Histological changes due to In vitro Exposure of cyclophosphamide in post implantation rat embryos

The present work was aimed at studying the histological changes due to in vitro exposure of cyclophosphamide (CP) at various dose levels, in developing rat embryos. The eleven-day-old rat embryos were cultured and exposed to CP @, 5,10 and 100 μg/ml culture for 24 hours and then processed for histopathological studies. The histological changes were mainly in neural tube. The organisation and differentiation of neural fold were imperfect and the cells in the neural epitheliam in anterior and hind portion of neural tube were less in number and arranged loosely. Degeneration and necrosis of cells lining the developing choroid plexus and neuroepithelial cells in the anterior neural fold and the necrotic debris was seen shed into the groove in few embryos. In addition to the above one embryo presented a small area in the auricle showing the degenerated lining cells which were shed in the lumen however other portions of heart were normal which was exposed to the highest dose of CP. The incidence was found to be dose- dependant.