Alterations induced by Nesdonal and Revrin on the heptic and nervous tissues of chick embryo.

The effect of two common drugs, namely, Nesdonal (a general anesthetic drug containing thiobarbitone) and Revrin (a common antibiotic containing tetracycline) on the glycogen content of the hepatocytes and the motor neurones of the lumbosacral region of 10-day-old chick embryos was studied in the present investigation. These drugs had been selected as they are frequently prescribed to pregnant women and their cytopathologic action in chick embryos had not been studied before. It was found that both drugs lead to the degeneration of the cells, pyknosis of the nuclei, and vacuolation of the cytoplasm. The glycogen content of the cells under investigation markedly decreased, fragmented, or disappeared. In these respects Revrin seems to exert a more powerful effect than Nesdonal.