Experimental Study on Effect of Aluminum on Rat’s Embryonic Development in Vitro

Objective To discuss developmental toxicity and mechanism of aluminum.Methods Embryos of SD rat on day 9.5 of gestation were explanted and cultured in a whole-embryo culture system with exposure to Al₂(SO₄)₃ at Al³⁺ concentrations for 48 hrs in order to understand the developmental toxicity of aluminum.After 48hrs in culture,each viable embryo was evaluated by Brown's morphological scoring system.Yolk sac diameter,crown-rump length,head length and embryonic dry weight were measured.Results Dose-dependent decreases in embryonic development parameters and Brown's scores were observed with Al³⁺ concentration.Yolk sac diameter,dry weight,neural tube,heart and flexion scores decreased significantly at 1.2μg/ml(P<0.05).When exposure doses at ≥3.0μg/ml,the embryonic development and morphogenetic differentiation were obviously inhibited(P<0.05 or P<0.01),as well as the incidence of dysmorphogenesis significantly increased,including dorsiflexion and neural tube defects.Conclusion Aluminum was a developmental toxicant and dysmorphogent in rat.