Teratogenic effects of mescaline, epinephrine, and norepinephrine in the hamster
Teratology June 1, 1981 Kenneth S. Hirsch, Hans Fritz 19 citations
Oral mescaline given to pregnant hamsters on days 7–10 of gestation at 16 or 32 mg/kg reduced reproductive success and delayed skeletal development in a dose-dependent way. At 32 mg/kg, 48.8% of embryos were resorbed, compared to 12.0% at 16 mg/kg and 6.4% in controls. Litter size fell from 12.0 pups in controls to 10.3 at 16 mg/kg and 6.5 at 32 mg/kg. No gross abnormalities were seen, but ossification of the skull, sternum, and metatarsals was increasingly delayed. Epinephrine and norepinephrine at 500 μg/kg also reduced reproductive success; epinephrine increased preimplantation loss, while norepinephrine raised resorptions to 29.1%. Both catecholamines caused similar ossification delays.