Embryotoxicity and teratogenicity of lithium carbonate in Wistar rat.

Lithium carbonate was administered orally to pregnant Wistar rats from day 6-15 of gestation at doses of 50 and 100 mg/kg. Evidence of embryotoxic and teratogenic potential of lithium carbonate was noticed at the dose of 100 mg/kg. Reduction in number and weight of the litter, increase in the number of resorptions, wavy ribs, short and deformed bones of the limbs, or an increased incidence of incomplete ossification of sternebrae and wide bone separation in the skull were the important findings suggesting the nature and extent of embryotoxicity and teratogenicity of lithium carbonate in Wistar rats.