Developmental toxicity of methanol in whole embryo culture: A comparative study with mouse and rat embryos
Methanol (MeOH), a widely used industrial solvent, has been proposed as an alternative motor vehicle fuel. Inhaled MeOH is developmentally toxic in both rats and nice but the mouse is more sensitive than is the rat. The contribution of the embryo to this differential sensitivity was studied in whole embryo culture (WEC) using equivalent stage rat (day 9) and mouse (day 8) embryos (plug day = day 0). Rat embryos were explanted and cultured in 0, 2, 4, 8, 12 or 16 mg MeOH/ml rat serum for 24 h and then transferred to rat serum alone for 24 h. Embryonic development of the 2 and 4 mg MeOH/ml groups was not significantly different from the controls whereas the higher concentrations resulted in a concentration related decrease in somite number, head length and developmental score. The 12 mg/ml dose resulted in some embryolethality as well as dysmorphogenesis, while the highest dose was embryolethal. MeOH was dysmorphogenic in vitro in rat embryos at a MeOH concentration comparable to that reported in maternal serum following teratogenic in vivo exposures. Day 8 mouse embryos were explanted and cultured in 0, 2, 4, 6 or 8 mg MeOH/ml culture medium (75% rat serum, 25% Tyrode's salt solution) for 24 h. Embryonic development in the 2 mg/ml MeOH group was not significantly different from the controls but all higher concentration groups had a significant decrease in developmental score and crown-rump length. The high concentration group also suffered 80% embryolethality. (Copyright (c) 1993 Elsevier Scientific Publishers Ireland Ltd.)
- Research Organization:
- Environmental Protection Agency, Research Triangle Park, NC (United States). Health Effects Research Lab.
- OSTI ID:
- 5174416
- Report Number(s):
- PB-94-137254/XAB; EPA-600/J-94/029
- Resource Relation:
- Other Information: Pub. in Toxicology, Vol. 81, No. 3, 205-215(27 Aug 1993)
- Country of Publication:
- United States
- Language:
- English
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