Effects of administering caffeine to pregnant rats either as a single daily dose or as divided doses four times a day

• Published in: Food and chemical toxicology Vol. 25; no. 2; pp. 125 - 133
• Main Authors: Smith, S.E., McElhatton, P.R., Sullivan, F.M.
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Oxford Elsevier Ltd 01.02.1987; New York, NY Elsevier Science
• Subjects: Abnormalities, Drug-Induced - etiology; Animals; Biological and medical sciences; Body Weight - drug effects; Caffeine - blood; Caffeine - toxicity; Coffee, tea and other stimulative beverage industries; Dose-Response Relationship, Drug; Female; Food industries; Food toxicology; Fundamental and applied biological sciences. Psychology; Medical sciences; Osteogenesis - drug effects; Placenta - drug effects; Pregnancy; Rats; Toxicology; Toxicity; Toxicology; Caffeine; Rat; Body weight; Rodentia; Maternal treatment; Pregnancy; Vertebrata; Mammalia; Placenta; Malformation; Animal; Fetus; Teratogen
• ISSN: 0278-6915; 1873-6351
• DOI: 10.1016/0278-6915(87)90145-1

From day 6 to day 20 of pregnancy, rats were treated with caffeine in a total daily dose of 10 or 100 mg/kg by gavage, either as a single bolus dose or as four divided doses given at 3-hr intervals throughout the day. Controls were given distilled water at the same times. Maternal body weight and food and water consumption were reduced in the two groups receiving a total of 100 mg caffeine/kg/day and in the group given 2.5 mg/kg four times daily. Dose-related decreases in foetal weight, placental weight and crown—rump length and dose-related retardation of skeletal ossification were observed. Major foetal abnormalities, mainly ectrodactyly, were seen only in the group given 100 mg caffeine/kg in a single daily dose.