Neonatal toxicity in rats following in utero exposure to chlorphentermine or phentermine.
The administration of chlorphentermine (30 mg/kg) to pregnant rats during the last 5 days of gestation resulted in the development of a phospholipidosis in the lungs of the dams. The disorder developed in utero, as the phospholipidosis was evident in the lungs of the neonates when examined at 12 h postpartum. In contrast, a phospholipidosis was not observed in the lungs of the dams or neonates following phentermine treatment (30 mg/kg). Concurrently, neonates of the chlorphentermine-treated dams displayed a significant decrease in body weight in comparison to controls. Between 16 h and 24 h postpartum, 83% of the neonates of chlorphentermine-treated dams died. Cross-fostering and starvation experiments revealed that the lethality was not due to aberrant maternal behavior by the chlorphentermine-treated dams or malnutrition of the neonates. Histological examinations revealed endothelial and septal alterations in the lungs of neonates from chlorphentermine-treated dams. No signs of toxicity, as evidenced by the maintenance of body weight, or lethality were observed in the neonates of the phentermine-treated dams.
D000818:Animals; D000831:Animals, Newborn / Q000502:physiology*; D001835:Body Weight / Q000187:drug effects; D002745:Chlorphentermine / Q000633:toxicity*; D005260:Female; D008168:Lung / Q000473:pathology; D008171:Lung Diseases / Q000139:chemically induced* / Q000378:metabolism; D008431:Maternal-Fetal Exchange; D010645:Phentermine / Q000031:analogs & derivatives* / Q000633:toxicity*; D010743:Phospholipids / Q000378:metabolism; D011247:Pregnancy; D051381:Rats; D013217:Starvation / Q000503:physiopathology
D010743:Phospholipids; D010645:Phentermine; D002745:Chlorphentermine