Teratological studies with sulphonamides and their implications

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Abstract
It is one of the principal aims of teratological research to trace the manner in which particular chemical compounds give rise to abnormal phenotypes by interfering with well-defined metabolic events. Problems that seemed to lend themselves to investigations of this nature arose with the discovery that malformations can be produced by sulphonamides, which in clinical practice are or have been used as inhibitors of carbonic anhydrase and the activity of which was considered to be quite specific in that respect. We had earlier reported on the effects which one such compound has on developing chicken embryos and shall now describe results obtained with three further sulphonamides. We shall then attempt to discuss the meaning of these and related data in terms of general teratological problems.