Drugs and the developing skeleton

Abstract

The skeleton develops from early embryonal stages until the end of the second decade. Normal morphogenesis requires integrated growth, differentiation and morphogenetic movement over prolonged periods of time. The complexity of the processes involved ensures that the potential for drugs to affect the system is very large, and that a number of metabolic pathways may be disturbed. Skeletal abnormalities are thus an important component of many malformation syndromes and are produced by varied genetic mechanisms combined with environmental effects.