Teratologija proučava abnormalnosti fiziološkog razvoja u svim organizmima, uključujući biljke tokom cijelog životnog vijeka. To je poddisciplina u medicinskoj genetici koja se fokusira na klasifikaciju urođenih abnormalnosti i dismorfologija . Povezani termin razvojna toksičnost uključuje sve manifestacije abnormalnog razvoja koje su uzrokovane okolinskim povredama . To može uključivati usporavanje rasta, odgođeni mentalni razvoj ili druge kongenitalne poremećaje bez ikakvih strukturnih malformacija.[ 1]
Teratogeni su tvari koje mogu uzrokovati urođene mane putem toksičnog efekta na embrion ili fetus .[ 2] Poznati teratogeni uključuju: retinol , talidomid ,[ 3] živu ,[ 4] alkohol ,[ 5] olovo ,[ 6] polihlorirane bifenile (PCB),[ 7] i 2,3,7,8-tetrahlorodibenzodioksin .[ 8]
^ Rogers, J.M., Kavlock, R.J. (1996). "Developmental toxicology". In C.D. Klaassen (ed.): Casarett & Doull's Toxicology , (5th ed.). pp. 301-331. New York: McGraw-Hill. ISBN 0-07-105476-6 .
^ Thall Bastow B D, Holmes J L (23. 2. 2016). "Teratology and drug use during pregnancy" . Medscape . WebMD. Pristupljeno 24. 2. 2016 .
^ Therapontos, Christina (26. 5. 2009). "Thalidomide induces limb defects by preventing angiogenic outgrowth during early limb formation" . Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences . 106 (21): 8573–8. Bibcode :2009PNAS..106.8573T . doi :10.1073/pnas.0901505106 . PMC 2688998 . PMID 19433787 .
^ Holt, D (april 1986). "The toxicity and teratogenicity of mercuric mercury in the pregnant rat". Archives of Toxicology . 4 (58): 243–8. doi :10.1007/BF00297114 . PMID 3718227 . S2CID 22045389 .
^ Welch-Carre, Elizabeth (2005). "The Neurodevelopmental Consequences of Prenatal Alcohol Exposure" . Advances in Neonatal Care . Medscape. 5 (4): 217–29. doi :10.1016/j.adnc.2005.04.007 . PMID 16084479 . S2CID 36424689 .
^ Bellinger, DC (juni 2005). "Teratogen update: lead and pregnancy" . Birth Defects Research Part A: Clinical and Molecular Teratology . 6 (73): 409–20. doi :10.1002/bdra.20127 . PMID 15880700 .
^ Jacobson, J (maj 1997). "Teratogen update: polychlorinated biphenyls". Teratology . 5 (55): 338–47. doi :10.1002/(SICI)1096-9926(199705)55:5<338::AID-TERA6>3.0.CO;2-V . PMID 9261928 .
^ Tuomisto, Jouko (2019). Dioxins and dioxin-like compounds: toxicity in humans and animals, sources, and behaviour in the environment. WikiJournal of Medicine 6(1): 8 | https://doi.org/10.15347/wjm/2019.008