Congenital abnormalities in rat embryos associated with maternal use of fluphenazine hydrochloride during pregnancy

Fluphenazine, a phenothiazine derivative, was administered intraperitoneally to pregnant rats, at different doses from the 6th and/or 10th to the 19th day of gestation. Body weights of pregnant rats decreased significantly after exposure to fluphenazine. Embryotoxic and teratogenic effects of fluphenazine were evaluated. High doses of fluphenazine when administered from the 6th day of gestation caused inhibition of implantation. It caused growth retardation and skeletal defects when administered from the 10th day of gestation. Morphological malformations such as micrognathia, gastro-schisis and macrophthalmous are also found to occur