Elevated blood pressure in the embryonic chick induced by a teratogenic dose of dextroamphetamine sulfate.
Previous work has demonstrated the cardiovascular teratogenicity of dextroamphetamine sulfate (0.25 mg/egg) in the 4-day (stage 24) chick embryo. Our current studies indicate that embryos treated with this teratogenic dose of d-amphetamine exhibit a mean ventricular blood pressure (MVBP) elevation for 1 hour at 4 hours after treatment. The mean MVBP value 4 hours after d-amphetamine treatment significantly exceeded the mean MVBP value for combined untreated and saline controls by 30%. Furthermore, d-amphetamine significantly decreased heart rate relative to controls by 6-9% at 2, 3, and 5 hours after administration. Elevation of embryonic blood pressure (measured by a water manometer system) during a critical period of aortic arch and ventricular septal morphogenesis is suggested as an etiological factor in the genesis of malformations of these structures.
D000818:Animals; D001794:Blood Pressure / Q000187:drug effects*; D002395:Catecholamines / Q000378:metabolism; D002642:Chick Embryo; D003913:Dextroamphetamine / Q000633:toxicity*; D004622:Embryo, Mammalian / Q000187:drug effects*; D004625:Embryo, Nonmammalian; D006339:Heart Rate / Q000187:drug effects
D002395:Catecholamines; D003913:Dextroamphetamine