Involvement of apoptosis in mediating mitomycin C-induced teratogenesis in vitro

Role of apoptosis in mediating diclofenac-induced teratogenesis

Diclofenac (DCF) is among the most commonly used nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs worldwide for the treatment of various conditions in postpubertal women. However, very limited information is available regarding its safety during pregnancy and teratogenecity. The present study was designed to elucidate the effects of DCF on the developing rat embryos during the major organogenesis period and investigate the critical role of apoptosis in bringing about these congenital anomalies. Embryos were exposed in vitro to various concentrations of DCF, that is, 0, 3.75, 7.5 and 15 µg/ml for 24 h, respectively, and examined for the growth and differentiation at the end of the culture period for the presence of any specific malformations. Growth and developmental parameters such as weight of embryos, crown–rump length and number of somites were found to be lower in the embryos exposed to high concentrations of DCF (7.5 and 15.0 μg/ml) when compared with the untreated control. However, no significant difference in growth parameters was found between embryos exposed to 3.75 µg/ml and the control group. In parallel to this, flow cytometric analysis and DNA quantitation of cultured rat embryos were performed to verify the involvement of apoptosis in mediating DCF-induced teratogenesis. A concentration-dependent increase in apoptosis in embryos suggests a possible engagement of apoptosis in the role of DCF as a teratogenic agent. A detailed analysis of the actual effect of DCF on cellular apoptotic machinery necessitates further evaluation.

Investigation of developmental toxicity and teratogenicity of antiemetics on rat embryos cultured in vitro

In this study, we aimed to investigate and compare the direct toxic and teratogenic effects of dimenhydrinate, metoclopramide and trimethobenzamide HCl, antiemetic drugs on embryonic growth and development in cultured rat embryos. Embryos were explanted on day 9.5 of gestation and cultured. Whole rat serum was used as a culture medium for the control group while different concentrations of dimenhydrinate (2.5-20 μg/ml), metoclopramide (10-50 μg/ml) and trimethobenzamide HCl (25-100 μg/ml) were added to serum for the experimental groups. Effects of antiemetics on embryonic developmental parameters were compared, and embryos were evaluated for the presence of any malformations. Also, the total DNA was extracted from the cells to determine the fragmentation of nuclear DNA of embryonic cells. Compared with the control embryos, the antiemetics significantly decreased all growth and developmental parameters dose dependently. There was no difference regarding the fragmentation of nuclear DNA of the all used agents and controls. Amongst the agents, trimethobenzamide HCl was found to have more toxic and teratogenic potential, and metoclopramide appears to be the least toxic antiemetic and therefore could be more safely used and might be preferred for the treatment of nausea and vomiting in pregnancy.