Inhalation two-generation reproductive toxicity study of methyl isobutyl ketone in rats.

To evaluate whether methyl isobutyl ketone (MIBK) affects reproductive performance, a two-generation reproduction study was conducted. MIBK was administered to 30 Sprague-Dawley rats/sex/group via whole-body inhalation at concentrations of 0, 500, 1000, or 2000 ppm, 6 h daily, for 70 days prior to mating. F(0) and F(1) females were exposed from mating through gestation day 20 and from postnatal day 5; F(2) litters were maintained through postnatal day 21. No treatment-related mortality of adult animals occurred. There was a dose-related increase in adult animals with no or a decreased response to a sound stimulus at 1000 and 2000 ppm; however, no adverse clinical signs occurred 1 h after exposure, suggesting this was a transient sedative effect. Clinical signs of central nervous system (CNS) depression in the pups were observed and one F(1) pup died after initial exposure to 2000 ppm on postnatal day 22; subsequently exposure was delayed until postnatal day 28. Decreased body weight gain and slight decreased food consumption were observed during the first 2 weeks of exposure in both generations at 2000 ppm. There were no adverse effects on male and female reproductive function or landmarks of sexual maturation. Increased F(0) and F(1) liver weights with associated centrilobular hypertrophy occurred in rats at 2000 ppm, indicative of an adaptive response. Increased male kidney weights at all exposure concentrations, associated with hyaline droplets, were indicative of male rat-specific nephropathy. Other than acute sedative effects, the no-observed-adverse-effect level (NOAEL) for parental systemic effects (excluding male rat kidney) was 1000 ppm, based on transient decreased body weight and food consumption; for reproductive effects, 2000 ppm, the highest concentration tested; and for neonatal toxicity, 1000 ppm (based on acute CNS depressive effects).

Subchronic toxicity of cyclohexane in rats and mice by inhalation exposure.

Inhalation studies were conducted to determine the potential toxicity and/or potential neurotoxicity of cyclohexane. Groups of rats and mice were exposed to 0, 500, 2000, or 7000 ppm concentrations of cyclohexane vapor 6 hr/day, 5 days/week for 14 weeks. Subgroups of rats and mice were further observed during a 1-month recovery period. Functional observational battery (FOB) and motor activity (MA) behavioral tests were conducted on rats. These tests were conducted prior to the exposure series and during weeks 4, 8, and 13 on non-exposure days. Clinical pathology evaluations were conducted after approximately 7, 13, and 18 weeks. Approximately 14 and 18 weeks after study initiation, tissues from rats and mice were histologically processed and evaluated by light microscopy. During exposure to 2000 or 7000 ppm, rats and mice had a diminished response or an absent response to delivery of a punctate auditory alerting stimulus. Immediately following removal of rats from the inhalation chambers, 7000 ppm males and females and 2000 ppm females displayed a compound-related increase in the incidence of wet and/or stained fur (which occurred in the areas of the mouth, chin, and/or perineum). These signs were transient, were not observed during exposure or prior to exposure the following day, and were not associated with any behavioral or morphological changes. During exposure sessions, mice exposed to 7000 ppm exhibited clinical signs of toxicity which included hyperactivity, circling, jumping/hopping, excessive grooming, kicking of rear legs, standing on front legs, and occasional flipping behavior. Clinical signs of toxicity observed in 7000 ppm mice immediately after exposure included hyperactivity, hyperreactivity, ruffled fur (females only), gait abnormalities, spasms in both rear legs, and excessive grooming (males only). The clinical signs observed in mice during and immediately after exposure were transient, and were not present prior to the subsequent exposure. A few mice exposed to 2000 ppm appeared hyperactive during exposure in the latter portion of the study. There were no compound-related changes in mean body weights, body weight gains, food consumption, food efficiency, or mortality; and there were no ophthalmological abnormalities in rats or mice. In addition, there were no compound-related effects on 37 different behavioral parameters assessed during the FOB or during motor activity tests in rats. Male and female mice exposed to 7000 ppm had slight increases in measures of circulating erythrocyte mass (red blood cells, hemoglobin, hematocrit) and plasma protein concentration (males only). Male rats and male and female mice exposed to 7000 ppm had significantly increased relative liver weights, and 7000 ppm male mice also had significantly increased absolute liver weights at the end of the exposure period. At the end of the 1-month recovery period, absolute and relative liver weights of male and female mice were similar to control. However, relative liver weights of 7000 ppm male rats continued to be significantly higher at the end of the recovery period. Male and female rats exposed to 7000 ppm had a significantly increased incidence of hepatic centrilobular hypertrophy at the end of the exposure period, which was not observed at the conclusion of the 1-month recovery period. No microscopic changes were observed in mice. In rats, the no-observed-effect level (NOEL) for acute, transient effects was 500 ppm based on a diminished/absent response to an auditory alerting stimulus at 2000 ppm and above. The NOEL for subchronic toxicity in rats was 7000 ppm based on the lack of adverse effects on body weight, clinical chemistry, tissue morphology, and neurobehavioral parameters. In mice, the NOEL for acute, transient effects was 500 ppm based on behavioral changes during exposure at 2000 ppm and above. The NOEL for subchronic toxicity in mice is 2000 ppm based on hematological changes at 7000 ppm.

A 2-year comparison study of Crl:CD BR and Hsd:Sprague-Dawley SD rats.

In this 2-year study, the suitability of the Hsd:Sprague-Dawley SD (SD) as a replacement for the Crl:CD BR (CD) rat was assessed by comparing survival rates, palpable mass incidence, body weights, food consumption, clinical laboratory parameters, and necropsy and histopathology observations. At week 104, survival rates in the CD and SD males were 29 and 49%, respectively. Corresponding survival rates in females were 44 and 63%. The total numbers of animals with palpable masses and animals with neoplasms were similar in the CD and SD rats; however, the total numbers of palpable masses and neoplasms were higher in the CD rats. The incidence of corneal lesions was higher in the SD rats, whereas the incidence of lenticular opacities was higher in the CD rats. Body weights, food and water consumption, and organ weights were significantly lower in the SD rats. In contrast, food intake per kilogram of body weight was slightly higher in the SD rats. Numerous differences in clinical laboratory parameters between the CD and SD rats were observed. Some of these were consistent with the increased prevalence of kidney disease and secondary sequelae in the SD rats. Taken together, the better survival, smaller size, and lower food consumption of the SD rat may make it a better model for chronic bioassays. However, the increased propensity for spontaneous renal disease may limit the utility of the SD rat for studying nephrotoxic compounds.

Toxicity of desoxycorticosterone pivalate given at high dosages to clinically normal beagles for six months.

Desoxycorticosterone pivalate was administered IM to juvenile Beagles at 0, 2.2, 6.6, or 11 mg/kg of body weight daily over a consecutive 3-day period every 28 days (equivalent to a cumulative monthly dosage of 0, 6.6, 19.8, or 33 mg/kg) for 6 months. Polyuria, polydipsia, and decreases in serum potassium and BUN concentrations were detected while the dogs were being treated. Transient increases in serum sodium concentrations also were detected. The treated males had significant decreases in body weight gain, resulting in an 18% decrease in body weight in the 11-mg/kg dosage group, compared with the controls. The weights of the adrenal glands, epididymides, and testes also were lower in the treated males. Organ weights for the 2.2, 6.6, and 11-mg/kg dosage groups were: 86, 79, and 69%, respectively, of the controls (adrenal glands); 80, 70, and 68%, respectively, of the controls (epididymides); and, 79, 75, and 67%, respectively, of the controls (testes). When normalized to body weight, these decreases in organ weight were still dosage-dependent, but the differences were less remarkable. In contrast, the relative weight (to body weight) of the kidneys (males and females) and of the thyroid and parathyroid glands (males) were higher dosage-dependently. All of the treatment-related effects, other than organ and body weight changes, appeared to be reversible following the cessation of treatment. On the basis of these results, it was concluded that treatment with desoxycorticosterone pivalate could be tolerated, even when given at dosage 15-fold the therapeutic dosage of 2.2 mg/kg every 25 days.

Carcinogenicity of formaldehyde in rats and mice after long-term inhalation exposure.

Groups of approximately 120 male and 120 female Fischer 344 rats and C57BL/6 X C3H F1 mice were exposed by inhalation to 0, 2.0, 5.6, and 14.3 ppm of formaldehyde gas 6 hr/day, 5 days/week, for 24 months. This exposure period was followed by up to 6 months of nonexposure. Interim sacrifices were conducted at 6, 12, 18, 24, 27, and 30 months. Significant formaldehyde-induced lesions were restricted to the nasal cavity and proximal trachea. The distribution and severity of these lesions were concentration dependent. Rhinitis, epithelial dysplasia, and squamous metaplasia occurred in all exposure groups of rats and in the intermediate and high exposure groups of mice. There was regression of rhinitis, dysplasia, and metaplasia at 27 months (3 months postexposure) in the 14.3- and 5.6-ppm groups of mice and in the 2.0- and 5.6-ppm groups of rats. Squamous cell carcinomas were observed in the nasal cavities of 103 rats (52 females and 51 males) and 2 male mice exposed to 14.3 ppm and in 2 rats (one male and one female) exposed to 5.6 ppm of formaldehyde gas. Formaldehyde inhalation was also weakly associated with an increase in the frequency of polypoid adenomas in the nasal cavity of male rats.

Toxicology of AMSA in beagle dogs and CDF1 mice.

The toxic effects of AMSA in single-dose (x1) or five-daily-dose (x5) regimens were studied in male and female beagle dogs and CDF1 mice. AMSA was administered orally via gelatin capsules to dogs and as a Klucel suspension to mice. Suitable placebo controls were evaluated. Doses in dogs ranged from 62.5 to 1000 mg/m2 (lethal dose [LD]) for the x1 study and from 31.25 to 500 mg/m2 (LD) for the x5 study. Dogs given the LD (x1 and x5) had degenerative lesions in the gastrointestinal mucosa, depletion of bone marrow hematopoietic tissue, and lymphoid depletion. These lesions were not seen at doses lower than the LD in the x1 study but were present in the x5 study, with severity related to dose. Toxicity appeared to be reversible at the lower doses since animals killed after a 45-day observation period had none of the above lesions. Clinical signs of emesis, diarrhea, and weight loss correlated with the above lesions as did the depressed wbc counts. The toxicity in dogs was dose- and schedule-dependent. The 14-day LD10, LD50, and LD90 values (mg/m2) for mice in the x1 study were as follows: LD10, 440 in males and 475 in females; LD50, 810 in males and 728 in females; and LD90, 1489 in males and 1117 in females. Mortality was observed initially on Day 4. Single-dose toxicity studies were conducted in mice by oral administration of doses equal to one-half of the LD10, the LD10, and the LD50. The major drug-related lesions in mice included thymic degeneration and atrophy and bone marrow depletion at the higher dose levels, while the major drug-related lesions in dogs included enteric mucosal degeneration and generalized lymphoid and bone marrow depletion. The toxicity of AMSA was reversible in mice and dogs.

Induction of squamous cell carcinomas of the rat nasal cavity by inhalation exposure to formaldehyde vapor.

Groups of 120 male and 120 female rats were exposed by inhalation to 0, 2, 6, or 15 ppm formaldehyde vapor 6 hr/day, 5 days/week, for 18 months of a 24-month study. The present communication describes interim findings based on data available after 18 months of exposure. Squamous cell carcinomas occurred in the nasal cavities of 36 rats exposed to 15 ppm formaldehyde. The tumors ranged from small early carcinomas of the nasal turbinate to large invasive osteolytic neoplasms which extended into the subcutis of the premaxilla. Similar tumors were not detected in rats exposed for 18 months to 2 or 6 ppm or in mice exposed to 2, 6, or 15 ppm formaldehyde. Rhinitis, epithelial dysplasia, and squamous metaplasia occurred in rats from all exposure levels of formaldehyde; however, the severity and extent of the lesions were dose related. In contrast, papillary hyperplasia and squamous atypia occurred only in animals exposed to 15 ppm formaldehyde.

Preclinical toxicologic evaluation of dianhydrogalactitol in dogs and monkeys.

Thirty dogs in four different treatment schedules and 14 monkeys in a single multiple-treatment schedule were used to evaluate the toxicity of dianhydrogalactitol. Highest nontoxic, low toxic, high toxic, and lethal doses were established in single injection doses and five daily injections in dogs, and in five daily injections in monkeys. Dose ranges of 20-320 mg/m2 (single injection) and 5-80 mg/m2 (five daily injections) in dogs, and 3-96 mg/m2 (five daily injections) in monkeys were established. The monkeys were more sensitive than dogs to the low toxic dose and more tolerant to the high toxic dose in the repeated daily injections. The dose-response curves for the dogs and monkeys had similar slopes and inflection points. Because of the steep slope between the lethal dose and the highest nontoxic dose in both species, caution should be used in the initial clinical trials.