Platanna (Xenopus laevis) as a test organism for determining the embryotoxic effects of environmental chemicals.

It has been successfully demonstrated that platanna (Xenopus laevis) allows the artificial induction of spawning at any time during the year. The number of eggs collected from a female ranged between 500 and 2400, the fertilization rate varying between 10 and 85%. When unaffected by chemicals, the embryonic development of the larvae took between 8 and 30 weeks. Di(2-ethylhexyl) phthalate (DEHP), methylmercury chloride, and the thalidomide analog EM 12 were used for the experiments described. DEHP at a concentration of 2 ppm retarded the development of the larvae and caused reduced pigmentation of the tadpoles. Methylmercury chloride has been found to have teratogenic and embryolethal effects at a concentration as low as 0.01 ppm. The following teratogenic effects have been determined: bent tails of the larvae, retarded development of the filter system, disturbed osmotic regulation, deranged positional and spatial orientation. EM 12 has been proven to have embryolethal effects at concentrations around 100 ppm. At lower concentrations this substance has teratogenic effects, i.e., it interferes in various ways with the development of the limbs.