Teratogenic effects of mescaline, epinephrine, and norepinephrine in the hamster
Teratology June 1, 1981 DOI: 10.1002/tera.1420230302 via OpenAlex
Summary
AI-generated from the abstractOral 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.
Study at a glance
| Characteristics | Experimental study Peer reviewed |
|---|---|
| Population | Pregnant cream-strain hamsters |
| Interventions | Mescaline Epinephrine Norepinephrine |
| Dose | 16 and 32 mg/kg (mescaline); 500 μg/kg (epinephrine and norepinephrine) |
| Duration | Gestation days 7–10 |
| Topics | Mescaline |
| Keywords | Hamster Norepinephrine Pharmacology Medicine |
| Citations | 19 |
| Key finding | Mescaline caused dose-dependent increases in embryo resorptions and delayed skeletal ossification in hamsters, and both epinephrine and norepinephrine also impaired reproductive success and ossification. |
Abstract
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 μg/kg. Epinephrine appeared to cause a trend towards 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.