Acute and chronic toxicity of furylfuramide in rats and mice.

Abstract

As a model experiment on the study of toxicity of a compound, acute, short-term and long-term toxicity tests on Furylfuramide (2-(2-Furyl)-3-(5-nitro-2-8- furyl) acryl amide) were performed using Nitrofurazone (5-nitro-2-furaldehyde semicarbazone) and sorbic acid as control compounds. As the most conspicuous changes, hypertrophy of liver cells with clear cytoplasm was noted within a week of feeding. These cells were first located around the central vein and increased in number with time toward the peripheral portion of the lobule. In spite of the long-term experiments up to two years in rats and mice, no progressive lesion of the liver followed by the hypertrophy. No cumulative effect of Furylfuramide was noted in any organ. The hypertrophy of liver cells was reversible, when animals were switched to basal diet and kept on it for a certain length of time. A concentration of 0.125% in the diet was considered to be the tolerable safe dose of Furylfuramide. High incidence of spontaneous tumors developed in mice fed on Furylfuramide and control diet for two years was described. There was no difference in incidences between groups.