[Study of teratogenicity and sensitive period of vanadium pentoxide in Wistar rats].

Pregnant Wistar rats were administered with vanadium pentoxide (V2O5) in three different ways single intraperitoneal injection (ip) of V2O5 5mg/kg on days 9, 10, and 11 of gestation; ip 5mg/kg/day on days 9-12 of gestation; and ip 3mg/kg/day on days 6-15 of gestation. The results showed that the female rats had such toxic symptoms as decreased weight gain, increase fetal mortality, decreased fetal weight and crown-rump, retarded ossification of the bone, increased incidence of subcutaneous hemorrhage, rib wavy, dilation of lateral ventricles and renal pelvis in the two groups, i.e., on days 6-15, and 9-12 of gestation, Decreased weight gain, increased incidence of subcutaneous hemorrhage and visceral anomalies were found on day 11 of gestation group. Increased incidence of fetal death, retarded ossification of the bone on day 10 of gestation group; and increased incidence of subcutaneous hemorrhage and visceral anomalies on days 9, and 10 of gestation were observed. These data suggest that V2O5 can induce teratogenicity in Wistar rat with or without obvious maternal toxicity. There was no obvious teratogenic sensitive period of V2O5 on embryo, but as for single treatment, it was more sensitive on gestation day 10 than on gestational day 11 or 9; as for multi-treatment, it was more sensitive on days 9-12 than on days 6-15 of gestation for teratogenicity and fetal death. It is suggested that V2O5 may act mainly on the middle or late stage of organogenetic period.