Teratogenic effects of rotenone on the early development of chick embryos <i>in vitro</i>

Abstract

Abstract Chick embryos at five developmental stages ranging from full primitive streak to six pairs of somites were exposed in vitro to the action of 1 μg/ml rotenone for 15 minutes. The syndrome of defects caused by this treatment was described. Protection experiments using various chemicals applied to the rotenone‐treated embryos indicated that the biochemical lesion caused by rotenone is an inhibition of the respiratory chain. Rotenone did not seem to interfere with the primary organizer of the embryo as shown by grafting experiments. The general similarity of the rotenone syndrome and that caused by other teratogens was discussed and it was suggested that different biochemical lesions caused by a variety of teratogens may lead to apparently similar syndromes.