Second branchial arch anomalies induced by fluconazole, a bis-triazole antifungal agent, in cultured mouse embryos.

The teratogenic potential of the novel bis-triazole antifungal agent fluconazole (F) was investigated on mouse embryos during early organogenesis using the whole-embryo culture system. Early somite stage embryos (4-5 somites) were continuously cultured for 48 hours in rat serum added with 0, 25, 50 or 75 micrograms/ml of F. Doses of 50 and 75 micrograms/ml of F significantly (p < 0.001) impaired morphogenesis, resulting in a 83.3% and 91.6% of embryos showing second branchial arch anomalies, respectively. These findings demonstrate that F induces second branchial arch anomalies in cultured mouse conceptuses. Furthermore, these results may suggest an useful model for the study of arches-derived malformations.