title: Lethal effect of dehydroleucodine (DhL) on amphibian Bufo arenarum embryos.
abstract: The dehydroleucodine is a sesquiterpene lactone isolated from Artemisia douglasiana Besser which is used in popular medicine. Toxicity tests using embryos of amphibian have been widely used in order to predict toxic effects of different compounds. However, to our knowledge, there are not studies focussed on the toxic effects of dehydroleucodine on Bufo arenarum, which is an anuran widely distributed in South America. The effect of dehydroleucodine on the survival of embryos was evaluated in an acute test during the early life stage of B. arenarum embryos. Lethality and the degree of adverse effects were dehydroleucodine dose-dependent. Overall, amphibian early life stages appeared to be more susceptible to the embryotoxicity associated with exposure to dehydroleucodine, especially at concentration greater that 3mM. This increased susceptibility may result from the relatively high rate of cellular differentiation and morphogenesis that occurs at this early stage of development.
authors.affiliation: PROICO 8504 Área de Farmacología, Facultad de Química, Bioquímica y Farmacia, Universidad Nacional de San Luis, San Luis 5700, Argentina. lmoreno@unsl.edu.ar
authors.forename: Liliana Elizabeth
authors.initials: LE
authors.lastname: Moreno
authors.forename: Américo Osvaldo
authors.initials: AO
authors.lastname: Juárez
authors.forename: Lilian Eugenia
authors.initials: LE
authors.lastname: Pelzer
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D002022:Bufo arenarum / Q000196:embryology*; D004305:Dose-Response Relationship, Drug; D004625:Embryo, Nonmammalian / Q000187:drug effects*; D007783:Lactones / Q000633:toxicity*; D012717:Sesquiterpenes / Q000633:toxicity*
chemical_list: D007783:Lactones; D012717:Sesquiterpenes; C079949:dehydroleucodine