Biomaterial Database

Teratogenic effects of chronic treatment with corticosterone on tadpoles of Xenopus laevis. 2009

Claudia Lorenz, and Robert Opitz, and Ilka Lutz, and Werner Kloas

Department of Inland Fisheries, Leibniz-Institute for Freshwater Ecology and Inland Fisheries, Berlin, Germany. claudia.lorenz@igb-berlin.de

The present study investigated effects of chronic treatment with corticosterone (B) on larval development of the amphibian Xenopus laevis. Tadpoles (stage 51) were treated with B (100, 500 nmol/L), 50 mg/L of the anti-thyroidal substance ethylenethiourea (ETU), and a combination of ETU (50 mg/L) plus B (500 nmol/L) to address corticosteroid effects in the presence or absence of thyroid hormones (TH). ETU-treated tadpoles displayed developmental arrest, reduced levels of TH receptor beta (TRbeta) and prolactin (PRL) mRNAs, but increased expression of thyroid-stimulating hormone (TSHbeta). Tadpoles exposed to B were characterized by asynchrony of metamorphic tissue remodeling and decreased mRNA expression of corticotropin-releasing factor (CRF). Cotreatment of ETU and B reversed the effects of ETU on PRL and TSHbeta expression but did not alter ETU effects on development and TRbeta expression. Our findings confirm that chronic treatment with high doses of corticosteroids has teratogenic effects on developing tadpoles and additionally suggest a stimulatory effect of B on gene expression of the antimetamorphic pituitary hormone PRL.

UI	MeSH Term	Description	Entries
D007814	Larva	Wormlike or grublike stage, following the egg in the life cycle of insects, worms, and other metamorphosing animals.	Maggots,Tadpoles,Larvae,Maggot,Tadpole
D003345	Corticosterone	An adrenocortical steroid that has modest but significant activities as a mineralocorticoid and a glucocorticoid. (From Goodman and Gilman's The Pharmacological Basis of Therapeutics, 8th ed, p1437)
D000818	Animals	Unicellular or multicellular, heterotrophic organisms, that have sensation and the power of voluntary movement. Under the older five kingdom paradigm, Animalia was one of the kingdoms. Under the modern three domain model, Animalia represents one of the many groups in the domain EUKARYOTA.	Animal,Metazoa,Animalia
D013723	Teratogens	An agent that causes the production of physical defects in the developing embryo.	Embryotoxins,Fetotoxins,Teratogen
D013997	Time Factors	Elements of limited time intervals, contributing to particular results or situations.	Time Series,Factor, Time,Time Factor
D014982	Xenopus laevis	The commonest and widest ranging species of the clawed "frog" (Xenopus) in Africa. This species is used extensively in research. There is now a significant population in California derived from escaped laboratory animals.	Platanna,X. laevis,Platannas,X. laevi
D018507	Gene Expression Regulation, Developmental	Any of the processes by which nuclear, cytoplasmic, or intercellular factors influence the differential control of gene action during the developmental stages of an organism.	Developmental Gene Expression Regulation,Embryologic Gene Expression Regulation,Gene Expression Regulation, Embryologic,Regulation of Gene Expression, Developmental,Regulation of Gene Expression, Embryologic,Regulation, Gene Expression, Developmental,Regulation, Gene Expression, Embryologic