Teratogenic effect of levetiracetam used in the treatment of epilepsy on xenopus laevis embryos

Drugs are one of the important factors in teratogenesis, which limits the clinical use of many drugs in pregnancy. Teratogenic effect of levetiracetam, an antiepileptic agent is still controversial in pregnancy. In this study, the teratogenic effect of levetirasetamwas investigated. For this purpose, the FETAX (Frog Embryo Teratogenesis Assay: Xenopus) test, which predicts the effect of Xenobiotics with 89% accuracy, was used. In our study, 15 adult Xenopus laevis, including 6 control and 9 experimental groups, were used and after the embryos were exposed to 1.2, 12, 24, 48 µg/mL levetirasetam concentrations for 96 hours, mortality rates were determined in all groups, and these groups were examined under a microscope. Their lengths were measured and anomalies were photographed with a microscope-mounted camera. ESR1, PAX6, BMP4, MYF5 and HSP70 genes, which are specific genes in mRNA expression and play a role in Xenopus laevis early embryo development, were analyzed. In addition, histopathological analysis of embryos was examined. As a result of the studies, the rate of anomaly was (1.45%) and no difference was observed between them and the control (0.8%). There was no difference in height (10.7 mm) between the control group (10.8mm) and the control group at all concentrations. In the histopathological analysis, except for a few abnormal embryos, no anomaly was observed in the organs obtained in both the control and experimental groups, and hypopigmentation was observed in all groups that were administered only levetiracetam. Finally, there was a decrease in the expression of ESR1, BMP4, MYF5 and HSP70, which are important genes in early development, and an increase in the expression of PAX6. However, these changes in expression levetirasetam were not statistically significant. These results show that levetirasetam, an antiepileptic agent, has no teratogenic effect in Xenopus laevis embryos in terms of the parameters examined.