Abstract
It has been known that hypervitaminosis A and 5-fluorouracil induced various anomalies in many animals. In this experiment, Sprague-Dawley rats were treated with 50, 0001.U/body i.p. of vitamin A or with 50mg/kg p.o. of 5-fluorouracil during organogenesis. The fetuses were removed from the mothers by cesarean section on 21st day of gestation, and were examined for gross and skeletal malformations. The skeletal checks were carried out after clearing soft tissue with KOH and staining the bones with alizarin red S. Under the present experimental conditions, vitamin A produced various types of skeletal malformation at fore limb, cranial bone, ribs, sternebrae and others. On the other hand, primary culture of chick embryo chondrocyte were performed and examined the effect of vitamin A and 5-fluorouracil. The cells were plated with the concentration of 3 x 104 cells/plate and drug was added after two days. Cell counts was done at every third day and total acid mucopolysachharide in the chondrocyte culture was estimated by quantitative toluidine blue staining. With 5-fluor ouracil at I0-6M marked effect was not seen but at the dose of 1 unit/m/ of vitamin A, growth rate of cells was inhibited and number of cells with a fibroblast-like morphology was increased.
