were found. Malformations were limited. Glycine had a protective effect from hemoglobin glycation and embryotoxicity due to STZ-induced diabetes. Also, resorptions and malformed fetuses were positively correlated to HbA1C levels with a negative correlation to the number of live fetuses. The data suggest that glycine reduces the embryolethality of STZ-induced diabetes due to its anti-glycation effect.