ISSN:
1432-0738
Keywords:
Acute toxicity
;
LD50 method
Source:
Springer Online Journal Archives 1860-2000
Topics:
Medicine
Notes:
Abstract 170 acute toxicity determinations, carried out in rats, mice, and guinea pigs after oral and parenteral administration during the past 5 years, using 5 ♂/5 ♀ animals per dose, were evaluated with respect to the possibility of a reduction of animals necessary for obtaining LD50 values with limits of confidence. Calculations were performed on existing data; no additional animal experiments were initiated for the purpose of this paper. For the majority of substances 3 ♂/3 ♀ animals per dose would have sufficed for the determination of a LD50 value with limits of confidence. Even when using 2 ♂/2 ♀ animals per dose, in most cases sufficently acceptable LD50 values can be determined, if the period of observation — conventionally 4 weeks — would be doubled. Using this procedure, 75% of the animals could be saved. The reduced number of animals and the labor saved thereby would allow for a more individualized observation of single animals thus optimizing the evaluation of acute toxicity testing.
Type of Medium:
Electronic Resource
URL:
http://dx.doi.org/10.1007/BF00348853
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