What Does teratogenesis Mean
The concept of teratogenesis is not part of the dictionary of the Royal Spanish Academy ( RAE ), although the publication does recognize the term teratogenic . It is an adjective that qualifies what causes a deformation or abnormality in the fetus .
However, that does not prevent us from knowing its etymological origin. Specifically, it derives from Greek, from teratogen that is the result of the sum of three components of that language:
- "Teratos", which is equivalent to "monster".
-The verb “gene”, which can be translated as “produce”.
-The suffix “-o”, which is used to indicate the “agent”.
Teratogenesis, therefore, is associated with the action of a teratogenic-type agent on an embryo . It can be an organism or a substance that generates a congenital malformation in the gestation stage.
In its origins, the notion was applied to alterations of the anatomy that could be observed with the naked eye. Over the years, teratogenesis also began to refer to microscopic changes and functional and behavioral disorders that are generated in pregnancy.
The viruses , the drug , the radiation and metabolic changes of the mother are some of the agents causing teratogenicity. The Alcohol and nicotine , for example, can cause teratogenicity because, according to various studies, encourage the child to be smaller and increase the possibility of developing mental retardation.
Many studies have been carried out to determine whether certain drugs can cause teratogenesis or not. The result of these has been several classifications of these, among which are the following:
-If we start from what is the frequency, there are frequent, occasional, infrequent or directly non-teratogenic teratogens.
-If the criterion of importance is established, these drugs can be probable, proven, possible, unlikely teratogens and non-teratogens.
A pregnant woman subjected to a high level of radiation can lead to a case of teratogenesis, since radioactive waves can cause DNA mutation . If the woman eats food with high doses of pesticides or other chemicals, the fetus can also develop malformations.
The alterations that generate teratogenesis are usually classified into two groups: the minor ones, which are those that bring with them delays in the development of the behavior of the individual in question, and the major ones. The latter are also included under the name of phocomelia and come to be malformations that are identified by generating what is the absence of muscular or bone elements in the legs or arms, for example. The result of these is, therefore, that the person directly presents a stump in those extremities.
Even certain medications that are beneficial to the mother can become the source of teratogenesis. Drugs used to control epilepsy have been shown to cause spinal damage to the fetus.
Although many of the causes of teratogenesis have been largely discovered, there is still a high percentage of cases in which it is still not known why it has occurred.