Effects observed on gestational day 13 in rat embryos exposed to albendazole

• Published in: Reproductive toxicology (Elmsford, N.Y.) N.Y.), 1995-05, Vol.9 (3), p.265-273
• Main Authors: Mantovani, Alberto, Ricciardi, Claudio, Stazi, Anna V., Macrì, Caterina
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Albendazole - toxicity; Animals; benzimidazoles; Biological and medical sciences; brain vesicles; dose-response relationship; Dose-Response Relationship, Drug; Drug toxicity and drugs side effects treatment; dysmorphogenesis; Embryo Loss - chemically induced; embryolethality; Embryonic and Fetal Development - drug effects; Female; Gestational Age; Heart - drug effects; limb buds; Medical sciences; Miscellaneous (drug allergy, mutagens, teratogens...); morphologic scoring of embryos; pathogenesis of malformations; Pharmacology. Drug treatments; Pregnancy; Rats; Rats, Sprague-Dawley; Teratogens - toxicity; Yolk Sac - drug effects
• ISSN: 0890-6238; 1873-1708
• DOI: 10.1016/0890-6238(95)00008-X

Albendazole (ABZ) was utilized as a model to investigate the pathogenesis of benzimidazole-induced abnormalities. Pregnant Sprague-Dawley rats were treated po with 0, 10, 20, and 30 mg/kg on gestational days (GD) 10 to 12. The embryos were examined on GD 13, as a window for observing the origin of alterations detected at term. Embryolethality and growth reduction showed dose-related increases at the three dose levels. At 10 mg/kg, an increased developmental delay of limb buds and a less than 5% incidence of embryos with abnormal head or shape were detected. At 20 and 30 mg/kg, > 20% of embryos showed morphologic alterations involving mainly shape abnormalities and the development of forelimb buds, branchial bars, eye, and telencephalon; closure of neuropores was unaffected. Dose-response relationships for morphologic alterations showed steeper slopes than for growth reduction and embryolethality.