Inhibition of preimplantation mouse embryo development by isoflurane.
OBJECTIVE
Preimplantation mouse embryos were exposed to a commonly used inhalational anesthetic agent, isoflurane, to determine its effects on embryo development.


METHODS
Two-cell embryos were exposed at various intervals (5 to 6 hours, 3 to 4 hours, and 0 to 1 hour) before the onset of their first cleavage in vitro. In addition, the effects of 5% isoflurane on four-cell embryos exposed about 2 hours after the first cleavage and morula stage embryos also were examined.


RESULTS
Development to the blastocyst stage was inhibited by 3% and 5% isoflurane (p less than 0.005) but not by 1.5% isoflurane when two-cell embryos were exposed 3 to 4 hours or 0 to 1 hour before the onset of cleavage. Most of the affected embryos completed cell division and came to a halt at the three- to four-cell stage. The development of embryos exposed to isoflurane at the four-cell or morula stage was unaffected.


CONCLUSIONS
Isoflurane adversely affects subsequent preimplantation development when two-cell mouse embryos are exposed just before the onset of their first cleavage in vitro.
Warren
J R
JR
Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, University of Alabama, Birmingham 35294.
Shaw
B
B
Steinkampf
M P
MP
D000818:Animals; D001755:Blastocyst / Q000187:drug effects* / Q000502:physiology; D002970:Cleavage Stage, Ovum / Q000187:drug effects; D003864:Depression, Chemical; D047108:Embryonic Development / Q000187:drug effects*; D005314:Embryonic and Fetal Development / Q000187:drug effects*; D005260:Female; D007530:Isoflurane / Q000494:pharmacology*; D051379:Mice; D008815:Mice, Inbred Strains; D011247:Pregnancy
D007530:Isoflurane