Prenatal Benzydamine Exposure Disrupts Maternal Behavior and Postnatal Offspring Survival in Rats

Maternal behavior is critical for offspring survival. Used for psychotropic effects, benzydamine may influence maternal behavior through its actions on the central nervous system. In this study, 6 pregnant rats received oral benzydamine every 48 hours throughout gestation, while 6 dams served as untreated controls. Maternal behavior and offspring viability were monitored for seven days postpartum, focusing on nursing, pup retrieval, licking/grooming, absence from the nest, and pup-directed aggression or infanticide. Litter size at birth was unaffected by treatment, however, postnatal survival was markedly reduced in benzydamine-exposed dams, with most mortality occurring within the first 24 hours. Treated dams exhibited impaired maternal care, including prolonged absence from the nest, reduced nursing, delayed pup retrieval, and occasional pup-directed aggression. Prenatal benzydamine exposure can impair maternal caregiving and postnatal offspring survival, highlighting the potential neurobehavioral risks of gestational exposure to compounds with central nervous system activity. These results underscore the need for further mechanistic studies to delineate the pathways underlying disrupted maternal behavior and to inform reproductive safety assessments.