Arsine: Absence of Developmental Toxicity in Rats and Mice

Arsine: Absence of Developmental Toxicity in Rats and Mice.MORRISSEY, R. E., FOWLER, B. A., HARRIS, M. W., MOORMAN, M.P., JAMESON, C. W., AND SCHWETZ, B. A. (1990). Fun-dam. Appl.Toxicol. 15, 350–356. Arsine gas is a potent hemolyticagent but the effects of exposure to tolerated concentrationson pregnancy and prenatal development have not been reported.In the present evaluation, groups of bred mice and rats wereexposed to arsine at concentrations of 0.025, 0.5, or 2.5 ppmon Gestation Days (gd) 6 through 15. Animals were killed ongd 17 (mice) or on gd 20 (rats) and endpoints of maternal anddevelopmental toxicity were evaluated. In rats, maternal spleenswere enlarged in the 2.5 ppm group and there was a decreasein packed red cell volume in pregnant rats. Fetuses weighedmore than in the control group but other endpoints of developmentaltoxicity were not affected by arsine exposure. In another experimentinvolving separate groups of rats, the arsenic content of maternalblood and fetal livers increased with increasing atmosphericarsine concentrations, as assessed on gd 20. In mice, maternalspleen size was significantly increased in the 2.5 ppm group.The number of live fetuses, mean fetal body weight, and percentagesof resorptions or malformations per litter were not affectedby arsine exposure. In conclusion, arsine at atmospheric concentrationsthat caused increases in maternal spleen size and measureablelevels of arsenic in maternal blood and fetal livers did notadversely affect endpoints of developmental toxicity