Cadmium chloride was administered in drinking water at a concentration of 50 ppm cadmium to female rats for 20 days of gestation. The foetuses were then removed from the uteri of the dams. Gestational exposure to oral cadmium resulted in decreased zinc, copper, iron, metallothionein, and thionein-bound zinc content in foetal liver as well as in reduced copper content in placenta and foetal intestine, brain and kidney. Subcellular fractionation of the foetal liver revealed decreased nuclear and cytoplasmic zinc content as well as decreased microsomal iron content. Pregnant rats exposed to oral cadmium revealed decreased serum zinc and iron concentration as well as reduced ceruloplasmin activity. The decreased zinc, copper, and iron content in foetal organs is suggested to be causally connected with the diminished availability of these metals in the maternal circulation.

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The addition of N-[[(4-chlorphenyl)amino]carbonyl]-2,6-difluorobenzamide(diflubenzuron; Dimilin; TH-6040) up to levels of 250 ppm of the total diet of both male broilers and layers for 98 days did not affect the hyaluronic acid (HA) concentration (microgram/g tissue) in the combs. The concentration was measured at 21, 28, 42, 56, and 98 days on feed. The concentration in the combs of the layers were not significantly different at any sampling period regardless of diet. At the end of 56 days on feed, the combs of the broiler controls had a significantly (P less than .025) higher concentration than did any of the groups fed diflubenzuron. There were no differences observed at 21, 28, 42, or 98 days in the broilers. The HA concentration increased as the chickens matured and became larger; however, large variations were observed within the various groups at a given sample period.

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