Assessment of maternal toxicity, embryotoxicity and teratogenic potential of sodium chlorite in Sprague-Dawley rats.

Groups of up to 13 pregnant rats were individually caged. Body weight, food and water consumption were recorded at days 1, 8, 15 and 22 of gestation and the dams were treated on days 8-15 with sodium chlorite, 0.1%, 0.5% or 2% in drinking water or by injection of 10, 20, or 50 mg/kg IP or by gavaging with 200 mg/kg. To prevent ingestion of stillborn pups some dams were sacrificed at day 22. Other dams were allowed to deliver at term. Fetuses were weighed, measured and examined for soft tissue and skeletal malformations. Sodium chlorite, 20 or 50 mg/kg daily IP or gavaging with 200 mg/kg, caused vaginal and urethral bleeding. Doses of 10, 20 or 50 mg/kg daily IP caused 0, 50 and 100% mortality of dams, respectively. No deaths were caused by sodium chlorite in the drinking water, but the dams' body weight, water and food consumption decreased during all treatments except 0.1% in the drinking water. Blood smears from the dams injected IP or drinking 2% sodium chlorite showed irregular, bizarre and ruptured erythrocytes. Injection of 10 or 20 mg/kg or drinking 2% resulted in decreased litter size and increased stillbirths and resorption sites. Drinking 0.1% or 0.5% sodium chlorite did not produce any significant embryotoxicity. With all treatments, no significant gross soft tissue or skeletal malformations were observed. Postnatal growth of the pups was not affected by any treatment of the dams during the gestation period.