Effects on the fetus of maternal benomyl exposure in the protein‐deprived rat

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Abstract
The separate and combined effects of protein deprivation and benomyl [(methyl 1‐butylcarbomoyl)‐2‐benzimidazole carbamate] exposure were studied in the pregnant rat fed a diet containing 24% (control) or 8% (deficient) casein throughout gestation. Within each diet group, subgroups were gavaged at 31.2 mg/kg body weight with benomyl or corn‐oil carrier only on d 7–16 or 7–21 of gestation. No effects on the skeleton were seen. Benomyl exposure in the last 2 wk in dams fed the 24% casein diet resulted in a high incidence of fetal brain anomalies. This effect did not occur in those with benomyl exposure during the period of organogenesis only and was reduced in groups fed the protein‐deficient diet. Exposure to benomyl in the last 2 wk in the protein‐deprived rat resulted in a decrease in the weight of the fetal heart in excess of that attributable to diet alone. Lungs were a smaller portion of body weight in fetuses of benomyl‐treated dams in both diet groups. The teratogenic effect on the brain in animals exposed to benomyl in wk 2 and 3 of gestation suggests that screening for teratogenic effects during organogenesis only may be insufficient.