Reproductive and neurobehavioural toxicity study of erythrosine administered to mice in the diet.

Erythrosine was given in the diet to provide levels of 0 (control), 0.005, 0.015 and 0.045% from 5 weeks of age of the F(0) generation to 9 weeks of age of the F(1) generation in mice, and selected reproductive and neurobehavioural parameters were measured. There were no adverse effects of erythrosine on either litter size, litter weight or sex ratio at birth. The average body weight of the offspring was significantly increased in the middle-dose group in both sexes during the lactation period. In behavioural developmental parameters, any variables showed no significant adverse effects in either sex in the lactation period. In movement activity of exploratory behaviour, several parameters were significantly changed in the high-dose group, and those effects were dose related in adult females in the F(0) and F(1) generations and in male offspring in the F(1) generation. The dose level of erythrosine in the present study produced few adverse effects in reproductive and neurobehavioural parameters in mice.