Effects of cyclophosphamide on protein expression of rat embryo at end of pre-gastrulation stage in vivo.
OBJECTIVE
To seek a sensitive time point for pre-gastrulation embryos exposed to developmental toxic agents, and to establish a molecular biomarker to evaluate the mechanism of cyclophosphamide-induced embryonic abnormalities in vivo.


METHODS
Pregnant rats on d 3 of gestation were given i.p. cyclophosphamide (Cyc) 10, 20, 40 mg.kg-1. SDS-PAGE was performed to qualitatively observe the target proteins in d 8 rat embryos.


RESULTS
The expression of the protein with a molecular weight (M(r)) of approximately 70 kDa distinctively increased and that of the blastocyst-specific protein (M(r) 14.4 kDa) disappeared in Cyc 40 mg.kg-1 group.


CONCLUSIONS
Day 8 of rat gestation could be an optimum time point for understanding developmental toxicity of mammalian embryo during pregastrulation, and the expression of the proteins with M(r) 70 kDa and 14.4 kDa at this point could be employed as a molecular biomarker to demonstrate embryoteratology objectively and sensitively.
Hong
Y
Y
Department of Pharmacology, School of Pharmacy, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou 310006, China.
Lou
Y J
YJ
D000014:Abnormalities, Drug-Induced / Q000378:metabolism*; D000818:Animals; D003520:Cyclophosphamide / Q000633:toxicity*; D004622:Embryo, Mammalian / Q000002:abnormalities* / Q000737:chemistry; D005260:Female; D008297:Male; D011247:Pregnancy; D011506:Proteins / Q000302:isolation & purification / Q000378:metabolism*; D011897:Random Allocation; D051381:Rats; D017207:Rats, Sprague-Dawley
D011506:Proteins; D003520:Cyclophosphamide