Abstract
Sodium nitrite (NaNO2) is a food additive which has been commonly used in fish meat, ham and sousage as a food color fixative. Effects of NaNO2 on pregnant mice, fetuses and neonates were studied using CrJ : CD-1(ICR) mice for three generation. NaNO2 was orally administered to the first and second generation pregnant mice during critical and pericritcal periods of organogenesis in the fetuses in order to examine embryotoxic and teratogenic effects. In mice, NaNO2 was given at dose of 120 mg/kg per mouse once a day for 5 days from day 0 to 4, day 3 to 7, day 6 to 10, day 9 to 13 and day 12 to 16 of gestation. The findings obtained were summarized as follows : 1) In the first generation pregnant mice, suppression of the body weight gain was observed on the 3rd, 6th, 9th and 12th day-groups. 2) Body weight of off spring of the 1st generation and the 2nd generation was observed significantly lower in the experimental groups than the control group on 70 days of age. 3) Neither suppression of body weight gain nor other adverse effects on the dams and thier fetuses were observed in all non-administration groups of the 2nd generation.
