Evaluation of the developmental toxicity of solvents, metals, drugs, and industrial chemicals using a freshwater snail () assay.

A freshwater snail assay was employed to assess the embryotoxicity of solvents including acetone, methanol, ethanol, isopropanol, dimethyl-sulfoxide, glycerin, metals/metalloids including mercuric chloride (HgCl), cadmium chloride (CdCl,), antimony salts Sb and Sb, drugs including colchicine, hydroxyurea, cyclophosphamide, an industrial chemical sodium azide (SA), an anionic surfactant dodecyl sodium sulfate-(DSS), HO and sodium chloride (NaCl). The assay consists of exposing egg masses (EM) to the substances for 96-hr and following up embryo/snail development for lethality, abnormal morphology (teratogenicity), and day of hatching up to day 10 or 14 after spawning. Based upon concentration-response relationships, LCs (embryolethality), ECs (teratogenicity) and ICs (hatching retardation) and 95%CIs were determined for tested chemicals.

Evaluation of the maternal and developmental toxicity of 6-methylmercaptopurine riboside in rats.

Thiopurine prodrugs (azathioprine, AZA, and 6-mercaptopurine, 6MP) are embryotoxic to rodents and rabbits. Little is known about the developmental toxicity of 6-methylmercaptopurine riboside (6MMPr), a thiopurine drug metabolite that is thought to mediate its liver toxicity. A limb bud assay found that 6MMPr impairs the in vitro morphogenetic differentiation of mouse limb extremities, being more potent than 6MP in the assay.