Perinatal toxicity of endrin in rodents. II. Fetotoxic effects of prenatal exposure in rats and mice.

The fetotoxic potential of endrin in the CD rat and CD-1 mouse was investigated. Endrin was administered as a solution in corn oil to groups of pregnant animals by gastric intubation at multiple dose levels throughout the period of organogenesis. The dams were sacrificed prior to term and the fetuses were examined for skeletal and visceral anomalies. In addition, maternal livers and fetuses from rats in each dose level were analyzed for endrin content. In the mouse, endrin caused maternal liver enlargement at a dose of 0.5 mg/kg/day and reduced maternal weight gain at a dose of 1.0 mg/kg/day. Fetal weight and skeletal and visceral maturity were adversely affected at a dose of 1.0 mg/kg/day, but no teratogenic effect or embryo lethality was evident even at a dose level that produced maternal lethality (1.5 mg/kg/day). In the rat, endrin markedly reduced maternal weight at doses above 0.150 mg/kg/day but produced no apparent effects on the fetus. The data suggest that species differences in sensitivity to endrin may in part be due to differences in metabolism. Although endrin levels in rat fetuses at a maximally tolerated dosage level resembled those previously reported for the hamster, relatively less 12-ketoendrin was present, paralleling the change in fetal sensitivity.