Wistar rats: In a preliminary dose-finding study with non-pregnant rats, Diethylene glycol monomethyl ether (diEGME) treatment at doses up to 4,000 mg/kg/day on 11 consecutive days decreased relative weights of thymus and pituitary gland, white and red blood cell counts, hemoglobin concentrations and hematocrit levels. In pregnant rats, treatment at doses of > 3,000 mg/kg/day (over gestation days 7-17) caused total resorption of all litters. In teratology and postnatal studies, pregnant rats were treated with diEGME at doses of 0, 200, 600, and 1,800 mg/kg/day from day 7 through 17 of gestation. At 200 mg/kg, there were no adverse effects on either dams, fetuses, or neonates. At 600 mg/kg, dams were not affected, but fetal body weights were decreased, and fetal thymus and ossification were adversely affected. At 1,800 mg/kg, maternal thymus weights and food consumption were decreased, and visceral malformations of the cardiovascular system were seen in 28.0% of the fetuses.

When Diethylene glycol monomethyl ether (DEGME), EGME or MAA was added to chick limb bud micromass cultures at the highest concentration tested (100uL/mL), proteoglycan content was significantly reduced when compared to controls. After treatment with either DEGME or EGME at concentrations less than 100 uL/mL, there was no concentration dependent change for proteoglycans and the only significant decreases were seen at 100uL/mL. For DEGME, only the 100 uL/mL concentration significantly reduced cell proliferation when compared to control cultures. For the time course studies, at the highest concentration tested (100 uL/mL), both DEGME and EGME had significant effects on proteoglycan abundance (AG absorbance) and cell proliferation (CV absorbance) by the end of the first 24 h period.