Experimental teratogenicity of structurally similar compounds with or without piperazine-ring: a preliminary report

For studying if piperazine-ring plays a role in teratogenicity pairs of compounds of similar structure and action (perphenazine-chloropromazine, chlorcyclizine--thenalidine, haloanisone--haloperiodol) had been selected, where only one of them contained piperazine-ring. The applied single doses were 3.7 X 10(-4) M/kg. Experiments were carried out on Wistar/H-Riop pregnant rats; equimolar doses of three drug-pairs were given orally on the 13th, 14th, or 15th gestational days, respectively. Perphenazine and chlorcyclizine, as alkyl-piperazine derivatives induced cleft palate and micromelia, while chlorpromazine and thenalidine did not. After the methoxyphenyl-piperazine containing substance--haloanisone--micromelia was higher as compared to that containing no piperazine moiety (haloperidol). These results indicate that the piperazine-ring may play an important role in the teratogenicity of drugs in rats.