α-fetoprotein involvement during glucocorticoid-induced precocious maturation in rat colon

AIM:To investigate the role of α-fetoprotein(AFP),a cancer-associated fetal glycoprotein,in glucocorticoidinduced precocious maturation in rat colon.METHODS:Colons from suckling Sprague-Dawley rats were used in this study.Corticosterone acetate at a dose of 100 μg/g body weight was given to normal pups on days 7,9 and 11 after birth to induce hypercorticoidism.Control animals were injected with identical volumes of normal saline.Some rats receiving corticosterone 7 d after birth were also treated with mifep...