Behavioral and developmental effects in suckling mice following maternal exposure to the mycotoxin secalonic acid D

Pregnant mice (dams) were gavaged once on gestational day 13 with 4 ml/kg of dimethylsulfoxide vehicle containing 0 (groups 15, 25 and negative control) or 25 (positive behavioral teratogenic control group) mg/kg of secalonic acid D (SAD). While nursing their offspring, dams were gavaged on postgestational days 1 to 10 with vehicle containing 0 (negative and positive control groups), 15 (group 15) or 25 (group 25) mg/kg/day of SAD. Gestational lengths, maternal pregnancy weights, litter sizes, neonatal sex ratios, neonatal physical appearance and female birth weights were unaffected by prenatal treatment, but male pups born to positive control dams weighed less (p less than 0.05) than negative control group. Compared to negative control, the positive control dams gained significantly more weight while nursing their offspring. Prenatal (positive control) and postnatal (15, 25) SAD exposure delayed ontogeny of surface righting, olfactory discrimination and hindlimb grip behaviors in males and females, and testes descent in males. Negative geotaxis in male and female offspring of group 25 and male offspring of positive control group, as well as times of incisor eruptions of both sexes in groups 15 and 25 were delayed. A significant dose-response effect in olfactory discrimination existed between the groups exposed to postnatal SAD. SAD was behaviorally teratogenic following both prenatal and early postnatal exposure.