[Comparison of the effectiveness of various methods of testing drugs for embryotoxicity]

A comparative investigation on efficiency of four modern methods for testing embryotoxicity (intraamniotic administration, cultivation of postimplanted rat embryos in medium when certain teratogens were administered by various methods, test techniques on pregnant animals, testing, by CHEST--chick embryo toxicity screening test--method on chick embryos) was performed with a well known teratogen -- cyclophosphamide. A satisfactory correlation between the results was obtained, but a greater efficiency, less time for obtaining final results and greater sensitivity was noted for the new test methods in comparison to routine testing on pregnant animals. Advantages and disadvantages of every method applied were discussed.