Introduction. Gestation is a very sensitive time both to mother and child. Any substance, factor, or environmental condition disturbing homeostasis may cause congenital defects, anomalies or even death. Teratology evaluates those potential factors and their influence. Also, medicinal products used during pregnancy may be teratogenic. Adriblastin, also known as Doxorubicin, and Bleomycin are widely used cytostatic drugs in oncology. Aim. Aim of this study was to evaluate the embryotoxic effects of Doxorubicin and Bleomycin in an animal model. Materials and methods. Fertilised Wistar rat females were given each drug intraperitoneally between the 8th and 15th gestation day, and compared to control group receiving placebo (distilled water, 0.9% NaCl). Another group received acetyl salicylic acid, as a model, well known teratogen. Changes in mothers’ weight from baseline, implantation of embryos, any discrepancies in mothers wombs and health as well as defects in fetuses were evaluated and compared. Fetus skeletons were stained by Dowson’s method to visualise bone defects. Results and conclusion. Both Adriblastin and Bleomycin were teratogenic, producing significantly more embryo absorptions, and fetal defects compared to placebo. The effects of the two cytostatics were similar to the model teratogen acetyl salicylic acid.
Isopropylantipyrine (IPA, propyphenazone) is a pyrazolone derivative, widely used as an antipyretic and analgesic drug. The aim of the study was to evaluate the influence of propyphenazone on rat development. IPA was administered to pregnant rats from day 8 to day 14 of pregnancy once a day, orally by a stomach tube at doses of 2.10 (R1), 21.0 (R2), and 210.0 mg/kg/day (R3). The dams were sacrificed on day 21 of gestation and corpora luteum, implants, resorptions, and live foetuses were counted. The weight of foetuses and placentas, the length of foetuses and their tails were checked. The foetuses were fixed in alcohol and skeletons were stained with alizarin. There was a statistical difference in body length in R1, R2 and numbers of subcutaneous ecchymose in R1. External and skeletal examination of the foetuses revealed no evidence of teratogenesis. It can be concluded that IPA has no harmful effects on the prenatal development of the rat offspring at doses used in the present study.