The Effect of Prolonged Chloramphenicol and Oxytetracycline Application on Fetal Development

Abstract

The effects on the embryo of antibiotics and other drugs may be studied using the epidemiological approach. Another method is to observe what happens on the tissue level. Chloramphenicol (CAP) and oxytetracycline (OTC) are known to interfere with the protein synthesis at the 70 S ribosomal level in mitochondria and bacteria, but not at the 80 S ribosomal level in the cytoplasm of cells from multicellular organisms. The increase in the number of these particles during embryonic growth gives us a good opportunity to study the inhibitory effects of CAP on these functions. This approach represents, therefore, a very interesting teratological model. Unfortunately, CAP is very quickly eliminated from the organism. Thus, we have developed a new technique of continuous intravenous infusion over several days, in experiments with rats.