Some additional observations relating to the mechanism of trypan blue induced teratogenesis

The mechanism and site of teratogenic action of trypan blue on mammalian embryos was reinvestigated. The experiments to be presented include (1) an analysis of the effect of trypan blue treatment on the morphology of the early mouse egg cylinder, (2) a demonstration of the effect of dye treatment on the enzyme acid phosphatase of yolk sac epithelium using histochemical procedures. Results obtained from these experiments indicate that trypan blue injected into mothers on day 7 of gestational age leads, within 12 to 24 hours after treatment, to dramatic abnormalities in 90-95% of egg cylinders examined. The frequency of gross malformations obtained by this treatment is considerably less when litters are examined at later stages of gestation. Acid phosphatase activity in yolk sac epithelium is depressed by the dye treatment, but there is no difference between enzymatically depressed yolk sacs of malformed embryos and yolk sacs surrounding normally appearing litter mates both obtained from trypan blue treated mothers. The hypothesis that trypan blue may exert its teratogenic effect by the direct exposure of egg cylinder stages to the dye, and that some of the egg cylinders affected may subsequently repair, is recommended for further testing.