Chicken eggs were inoculated with suspensions of ambient air particles (<or=10 microm, PM10) from Sao Paulo city in 3, 0.3 or 0.03 microg doses on one of the four early days of embryo development. On the eleventh day of development alterations were observed on embryos inoculated with PM10 3 microg on the third day. Particles analysis showed high content of metals. Hence, embryos were also inoculated with PM10 (3 microg) combined with metal chelating EDTA. PM10 (3 microg) embryos presented underdevelopment (stage 29.44+/-11.4) compared to vehicle and positive controls (stage 36.44+/-0.51 Saline and stage 31.20+/-9.7 Cyclophosphamide, p<or=0.05); higher (47%) mortality rate (23% Saline and 42% Cyclophosphamide) and low (68%) viability (100% Saline and 70% Cyclophosphamide, p=0.04). Effects were attenuated when embryos received PM10+EDTA (stage 33.63+/-0.94, 18.9% mortality rate and 82% viability). PM10 from Sao Paulo city is embryotoxic and metal may be implicated in the toxic mechanism.
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