The diverse ways to determine experimental dose in animals

Abstract

Acute toxicity is manifested in terms of effects which occur after a single administration or a relatively brief exposure to a substance or mixture. The evidence for acute toxicity is usually obtained from animal testing so acute toxicity is usually characterised in terms of lethality and exposure times used in experimental protocols. Mainly two hazardous classes for acute toxicity are reported that are known as “Acute toxicity” and “STOT-SE (Specific Target Organ Toxicity-Single Exposure)”. This classification is based upon the evident lethality which is commonly reported as LD50/LC50 value. STOT-SE should be considered where there is clear evidence of toxicity to a specific organ, especially when it is observed in the absence of lethality. Once the LD50/LC50 value is determined, then acute toxicity estimate (ATE) could be decided therefore accurate measurement of LD50 is cardinal to understand the dose responses in animal experimentations. Current review entails a diverse method for determination of acute toxicity along with their merits and demerits. Also, it unfolds why three alternative methods i.e., fixed dose procedure (FDP), acute toxicity class (ATC) method and up and down method revealed a wide acceptance from scientific community even though the classical methods were present.