Acute, 14-day repeated dosing, and 90-day subchronic toxicity studies of carbon tetrachloride in CD-1 mice

Abstract

CD-1 mice received carbon tetrachloride daily by gavage for 14 or 90 consecutive days. Corn oil was the vehicle used. The 14-day study involved doses of 625, 1250, and 2500 mg/kg; the 90-day subchronic study involved doses of 12, 120, 540, and 1200 mg/kg. The 14-day study revealed a dose-dependent mortality and decreased body weight in males, whereas females demonstrated mortality only at the high dose. Other dose-dependent findings included decreased fibrinogen and lymphocytes; increased LDH, SGPT (ALT), and SGOT (AST); increased liver weights and ratios in both sexes; and decreased lung, thymus, and kidney weights in males only. There were no compound-related deaths in the 90-day study. There were no consistent compound-related effects on any of the hematological or urinary parameters evaluated. LDH, SGPT (ALT), SGOT (AST), ALP, cholesterol, and bilirubin were increased in an apparent dose-dependent manner while blood glucose levels decreased at all dosage levels. Liver, spleen, and thymus weights and ratios were increased at all dosage levels in both sexes. Histopathology revealed no kidney damage, but liver damage was observed at all doses in both sexes. A no-observable-adverse-effect level was not obtained in these studies.