Review of developmental toxicity of nitrophenolic herbicide dinoseb, 2-sec-butyl-4,6-dinitrophenol

The present review paper summarizes the data available in the literature concerning prenatal exposure to dinoseb (2-sec-butyl-4,6-dinitrophenol; CAS No. 88-85-7), evaluating reported developmental toxicity in experimental animals. In particular, we have focused on the variable factors in the manifestation of the developmental toxicity of dinoseb. In this review, we showed that developmental toxicity of dinoseb was remarkably different between animal species used in experiments. Teratogenicity was detected in rats fed a diet containing dinoseb, in mice given dinoseb by gavage, intraperitoneally or subcutaneously, and in rabbits given dinoseb by gavage or dermally. Teratogenicity in rats given dinoseb by gavage was influenced by the dietary composition used in the experiments. We postulated that evaluation of the developmental toxicity after exposure by anticipated routes of human exposure would be important for risk assessment in humans.