Nitrosomethylurea disturbs differentiation of mouse embryonic lungs in organ cultures

We have studied the effect of nitrosomethylurea (NMU) on the differentiation of early rudiments of mouse embryonic lungs (12th day of embryogenesis) explanted into an organ culture. We have demonstrated that nontoxic doses of NMU are capable of accelerating normal lung differentiation both at the early (increase in the number of epithelial buds) and at the late (increase in the number of explants with regions of well-developed alveoli) stages of cultivation. However, NMU induces disturbances of differentiation, which appear as polycystic structures and hyperplastic nodules generally absent in the control.