Abstract: OBJECTIVE: To study the teratogenicity of bryostatin in SD rats. METHODS: A standard teratogenicity test was performed to investigate the teratogenicity of bryostatin. Pregnant SD rats were divided into 4 groups (n=16 or 17 for each group),three bryostatin dosage groups (0.016,0.008,0.004 mg/kg)and one negative control group.Bryostatin or normal saline was given via caudal vein injection from 6th to 15th day of gestation. Pregnant rats were killed at 20th day of gestation, and the parents and their fetuses were examined. RESULTS: The weight gain of pregnant rats during gestation in middle and high dose groups was 67.72 and 11.98g, showing obvious decrease compared with control group. It also revealed a certain dose-response relationship.At the high dose, live fetus rate was 61.42％, which was significantly decreased compared with control group. Absorbed fetus rate and dead fetus rate were 20.81％ and 17.77％, respectively, demonstrating obvious increases. There were significant differences between three treatment groups and control group in fetal body length and weight. Bryostatin didn't induce any teratogenic effect on the appearance,viscera and skeleton of the fetuses in three bryostatin dosage groups. CONCLUSION: Bryostatin at the dose of 0.016 and 0.008 mg/kg induced matenal toxicity;at the dose of 0.016 mg/kg showed embryotoxicity;at the dose of 0.016,0.008,0.004 mg/kg exerted a certain fetotoxicity,but had no apparent teratogenesis in SD rats.

Key words: bryostatin, materal toxicity, teratogenesis, embryotoxicity, fetotoxicity