Parabens are a group of antimicrobial preservatives widely used in
cosmetics,
pharmaceuticals, and in foods. Previous in vitro and in vivo studies have shown weak
estrogenic effects of some
parabens. Thus, especially, exposure of fetus and infants via the mother is a matter of concern. In order to obtain more knowledge about the distribution of
ethyl paraben and butyl
paraben in pregnant rats and pups after perinatal exposure, the presented study was designed. The data show response and distribution of
ethyl paraben and butyl
paraben in maternal rat plasma, pools of amniotic fluids, placenta, whole-body fetuses, and in fetal liver after dosing of dams with 100, 200, and 400 mg/kg
body weight (bw)/day from gestational day 7 to 21. After
cesarean section of dams, the fluids and tissues were collected, deconjugated, and purified by solid-phase extraction, and
ethyl paraben and butyl
paraben were analyzed by liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry. Markedly higher levels of
ethyl paraben compared to butyl
paraben were found in all fluids and tissues. Both
ethyl paraben and butyl
paraben in maternal plasma, livers, and whole-body tissues from fetus seemed to be saturated after dosing with >or= 100 mg/kg bw/day, while both compounds were excreted into amniotic fluid in a dose-dependent manner. Significant difference was found between the level of
ethyl paraben in maternal plasma and amniotic fluid after dosing with 200 mg/kg bw/day as well as between the levels of butyl
paraben in maternal plasma and amniotic fluid after dosing with 100, 200, and 400 mg/kg bw/day.