Transplacental effects of methylmercury chloride in mice with specific emphasis on the audiogenic seizure response.

Sabra mice were exposed to a single injection of 8 mg/kg body weight of methylmercury chloride on day 12 of their gestation. The mice were then sacrificed on day 19 and their fetuses were removed for examination. The fetal malformation rate was 8.6% with the most common anomaly being cleft palate. In another group, offspring who were exposed in utero to a single dose of 8 mg/kg methylmercury chloride were tested for their susceptibility to the audiogenic seizure response on days 28-31 after birth. There was a significant (p less than 0.05) increase (almost twofold) in the susceptibility of treated versus controls to this response, suggesting possible neurological damage.