Trichloroethylene (TCE) has previously been shown, in adult mouse lung
, to alter the distribution of phospholipid associated with the pulmon
ary surfactant and to affect the activity of phospholipase A(2), an en
zyme involved in synthesis of the surfactant. However there are no dat
a available on the effects of maternal exposure to TCE on fetal lung d
evelopment. To determine if maternal TCE exposure may affect fetal pul
monary development, pregnant mice were treated with TCE (3000 mg/kg bo
dy wt.) administered intraperitoneally on day 17 of pregnancy. Fetuses
were examined on the 18th and 19th gestational days and the Ist, 5th
and 10th postnatal days. TCE caused increased mortality among 18- and
19-day-old fetuses and 1-day-old newborn mice. In addition mean body w
eight was reduced on the 1st postnatal day in animals exposed to TCE.
Specific lung weights were also significantly reduced on both the 18th
and 19th gestational days. More importantly, total lung phospholipid
content was depressed immediately before birth; total DNA was not affe
cted. These results suggest that prenatal maternal exposure to TCE may
delay pulmonary maturation during the critical period when surfactant
synthesis is initiated.