Differential alteration by thalidomide of the glutathione content of rat vs. rabbit conceptuses in vitro.

Thalidomide has been shown to cause limb reduction defects in rabbits with much greater potency than in rats, possibly due to inherent biochemical differences between the two species. Whole embryo culture was used to make direct comparisons between thalidomide-sensitive New Zealand White rabbits and thalidomide-resistant Sprague-Dawley rats, focusing on the possible roles of glutathione (GSH) and cysteine in mechanisms of thalidomide teratogenicity. Conceptuses were treated by adding thalidomide (0, 5, 15, and 30 microM) directly to the culture media containing conceptuses of similar gestational stages. Embryos and visceral yolk sacs (VYS) were measured for changes in GSH and cysteine content using HPLC after 24 h of exposure in vitro. Thalidomide-induced (15 and 30 microM) depletion of VYS GSH occurred only in the rabbit, where GSH concentrations (pmol/microg protein) fell significantly to about 50% of control. Rat VYS did not show a significant GSH depletion at any thalidomide concentration tested. Comparison between species showed that the control rabbit VYS contained 35% less GSH than the control rat VYS. Control rat embryos and control rabbit embryos contained similar concentrations of GSH, but thalidomide treatment preferentially depleted GSH in the rabbit at lower thalidomide concentrations (5 micro/M). Cysteine concentrations were not significantly altered from control in the embryo or VYS of either species when treated with thalidomide. However, although control cysteine concentrations did not differ significantly between rat and rabbit VYS, control cysteine levels in rabbit embryos were 65% lower than those in control rat embryos. Rabbit conceptuses displayed lower species-specific GSH and cysteine levels and a greater propensity for thalidomide-induced GSH depletion than in rat conceptuses, consistent with the greater sensitivity of the rabbit to thalidomide teratogenicity. These thalidomide-induced and inherent species differences implicate a possible role for GSH and redox status in the mechanisms of thalidomide teratogenicity.