Intravenous Injection of Thalidomide in Pregnant Rabbits

Abstract

When administered orally to pregnant strain III rabbits, thalidomide is teratogenic to their fetuses. However, when the drug is injected intravenously to females of the same genetically controlled stock, it has no observable effect. This finding indicates that a metabolite of thalidomide formed in the intestinal tract may be the real teratogenic agent.