Effects of designer drugs on the chicken embryo and 1-day-old chicken.
M E Bronson, W Jiang, C R Clark, Jack DeRuiter
Brain Research Bulletin 1994 DOI: 10.1016/0361-9230(94)90011-6 (opens in new tab)
Study at a glance
AI-extracted from the abstract| Characteristics | Experimental animal study Peer reviewed |
|---|---|
| Population | Chick embryos and young chickens |
| Interventions | d-amphetamine MDMA HMDMA BDB MDM1EA |
| Keywords | Chick embryo Animals, newborn Chickens Body weight Water Dextroamphetamine N-methyl-3,4-methylenedioxyamphetamine Designer drugs Pregnancy Models, biological Female |
| Key findings | MDMA, BDB, and d-amphetamine decreased embryonic motility at one or more doses, whereas HMDMA and MDM1EA did not affect motility on day 14 of embryogenesis. After hatching, all drugs except MDM1EA produced behavioral effects including distress vocalization, tremor, and loss of righting reflex; prior in-ovo exposure led to tolerance to some effects and supersensitivity to others. BDB significantly decreased hatchability, MDM1EA decreased body weight, and HMDMA decreased liver weight. |
Abstract
The present study was conducted to examine the effects of d-amphetamine and the designer drugs 3,4-methylenedioxymethamphetamine (MDMA), N-methyl-3,4-methylenedioxyphenyl-3-butamine (HMDMA), 3,4-methylenedioxyphenyl-2-butanamine (BDB), 3,4-methylenedioxyphenyl-1-ethanamine (MDM1EA) in the chick embryo and the young chicken. HMDMA and MDM1EA had no effect on motility on day 14 of embryogenesis, while MDMA, BDB, and d-amphetamine decreased embryonic motility at one or more doses. On day 1 posthatch, chickens were challenged with cumulative injections of water or the same drug that they had received in ova. With the exception of MDM1EA, all of the drugs produced effects such as distress vocalization, wing extension, tremor, flat body posture, bursting forward movements, loss of righting reflex, and convulsant-like kicking. Pretreatment with drug in ova resulted in tolerance to certain drug effects and supersensitivity to other drug effects. Furthermore, BDB significantly decreased hatchability, MDM1EA decreased body weight, and HMDMA decreased liver weight. Further studies are needed to determine the mechanism(s) of toxicity in this species.
Citations in the library
Cited by 7
- A developmental comparison of the neurobehavioral effects of ecstasy (MDMA) Neurotoxicology and Teratology October 21, 2006
- Distinct periods of developmental sensitivity to the effects of 3,4-(±)-methylenedioxymethamphetamine (MDMA) on behaviour and monoamines in rats The International Journal of Neuropsychopharmacology June 28, 2011
- Developmental effects of 3,4-methylenedioxymethamphetamine: a review. Behavioural Pharmacology March 2008
- Increased responsiveness to MDMA in adult rats treated neonatally with MDMA. Neurotoxicology and Teratology 2006
- Methylenedioxymethamphetamine (MDMA, Ecstasy) neurotoxicity: cellular and molecular mechanisms. Brain research. Brain research reviews May 2003
and 2 more in the library