TERATOGENIC EFFECTS OF A NEW QUINAZOLINONE DERIVATIVE ON THE DEVELOPMENT OF BALB/C MICE FETUSES ON DAYS 9 10 AND 11 OF GESTATION

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.