Chick embryotoxicity screening test--130 substances tested
Jelinek, R.; Peterka, M.; Rychter, Z.
Indian Journal of Experimental Biology 23(10): 588-595
1985
ISSN/ISBN: 0019-5189 PMID: 3833676 Document Number: 244193
Chick Embryotoxicity Screening Test (CHEST) was employed for estimating the embryotoxic potential of 130 substances. For each compound about 120 selected embryos aged 1.5, 2, 3, and 4 days of incubation were used. The following parameters of embryotoxicity were established: beginning of the embryotoxicity dose range, dose-response and stage-response relationships, proportion of dead and growth-retarded fetuses, and malformation spectra in the survivors. Within the dose range applied, embryotoxic effects were observed with 117 compounds, all exhibiting positive dose-response relationships. Beginnings of the embryotoxicity dose range varied within five orders of magnitude from 3 ng for substances effective in mammals in small doses to 100 .mu.g for the apparently less effective or non-embryotoxic substances. Only four tested agents exhibited purely embryolethal effects. All others besides being embryolethal in high dosages also induced morphological defects. For this reason, in those experimental systems lacking the maternal organism, the term teratogen appears to possess a limited extension. The CHEST method proved to have the ability to sort out substances according to their embryotoxic potency, including some of those which act by means of products of their metabolization.