Teratology study of diethylene glycol mono-n-butyl ether in rats.

The teratogenicity of diethylene glycol mono-n-butyl ether (DEGMBE) was studied in Wistar rats. The pregnant rats were fed a diet containing DEGMBE from day 0 through day 20 of pregnancy. The dietary concentrations of DEGMBE were 0, 0.04, 0.2 and 1% and the daily intakes of DEGMBE were 0, 25, 115 and 633 mg/kg, respectively. In the DEGMBE-treated groups, the maternal body weight gain during pregnancy was significantly reduced, but neither decrease in food consumption during pregnancy nor any clinical sign of toxicity was observed. No significant differences between the DEGMBE-treated groups and the control group were found in the pre- and postimplantation losses, the number of live fetuses per litter, the sex ratio of live fetuses, the fetal body weight and the placental weight. External, skeletal and internal examinations of the fetuses revealed no evidence of teratogenesis. In the postnatal development of the offspring from the dams given DEGMBE, a high survival rate and good growth of the offspring were noted. It could be concluded that DEGMBE has no adverse effects on the pre- and postnatal development of the offspring in rats.