title: Developmental and cytogenetic effects of caffeine on mouse blastocysts, alone or in combination with benzo(a)pyrene.
abstract: Mouse blastocysts were treated with caffeine and/or benzo(a)pyrene (BP), and the effects on development and on induction of sister chromatid exchanges (SCEs) were examined. Caffeine interfered with blastocyst development in a dose-related manner. At 4 mM, the highest concentration tested, caffeine interfered with development of blastocysts to all four endpoints: hatching, trophoblast outgrowth, inner cell mass (ICM) growth, and two-layer (primary endoderm and ectoderm) differentiation of ICMs. At 2 mM, caffeine reduced the incidence of both ICM growth and differentiation but did not affect hatching or formation of trophoblast outgrowths. At 1 mM, caffeine interfered only with ICM differentiation. Cell proliferation was least sensitive to caffeine and was reduced at concentrations of greater than or equal to 2 mM. Induction of SCEs was most sensitive to caffeine exposure; an increase in SCE frequency was observed at 0.1 and 0.5 mM. When caffeine was added to cultures with BP (1 microM, a concentration that was not embryotoxic and did not induce SCEs), both embryotoxic effects and SCE frequency were increased. The enhancing effect on SCE induction was particularly marked; as little as 0.1 mM caffeine was sufficient to cause doubling of induced SCE frequencies when added to cultures with BP.
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D001564:Benzo(a)pyrene / Q000633:toxicity*; D001755:Blastocyst / Q000166:cytology / Q000187:drug effects*; D002110:Caffeine / Q000633:toxicity*; D002478:Cells, Cultured; D004305:Dose-Response Relationship, Drug; D004347:Drug Interactions; D005260:Female; D051379:Mice; D008815:Mice, Inbred Strains; D011247:Pregnancy; D012854:Sister Chromatid Exchange / Q000187:drug effects*; D013723:Teratogens
chemical_list: D013723:Teratogens; D001564:Benzo(a)pyrene; D002110:Caffeine