Modification of Beta-Aminopropionitrile Toxicity by Divalent, Metal Salts in the Chick Embryo

Beta-aminopropionitrile (BAPN) and other lathrogenic agents increase the fragility and solubility of collagen in the developing chick embryo (Levene and Gross, 1959). The amount of collagen extractible from embryonic tissue is dependent on dose of BAPN (Gross et al., 1960) as is mortality in the developing chick embryo (Naber and Dunn, 1959) indicating that lethality is a valid measure of lathyrism in the chick embryo. Recently it has been shown that BAPN acts by blocking the formation of insoluble collagen from the form soluble in neutral salt solutions (Smiley and Yeager, 1962). Presumably then, the lower molecular weight collagen fails to form aggregates of higher molecular weight that are insoluble and become part of the mature collagen fibril. The failure of aggregation of the lower molecular weight forms of collagen may be due to a failure in the formation of inter molecular cross links or chemical bonds in the soluble…