Teratogenicity and embryotoxicity of nickel carbonyl in Syrian hamsters.

Nickel carbonyl was administered to groups of pregnant hamsters by inhalation (0.06 mg Ni(CO)4/liter/15 min) on days 4, 5, 6, 7, or 8 of gestation. The dams were killed on day 15 of gestation, and the fetuses were examined for malformations. Exposure to Ni(CO)4 on days 4 or 5 of gestation resulted in malformations in 5.5% (8/146) and 5.8% (10/171) of the progeny, respectively (P less than 0.05, versus 0/95 in controls). The proportions of litters with malformed fetuses were 33% (4/12) and 24% (4/17) in dams exposed to Ni(CO)4 on days 4 and 5 of gestation (P less than 0.05, versus 0/9 in litters of control dams). Progeny of dams exposed to Ni(CO)4 on days 4 and 5 included 9 fetuses with cystic lungs, 7 fetuses with exencephaly, 1 fetus with exencephaly plus fused rib, and 1 fetus with anophthalmia plus cleft palate. Hemorrhages into serous cavities were found in 18% (26/146) and 25% (42/171) of fetuses of dams exposed to Ni(CO)4 on days 4 or 5 of gestation. Such hemorrhages were not observed in controls. In progeny of dams exposed to Ni(CO)4 on days 6 or 7 of gestation, there was 1 fetus with fused ribs and there were 2 fetuses with hydronephrosis. In another experiment, pregnant hamsters were exposed to inhalation of Ni(CO)4 (0.06 mg/liter/15 min) on day 5 of gestation; these dams were permitted to deliver their litters and to nurse their pups. On the day of delivery, there was no significant difference in the average number of live pups in the Ni(CO)4-exposed litters compared to control litters. Neonatal mortality was increased in Ni(CO)4-exposed litters; by day 4 postpartum, the number of live pups averaged 7.6 +/- 1.5 in Ni(CO)4-exposed litters (P less than 0.01 versus 9.6 +/- 1.8 pups in control litters). This study demonstrates that Ni(CO)4 is teratogenic and embryotoxic in Syrian hamsters.