Role of apoptosis in HESA--a teratogenicity in mouse fetus.

HESA-A is a natural compound of herbal-marine origin with cytotoxic and antitumor effects. The anticancer effects of HESA-A has been the subject of both in vivo and in vitro studies. This study was to investigate the mechanism of HESA-A teratogenicity. We assessed the HESA-A-induced apoptosis in mouse fetus in vitro by using the vital staining and TUNNEL methods. HESA-A, in lower doses, had no significant effect on apoptosis but, in higher doses of 20 and 40 muL, increased cell death. A dose of 100 muL induced the cell death with both apoptosis and necrosis mechanisms. HESA-A changed the cell-death pattern; in moderate doses of the drug, the apoptosis-to-necrosis ratio was more than 1, and in higher doses, this ratio was less than 1.