Chick embryonic development following exposure to ethanol and pyrazole.

The mechanism of alcohol-induced dysmorphogenesis is not clear. Pyrazole is a potent inhibitor of alcohol dehydrogenase. Treatment of chick embryos at 96 h incubation with pyrazole (0.1 mg) and ethanol (0.1 ml, 40-60% v/v) enhanced the embryopathic response, compared with individual treatments. The results suggest that ethanol itself is embryotoxic.