A developmental toxicity and psychotoxicity evaluation of FD and C red dye #3 (erythrosine) in rats.
Two experiments were conducted to evaluate FD and C Red Dye #3 for its developmental toxicity and psychotoxicity. Adult Sprague-Dawley rats were fed diets containing the dye for 2 weeks and were then bred. The diets were continued for the females throughout gestation and lactation and were provided continuously to their offspring thereafter. The treatment groups for Experiment 1 were Red Dye #3 as 0.0, 0.25, 0.5, or 1.0% of the diet (w/w), and a positive control group treated with the toxin hydroxyurea on days 2-10 of life (50 mg/kg/day, s.c.); Experiment 2 was a replication of Experiment 1 with the same dose groups, but without the positive control group. Parental animals were evaluated for weight and food consumption, and females for reproductive success. The offspring were assessed on a series of tests using the Cincinnati Psychoteratogenicity Screening Test Battery, plus weight, food consumption, physical landmarks of development, and brain weight. Red-3 produced no reductions in parental or offspring weight or food consumption. Red-3 significantly increased preweaning offspring mortality in the first experiment, but not in the second. Behaviorally, Red-3 produced no dose-dependent effects that replicated across the two experiments. It was concluded that no evidence was obtained that dietary exposure to FD and C Red Dye #3 (erythrosine) is psychotoxic to developing rats.
D000818:Animals; D001522:Behavior, Animal / Q000187:drug effects*; D001835:Body Weight / Q000187:drug effects; D001921:Brain / Q000033:anatomy & histology; D004032:Diet; D004305:Dose-Response Relationship, Drug; D004923:Erythrosine / Q000633:toxicity*; D005260:Female; D005452:Fluoresceins / Q000633:toxicity*; D007774:Lactation / Q000187:drug effects; D008098:Litter Size / Q000187:drug effects; D008297:Male; D009043:Motor Activity / Q000187:drug effects; D009929:Organ Size / Q000187:drug effects; D011247:Pregnancy; D051381:Rats; D011919:Rats, Inbred Strains; D012098:Reproduction / Q000187:drug effects*
D005452:Fluoresceins; D004923:Erythrosine