Abstract

TERATOGENIC AND BIOCHEMICAL EFFECTS OF MODAFINIL ON EMBRYOGENESIS OF GALLUS GALLUS DOMESTICUS

Dr. Pinakin Wagh* and Hritika Shinde

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Abstract

The current study deals with the effects of the nootropic agent Modafinil on embryogenesis of Gallus gallus domesticus (White Leghorn strain). Modafinil is a wakefulness promoting used to treat narcolepsy and sleep apnea. No studies on embryotoxicity of Modafinil at molecular and biochemical level has been done in detail as yet. Our research showed that Modafinil induces haemorrhage and severe embryonic malformations at 50mM concentration. Modafinil treated embryos showed changes in enzyme levels (ALP & AChase) as compared to the control embryos. Flow cytometry studies revealed that Modafinil may not induce significant level of apoptosis (Programmed Cell Death) in the developing embryos.

Keywords: Modafinil, Teratogenesis, Chick Embryo, Hamburger-Hamilton (HH) staging system, Protein biochemistry, Flow cytometry.