title: Teratogenic effects of mescaline, epinephrine, and norepinephrine in the hamster.
abstract: Mescaline was administered orally at doses of 16 and 32 mg/kg on the seventh through tenth days of gestation to pregnant cream-strain hamsters. This treatment resulted in a dose-dependent effect on reproductive success and skeletal ossification. The effect of mescaline on reproductive success included an increased number of resorptions resulting in a decreased litter size. The 32 mg/kg dose of mescaline caused 48.8% resorptions, while 16 mg/kg and control animals had 12.0% and 6.4% resorptions, respectively. Litter size was decreased from 12.0 pups in controls to 10.3 (16 mg/kg) and 6.5 (32 mg/kg) pups per litter in treated groups. No gross abnormalities were observed at necropsy; there was, however, a dose-dependent increased delay in the ossification of the skull, sternum, and metatarsals. Both epinephrine and norepinephrine caused a decrease in reproductive success when administered at 500 micrograms/kg. Epinephrine appeared to cause a trend toward preimplantation wastage as indicated by an increased corpora lutea to implantation site ratio (from 1.3-1.9). Norepinephrine, however, caused an increased number of resorptions (29.1% in controls). Both norepinephrine and epinephrine produced similar delays in ossification.
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D006224:Cricetinae; D004837:Epinephrine / Q000633:toxicity*; D005260:Female; D005333:Fetus / Q000187:drug effects; D008297:Male; D008635:Mescaline / Q000633:toxicity*; D009638:Norepinephrine / Q000633:toxicity*; D010012:Osteogenesis / Q000187:drug effects; D011247:Pregnancy; D013723:Teratogens / Q000633:toxicity*
chemical_list: D013723:Teratogens; D008635:Mescaline; D009638:Norepinephrine; D004837:Epinephrine