Cardioteratogenic dose of ethanol in the chick embryo results in egg white concentrations comparable to human blood alcohol levels

Abstract

Three‐day‐old chick embryos were exposed to a dose of ethyl alcohol (0.32 ml of 50% ethanol) that we previously demonstrated produces cardiac malformations in 96.6% of the animals. Ethanol was administered into the air sac at 72–80 h of incubation. Samples of egg white were drawn at 2, 6 and 24 h after treatment and analyzed by capillary gas–liquid chromatography. Ethanol concentrations were significantly higher at 6 and 24 h after exposure than at 2 h (P < 0.01), but there were no differences in mean concentrations between 6 and 24 h (P > 0.2). Furthermore, concentrations (43–303 mg dl⁻¹) were comparable to human blood alcohol levels during intoxication. These results suggest that the cardioteratogenic doses of ethanol administered to chick embryos in a previous study are not excessive in terms of potential human embryo exposure.