Teratogenic Effects of Long Term Consumption of Potassium Benzoate on Eye Development in Balb/c Fetal Mice

Objective(s): Potassium benzoate (PB) is used as a substitute preservative for sodium benzoate primarily in dietetic foods where the sodium content is minimized. There are few reports about the teratogenic effects of PB. The purpose of this study is to investigate the teratogenic effects of PB on eye development in balb/c mice fetuses. Materials and Methods: Thirty female mice were divided to two experimental and one control groups (N=10/grp). Experimental groups I and II received daily intraperitoneal (IP) injections of 280 and 560 mg/kg of PB, respectively; while the control group received normal saline. Injections were done for 10 days before mating and from gestation days (GD) 6 through 15. Dams were Caesarean sectioned on GD 18. Eye development was externally examined. After measuring weight and crown-rump length of the fetuses, the tissue sections of the eyes were prepared and stained with hematoxylin-eosin. Histopathologic and morphologic changes were recorded. The data was analyzed by ANOVA and Mann Whitney statistical tests using SPSS (version 15). Results: Fetuses with eye malformations observed in both experimental groups of I and II. The incidence of these malformations was significantly increased in fetuses of experimental group II as compared with the control group (P<0.05). Histopathological evaluations of the malformed eyes showed deformed lens, retinal folds with undeveloped layers associated with hemorrhage. Conclusion: Our results suggest that PB can induce teratogenic effects on the eye development of mice fetuses. Therefore, more concise studies are needed regarding its specific and general effects conducted.