Abstract: BACKGROUND AND AIM： To develop a chemically-induced, easily established short limb malformation model with high incidence rate and discrete abnormal phenotype. MATERIALS AND METHODS: After the male and female ICR mice copulated, the presence of vaginal plug the following morning was considered as gestational day 0 (GD0). At GD9, GD10, GD11 and GD12, the pregnant mice in the treatment group were treated with 80 mg/kg all-trans-retinoic acid (atRA), and those of the control group received the same volume of soybean oil. At GD18, pregnant mice were killed and the embryos were harvested. The abnormalities of the embryos in the treatment group were studied. RESULTS: In the group pregnant mice were treated with atRA at GD10, the forelimbs of embryos were short and small, and the humerus, radius and ulna were shorter than those of the control group. In the group treated with atRA at GD11, the forelimbs and the hindlimbs of embryos were short and small, and the humerus, radius, ulna, femur and tibia were shorter than those of the control group, and most of the embryos had no fibula. In the group treated with atRA at GD12, the ulna of the embryos were shorter than those of the control group. CONLUSION: We developed a model of short limbs induced by atRA during ICR mouse embryogenesis, providing a basis to investigate the molecular mechanism of limb deformity.

Key words: all-trans-retinoic acid, ICR mouse, embryo, short limb malformations