Abstract
Chromium(III) picolinate, [Cr(pic)3], is a commonly used nutritional supplement in humans, which has also been approved for use in animals. Health concerns have arisen over the use of [Cr(pic)3]. At high [Cr(pic)3] doses, developmental toxicity tests in female mice have shown a higher litter incidence of split cervical arch in exposed fetuses, but this was not consistently reproducible. In the current study, male CD-1 mice were used to further assess the potential for reproductive or developmental toxicity. Four weeks prior to mating, the males were fed a diet providing 200 mg/kg/day [Cr(pic)3] for comparison with untreated controls. Females were not treated. Each male was mated with two females, which were sacrificed on gestation day 17, and their litters were examined for adverse effects. Mating and fertility indices were not significantly altered by treatment. Male exposure to [Cr(pic)3] also had no effect on prenatal mortality, fetal weight, or gross or skeletal morphology. These results suggest that paternal dietary exposure to chromium(III) picolinate has little potential for adverse reproductive effects, even at exposure levels considerably higher than expected human exposures from nutritional supplements (1 mg of Cr per day or less).
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Acknowledgments
F.B. and C.G. were supported in part by NSF REU grant (CHE 0647789) to J.B.V. and Stephen A. Woski.
Conflict of Interest Statement
J.B.V. is the inventor or co-inventor of four patents on the use of Cr3, [Cr3O(O2CCH2CH3)6(H2O)3]+, as a nutritional supplement or therapeutic agent.
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McAdory, D., Rhodes, N.R., Briggins, F. et al. Potential of Chromium(III) Picolinate for Reproductive or Developmental Toxicity Following Exposure of Male CD-1 Mice Prior to Mating. Biol Trace Elem Res 143, 1666–1672 (2011). https://doi.org/10.1007/s12011-011-9002-4
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s12011-011-9002-4