title: Effects of cadmium on preimplantation and early postimplantation mouse embryos in vitro with special reference to their trophoblastic invasiveness.
abstract: Cadmium chloride, at concentrations of 0.5 or 1 microgram/ml medium, did not affect the trophoblastic invasiveness of mouse embryos treated for 24 hours at 4-cell and morula stages. At higher concentrations of 5 or 10 micrograms/ml medium, most treated embryos in vitro underwent degeneration while a few survivors formed trophoblastic outgrowths with variable areas. Cadmium chloride, at a low concentration of 0.5 microgram/ml medium presented continuously to blastocysts after attachment in vitro, has significantly retarded the trophoblastic outgrowth areas and reduced the number of trophoblastic giant-cell nuclei, though the spreading blastocysts appeared morphologically normal. At higher concentrations of 1 or 5 micrograms/ml medium, cytoplasmic disintegration and detachment of trophoblasts were observed. It is suggested that cadmium may interfere with the cell division and/or the transformation of trophectoderm cells into giant cells, resulting in the retardation of the trophoblastic outgrowths.
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D001755:Blastocyst / Q000187:drug effects*; D002104:Cadmium / Q000008:administration & dosage / Q000633:toxicity*; D002454:Cell Differentiation / Q000187:drug effects; D047108:Embryonic Development / Q000187:drug effects*; D005260:Female; D066298:In Vitro Techniques; D008297:Male; D051379:Mice; D008807:Mice, Inbred BALB C; D008810:Mice, Inbred C57BL; D011247:Pregnancy; D014327:Trophoblasts / Q000187:drug effects* / Q000473:pathology
chemical_list: D002104:Cadmium