Document Type : Regular Paper
Authors
1
1Department of Biology, Faculty of Science, Shahid Beheshti University, Tehran, I. R. of Iran
2
Department of Biology, Faculty of Science, Shahid Beheshti University, Tehran, I. R. of Iran
3
Department of Chemistry, Faculty of Science, Shahid Beheshti University, Tehran, I. R. of Iran
Abstract
For the first time, a spectrum of morphological abnormalities have been produced in developing
mouse embryos (N=50), by injecting (IP) 75 and 100 mg/kg of maternal body weight of a new quinazolinone
derivative, 4(3H)quinazolinone-2-propyl-2-phenylethyl(QPPE), on days 9, 10 and 11 of gestation.
Measurements of the length of the crown-rump (CR), weight of body of the embryos and placenta on day 17
showed significant growth retardation (P<0.05) with day 9 being the critical day. The severity of the changes
was dependent on the concentrations of quinazolinone, as higher doses created more abnormal embryos
(syndactily, scaphocephaly, exocephaly, microcephaly, acrocephaly, abnormal polarity in lower and upper
limbs, deviation of body axis, growth retardation) and placentas. Apparently QPPE acts on organogenesis on
a specific phase of the developmental stage by expressing genes regulating mitosis and cell proliferation.
Keywords
)