Evaluation of the embryotoxic potential of ten chemicals in the whole mouse embryo culture.

Ten widely different chemicals, actinomycin D, mithramycin, podophyllotoxin, vincristine sulfate, triaziquone, chlorambucil, mercaptopurine riboside, methyl-mercaptopurine riboside, dimethylsulfoxide, and L-lysine were tested in the whole mouse embryo culture system. The highest concentration was always the concentration that induced 100% lethality (ELC100). The lowest concentration varied from 1/2 to 1/10 of the ELC100. The chemicals that had the most noxious effect on embryonic growth and differentiation were actinomycin D, triaziquone, and mercaptopurine riboside. Podophyllotoxin, methyl-mercaptopurine riboside, and L-lysine were the less embryotoxic. As a whole, no significant discrepancies were observed between the results and the teratological data obtained from the literature. These observations support the assumption that the whole murine embryo culture system can give valuable information on the teratogenicity of chemicals.