Methyl benzoylformate

Repeated dose toxicity: oral

Administrative data

Endpoint:

short-term repeated dose toxicity: oral

Type of information:

experimental study

Adequacy of study:

key study

Study period:

2015

Reliability:

1 (reliable without restriction)

Rationale for reliability incl. deficiencies:

guideline study

Data source

Reference

Reference Type:

study report

Title:

Unnamed

Year:

2015

Report date:

2015

Materials and methods

Test guideline

Qualifier:

according to guideline

Guideline:

OECD Guideline 422 (Combined Repeated Dose Toxicity Study with the Reproduction / Developmental Toxicity Screening Test)

Deviations:

no

GLP compliance:

yes (incl. QA statement)

Limit test:

no

Test material

Test material information

Constituent 1

Reference substance name:

Methyl benzoylformate

EC Number:

239-263-3

EC Name:

Methyl benzoylformate

Cas Number:

15206-55-0

Molecular formula:

C9H8O3

IUPAC Name:

methyl oxo(phenyl)acetate

Test animals

Species:

rat

Strain:

Wistar

Sex:

male/female

Details on test animals or test system and environmental conditions:

TEST ANIMALS
- Source: Charles River Laboratories, Research Models and ServiceGmbH, Sulzfeld, Germany
- Age at study initiation: 10-11 weeks
- Weight at study initiation:
- Fasting period before study: no
- Housing: individually, following exceptions: During overnight matings, male and female mating partners were housed together. Pregnant animals and their litters were housed together until PND 4 (end of lactation).
- Diet: ad libitum
- Water: ad libitum
- Acclimation period: 7d

ENVIRONMENTAL CONDITIONS
- Temperature (°C): 20-24
- Humidity (%): 30-70
- Air changes (per hr): 15
- Photoperiod (hrs dark / hrs light): 12/12

Administration / exposure

Route of administration:

oral: gavage

Vehicle:

corn oil

Details on oral exposure:

PREPARATION OF DOSING SOLUTIONS:

DIET PREPARATION
- Rate of preparation of diet (frequency): daily, 5h prior to dosing
- Mixing appropriate amounts with (Type of food): corn oil
- Storage temperature of food: RT

Analytical verification of doses or concentrations:

yes

Details on analytical verification of doses or concentrations:

- according GLP
- Samples of dose preparations will be taken on a single occasion during the treatment phase as specified below, and will be stored and dispatched on dry ice to the test site for formulation analysis
- method stability of test item in drinking water: UV/VIS spectroscopy

Duration of treatment / exposure:

The duration of treatment covered a 2-week premating and a mating period in both sexes, approximately 1 week post-mating in males,
and the entire gestation period as well as 4 days of lactation and 2 weeks thereafter in females.

Frequency of treatment:

daily

Doses / concentrations

Doses / concentrations 1

Dose / conc.:

100 mg/kg bw/day (actual dose received)

Doses / concentrations 2

Dose / conc.:

300 mg/kg bw/day (actual dose received)

Doses / concentrations 3

Dose / conc.:

1 000 mg/kg bw/day (actual dose received)

No. of animals per sex per dose:

10

Control animals:

yes, concurrent vehicle

Details on study design:

- Dose selection rationale: range finder test 300 and 1000 mg/kg bw, no effects up to 1000 mg/kg bw
- Rationale for animal assignment (if not random): Randomization

Positive control:

no

Examinations

Observations and examinations performed and frequency:

CAGE SIDE OBSERVATIONS: Yes
- Time schedule: twice daily

DETAILED CLINICAL OBSERVATIONS: Yes
- Time schedule: daily

BODY WEIGHT: Yes
- Time schedule for examinations: before the start of the administration period in order to randomize the animals. During the administration period body weight was determined on study day 0 (start of the administration period) and thereafter once a week at the same time of the day (in the morning).

FOOD CONSUMPTION
- weekly
- Food consumption was not determined during the mating period (male and female F0 animals).
- Food consumption of the F0 females with evidence of sperm was determined on GD 0, 7, 14 and 20.
- Food consumption of F0 females, which gave birth to a litter, was determined for PND 4

OPHTHALMOSCOPIC EXAMINATION: Yes
- Time schedule for examinations: in the course of FOB
- Dose groups that were examined: all

HAEMATOLOGY: Yes
- Time schedule for collection of blood: end of administration period
- Anaesthetic used for blood collection: Yes, anaesthetized using isoflurane (Isoba®, Essex GmbH, Munich, Germany)
- Animals fasted: Yes
- How many animals: 5/sex/dose

CLINICAL CHEMISTRY: Yes
- Time schedule for collection of blood: end of administration period
- Animals fasted: Yes
- How many animals: 5/sex/dose

URINALYSIS: Yes
- Time schedule for collection of urine: males: after mating, females: 1 day before end of administration period
- Metabolism cages used for collection of urine: Yes
- Animals fasted: Yes

NEUROBEHAVIOURAL EXAMINATION: Yes
- Time schedule for examinations: male: postnatal day 0, female: 10d after gestation
- Dose groups that were examined: all
- Battery of functions tested: sensory activity / grip strength / motor activity

Sacrifice and pathology:

GROSS PATHOLOGY: Yes
1. Adrenal glands
2. All gross lesions
3. Aorta
4. Bone marrow (femur)
5. Brain
6. Cecum
7. Cervix
8. Coagulating glands
9. Colon
10. Duodenum
11. Eyes with optic nerve
12. Esophagus
13. Extraorbital lacrimal gland
14. Epididymides (modified Davidson’s solution)
15. Femur with knee joint
16. Heart
17. Ileum
18. Jejunum (with Peyer’s patches)
19. Kidneys
20. Larynx
21. Liver
22. Lungs
23. Lymph nodes (axillary and mesenteric)
24. Mammary gland (male and female)
25. Nose (nasal cavity)
26. Ovaries (modified Davidson’s solution)
27. Oviducts
28. Pancreas
29. Parathyroid glands
30. Pharynx
31. Pituitary gland
32. Prostate gland
33. Rectum
34. Salivary glands (mandibular and sublingual)
35. Sciatic nerve
36. Seminal vesicles
37. Skeletal muscle
38. Spinal cord (cervical, thoracic and lumbar cord)
39. Spleen
40. Sternum with marrow
41. Stomach (forestomach and glandular stomach)
42. Target organs
43. Testes (modified Davidson’s solution)
44. Thymus
45. Thyroid glands
46. Trachea
47. Urinary bladder
48. Uterus
49. Vagina

HISTOPATHOLOGY: Yes, control and high dose group, gross lesions in all animals
1. All gross lesions
2. Adrenal glands
3. Bone marrow (femur)
4. Brain
5. Cecum
6. Cervix
7. Coagulating glands
8. Colon
9. Duodenum
10. Epididymides
11. Heart
12. Ileum
13. Jejunum
14. Kidneys
15. Liver
16. Lung
17. Lymph nodes (mesenteric and axillary lymph nodes)
18. Ovaries
19. Oviducts
20. Peyer’s patches
21. Prostate
22. Rectum
23. Sciatic nerve
24. Seminal vesicles
25. Spinal cord (cervical, thoracic and lumbar cords)
26. Spleen
27. Stomach (forestomach and glandular stomach)
28. Testes
29. Thymus
30. Thyroid glands
31. Trachea
32. Urinary bladder
33. Uterus
34. Vagina

Statistics:

Blood parameters:
For parameters with bidirectional changes:
Non-parametric one-way analysis using KRUSKAL-WALLIS test. If the resulting p-value was equal or less than 0.05, a pairwise comparison of each dose
group with the control group was performed using WILCOXON-test (twosided) for the hypothesis of equal medians
For parameters with unidirectional changes:
Pairwise comparison of each dose group with the control group using the WILCOXON-test (one-sided) for the hypothesis of equal medians

Urinalysis parameters: WILCOXON-test (one-sided)

Food consumption: DUNNETT-test (twosided)

fertility indices: FISHER'S EXACT test

Proportions of affected pups per litter with necropsy observations: WILCOXON-test

Weight parameters: KRUSKAL-WALLIS test

Results and discussion

Results of examinations

Clinical signs:

no effects observed

Mortality:

no mortality observed

Body weight and weight changes:

no effects observed

Food efficiency:

no effects observed

Ophthalmological findings:

no effects observed

Haematological findings:

no effects observed

Clinical biochemistry findings:

no effects observed

Urinalysis findings:

no effects observed

Behaviour (functional findings):

no effects observed

Organ weight findings including organ / body weight ratios:

no effects observed

Gross pathological findings:

no effects observed

Histopathological findings: non-neoplastic:

no effects observed

Details on results:

Clinical and functional observations, body weight (gain), food consumption, haematology parameters, clinical chemistry parameters, organ weights, macroscopic findings, and microscopic findings revealed no adverse effects up to 1000 mg/kg bw/day. Salivation was noted after dosing in all rats treated with 300 or 1000 mg/kg bw/day. This was considered to be a physiological response rather than a sign of systemic toxicity.

Males at 1000 mg/kg bw/day had a statistically significantly higher plasma level of potassium than controls. Potassium was also higher in males at 300 mg/kg bw/day, but the difference from controls was smaller and not statistically significant. As there were no changes in other clinical chemistry parameters and no corroborative histopathological alterations or other signs of toxicity, this difference in potassium values was not considered to be adverse.

At 1000 mg/kg bw/day statistically significantly higher organ to body weight ratios were noted for the heart in males (relative difference from controls: 8%) and for the kidneys in females (relative difference from controls: 9%). The absolute weights of these organs did not differ statistically significantly from the control values. The differences to the control values were minor, and there were no corroborative histological findings. Therefore these differences were not considered to be adverse. Females at 300 mg/kg bw/day had a statistically significantly higher uterus to body weight ratio. Uterus weight was particularly high in one animal of this group (no. 66). In the absence of a dose-related response, this difference was considered not to be related to treatment.

Effect levels

Dose descriptor:

NOAEL

Effect level:

1 000 mg/kg bw/day (actual dose received)

Based on:

test mat.

Sex:

male/female

Basis for effect level:

body weight and weight gain

clinical biochemistry

food consumption and compound intake

gross pathology

haematology

histopathology: non-neoplastic

organ weights and organ / body weight ratios

Target system / organ toxicity

Critical effects observed:

not specified

Applicant's summary and conclusion

Conclusions:

Under the conditions of this Combined Repeated Dose Toxicity Study with the Reproduction/Developmental Toxicity Screening Test the oral administration by gavage to male and female Wistar rats did not reveal signs of toxicity. Thus, the no observed adverse effect level (NOAEL) for general systemic toxicity was 1000 mg/kg bw/d in both sexes.

Executive summary:

In this guideline (OECD 422) study conducted with GLP certification, the test material did not cause any adverse effects at any of the doses tested (100, 300, & 1000 mg/kg/bw). The test was conducted as a combined repeat dose toxicity and reproductive toxicity study in the rat. The duration of treatment covered a 2-week premating and a mating period in both sexes, approximately 1 week post-mating in males, and the entire gestation period as well as 4 days of lactation and 2 weeks thereafter in females. The NOAEL of the test material is therefore set at the highest dose tested (1000 mg/kg bw/day).