TRICHLOROGUAIACOL AND TETRACHLOROGUAIACOL - RESULTS OF A 3 AND 6-MONTH FEEDING STUDY IN RATS

Male weanling rats were fed diets containing 0, 50, 500 or 5000 ppm of trior tetrachloroguaiacol for 96 days and 182 days. No effect was observed on body weight gain or on food intake. The weights of liver and kidney expressed as percent body weight were slightly increased. However, these effects were not dose-related and were not consistent at both time intervals. Asparate aminotransferase (AsAT) activity was not disturbed by the chloroguaiacols at three and six month intervals. Tetrachloroguaiacol lowered the lactic dehydrogenase activity of rats at all dose levels at the three month interval. Elevated alkaline phosphatase levels were observed in animals receiving 5000 ppm tetrachloroguaiacol after three months. Both these enzymes were unaltered after six months of exposure. All hematological parameters were found to be normal at both time intervals. Tri-and tetrachloroguaiacol caused mild lesions in the kidney of rats at the three-month but not six-month interval. Mild lesions found in the liver of rats consisted of a lobular pattern with periportal perinuclear haloes or with reduction in pericentral cytoplasmic basophilia. These results suggest that both tri-and tetrachloroguaiacol are only moderately toxic to rats. © 1979 Springer-Verlag New York Inc.