Teratogenic evaluation of epichlorohydrin in the mouse and rat and glycidol in the mouse

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Abstract
Pregnant outbred albino rats (CD) and mice (CD-1) were given epichlorohydrin by gastric intubation on d [day] 6-15 of gestation. The rats were killed on d 21 (d 18 for mice) and the offspring checked for gross, visceral and skeletal malformations. Epichlorohydrin caused a significant reduction in the weight gain of pregnant rats at 80 mg/kg.cntdot.d as compared to the control group treated only with the vehicle. There was no evidence of teratogenicity in the rat fetuses even at a dose level (160 mg/kg.cntdot.d) that caused the death of some of the treated dams. Epichlorohydrin also did not produce a statistically significant increase in the average percent of malformed mouse fetuses, even at 160 mg/kg.cntdot.d, a dose that killed 3 of 32 treated dams. The 120 and 160 mg/kg.cntdot.d levels did cause a significant (P < 0.05) reduction in the average fetal weight as compared to controls. The 120 mg/kg.cntdot.d dose produced a statistically significant increase in the liver weight of the pregnant mouse. The 120 and 160 mg/kg.cntdot.d dose levels were toxic toward the dams and their unborn offspring. In a similar mouse study, glycidol showed no evidence of teratogenicity. There was a significant increase in the number of stunted fetuses at 200 mg/kg.cntdot.d but all of these were present in a single litter. The same dose killed 5 of 30 dams.