1982 Volume 30 Issue 6 Pages 2141-2146
The possible preventive effects of ergothioneine on cadmium-induced teratogenesis were examined. Cd (2 mg/kg) was administered i. p. to mice on day 7 of pregnancy. The treatment group of mice was given i. p. ergothioneine daily at a dose of 80 mg/kg during days 5 to 9, whereas the control group was given saline solution. These mice were subjected to Cesarean section on day 17 of gestation, and the number of dead fetuses, the body weight of living fetuses, and external, skeletal and visceral abnormalities were recorded. On the other hand, 109Cd (50μCi/2 mg Cd/kg) was administered i. p. to other pregnant mice on day 7, and the tissue distribution of the Cd was examined on days 8 and 17 of gestation. The results of the series of experiments were as follows. (1) Administration of ergothioneine alone had no effect on external, skeletal and visceral abnormalities. (2) Of 257 cases, fetuses in 79 cases died or were resorbed after Cd administration. The body weight of living fetuses was significantly reduced, and exencephalia (64%), open eye (31.5%) and marked skeletal malformations of cervical, thoracic and lumbar vertebrae were observed. (3) Ergothioneine very significantly reduced the incidences of exencephalia, open eye and skeletal abnormalities caused by Cd. (4) There were no differences between both groups in the in vivo distribution of 109Cd, or in the form of 109Cd present in the liver, kidney and placenta. These results suggest that ergothioneine inhibits Cd-induced teratogenesis through a mechanism other than causing changes in the maternal distribution of Cd and in Cd transfer to fetuses.
