A study of the prenatal and postnatal toxicity of a sulfhydryl resin in rats

Abstract

This study evaluates the effects of a sulfhydryl resin on embryonal, fetal and neonatal development in rats. Doses of 150 or 1500 mg/kg/day were administered on days 3 through 15 of gestation in a prenatal toxicity study and on day 16 of gestation through day 14 of lactation in a perinatal toxicity study. In the prenatal study, fetuses were delivered by cesarean section on day 21 of gestation and were examined grossly, measured and weighed. Following routine preparations, the soft tissues and skeletons were examined. Evidence of retarded fetal development (delayed ossification of skull bones and sternebrae) was observed at the high dose level. Teratogenic effects were not observed at either dose level. Perinatal administration of the sulfhydryl resin had no effect on parturition or neonatal growth and survival. A finding at necropsy of the 3-week-old neonates of resin-treated dams, dilated urinary bladder, was not associated with any functional problems or microscopic morphologic abnormality of urinary tract structures. In both the prenatal and perinatal studies, 150 mg of sulfhydryl resin/kg/day had no effect on the developing embryo, fetus or neonate.