Evaluation of Maternal Toxicity in Rats Exposed to 1,3-Dichloro-2-propanol during Pregnancy

The present study was carried out to investigate the potential adverse effects of 1,3-dichloro-2-propanol on pregnant dams after maternal exposure during the gestational days (GD) 6 through 19 in Sprague-Dawley rats. The tested chemical was administered orally to pregnant rats at dose levels of 0, 10, 30, or 90 mg/kg/day. During the test period, clinical signs, mortality, body weights, food consumption, serum biochemistry, gross findings, organ weights, and Caesarean section findings were examined. In the 90 mg/kg group, decreases in the body weight gain and food consumption, and increases in the weights of liver and adrenal glands were observed. Serum biochemical investigations revealed increases in aspartate aminotransferase (AST), alanine aminotransferase (ALT), cholesterol (CHO), triglyceride (TG), alkaline phosphatase (ALP), and bilirubin (BIL) and decreases in glucose (GLU), albumin (ALB) and total protein (TP). In the 30 mg/kg group, a decrease in the food consumption and an increase in the liver weight were observed. Serum biochemical investigation also showed increases in CHO and TG and a decrease in glucose. Since there were no signs of maternal toxicity in the 10 mg/kg group, it is considered to be the no-observed-adverse-effect level (NOAEL) of 1,3-dichloro-2-propanol. It is concluded that successive oral administration of 1,3-dichloro-2-propanol to pregnant rats for 14 days may cause significant toxicities in body weight and liver at a dose rate ≥ 30 mg/kg/day.