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Biomedical subjects

D M Creasy

Publications and source records attributed to D M Creasy.

At least 19 recordsLinked to original sources

Subacute and chronic toxicity studies of triethylenetetramine dihydrochloride (TJA-250) by oral administration to F-344 rats.

Triethylenetetramine dihydrochloride (trientine-2HCl, TJA-250), a copper chelating agent used to treat Wilson's disease, was administered orally to male and female F-344 rats for 4 or 8 weeks at dosages of 0, 100, 350 or 1200 mg/kg/day or for 26 weeks at dosages of 50, 175 or 600 mg/kg/day. 4 or 8-week study. Two males receiving 1200 mg/kg/day died during week 8 of treatment. In males receiving 1200 mg/kg/day during weeks 5 to 8 of treatment, body weight gain and food consumption were decreased and hunched posture and thin build were observed. During week 4 or 8 of treatment urinalysis revealed, for males receiving 100 mg/kg/day or animals receiving 350 mg/kg/day or more, increased electrolyte outputs possibly due to the hydrochloride nature of trientine-2HCl, with low plasma alkaline phosphatase activities evident in animals receiving 350 or 1200 mg/kg/day. After 4 and 8 weeks, and during 8 weeks of treatment, high lung weights and bronchiolar epithelium hypertrophy and broncho-alveolar pneumonia were recorded for animals receiving 1200 mg/kg/day, and submucosal acute inflammation within the glandular region of the stomach was recorded for males receiving 350 or 1200 mg/kg/day and in all treated female groups. 26-week study. One male receiving 175 mg/kg/day and three males receiving 600 mg/kg/day died, showing lung changes. The body weight gain of animals receiving 600 mg/kg/day was slightly decreased. Blood chemistry and urinalysis examinations showed changes similar to those indicated in the 4- or 8-week study. The low plasma copper concentrations seen in males receiving 600 mg/kg/day, the slightly low liver copper concentrations found in animals receiving 600 or 175 mg/kg/day and the high urinary copper concentrations found in all treated groups, are attributed to the pharmacological action of trientine-2HCl. Histopathology revealed a dosage-related incidence and severity of focal chronic interstitial pneumonitis accompanied by fibrosis of the alveolar walls in females receiving 175 mg/kg/day or more and all treated male groups, but no significant pathological changes in the stomach. Apart from the histological changes found in the lung, all the above changes were reversible. In conclusion, the NOAEL of trientine-2HCl in this 26-week study was considered to be 50 mg/kg/day for females and less than 50 mg/kg/day for males.

Administration, Oral

A 90-day feeding study of lupin (Lupinus angustifolius) flour spiked with lupin alkaloids in the rat.

Three groups of 20 male and 20 female Sprague-Dawley rats were given diets based on lupin (Lupinus angustifolius) flour (55.4 g/100 g diet) that had been spiked to provide dietary concentrations of 250, 1050 or 5050 mg lupin alkaloids/kg diet. A control group of 20 males and 20 females received 50 mg/kg (derived from the background level of alkaloid in lupin flour). The rats were treated for a minimum of 90-98 days. A dose-related reduction in red blood cell count and haematocrit (HCT) occurred in both sexes after 45 days, and the mean cell volume (MCV) was decreased in all the male treatment groups. The reductions in HCT and MCV persisted in the males until termination of the study when decreased haemoglobin levels were also observed in the top-dose males. The relative liver weights of female rats showed a dose-related increase. Altered foci of liver parenchymal cells were seen in five females receiving dietary levels of 5050 mg/kg, in one female fed 250 mg/kg and in one male from each of the 250 mg/kg and 1050 mg/kg treatment groups. No foci were seen in the control group. Basophilic foci are uncommon in young rats suggesting that the low incidence in this study is compound related.

Alkaloids

Urinary creatine profiles after administration of cell-specific testicular toxicants to the rat.

Cell-specific testicular toxicants have been used to examine the distribution of creatine within the rat testis, and to examine the potential use of creatinuria as a non-invasive indicator of testicular damage. Groups of rats were administered single doses of various toxicants: a germ cell toxicant (methoxyacetic acid, MAA), one of two Sertoli cell toxicants (di-n-pentyl phthalate, DPP or 1,3-dinitrobenzene, 1,3-DNB), or a Leydig cell toxicant (ethane-1,2-dimethane sulphonate, EDS). Urinary creatine and creatinine levels were monitored in 24 h periods over the following 48 h, after which time the testes were removed, weighed and, after processing, sections were examined by light microscopy. All four treatments resulted in reductions in relative testis weight (RTW) and produced morphological changes similar to those which have been previously reported. In addition, MAA, DPP and 1,3-DNB all caused significant elevations in urinary creatine excretion and the urinary creatine:creatinine ratio (Cr/Crn) within 24 h. EDS had no such effect. We conclude that creatine is associated with the cells of the seminiferous epithelium, and that elevated urinary excretion of creatine may serve as a non-invasive marker for damage to these cells in vivo.

Acetates

Di-n-pentyl phthalate-induced inflammatory changes in the rat testis are accompanied by local production of a novel lymphocyte activating factor.

Phthalate esters (PAE) are plasticizers in polyvinyl chloride plastics used, for example, in package material for medical solutions. PAE exposure is associated with testicular damage that primarily affects Sertoli cells, and is concomitant with leukocyte infiltration into the testicular interstitium. We have demonstrated that the rat testis constitutively produces a lymphocyte activating factor (LAF) resembling interleukin-1 alpha, and originating from Sertoli cells. The testicular interleukin-1-like factor (tIL-1) has a relative molecular mass (Mr) of 17,000 (17 k) and an isoelectric point (pI) of 5.7. In the present study we have measured testicular LAF activity after exposure to di-n-pentyl phthalate (DPP) in 40-day-old rats. We found a large increase in LAF bioactivity which was evident already 3 h after a single oral dose of DPP. The increase was maximal 9-12 h after exposure, and had decreased toward the control level at 24 h. The increased activity was found to be at least partly due to the induction of a novel LAF with Mr 38,000 and pI 4.5. Morphological examination confirmed earlier results with an interstitial leukocyte infiltration 6 h after DPP exposure. The identity of the novel LAF and its functional relation to testicular inflammation remain to be established.

Animals

A 28-day feeding study with methyl isoeugenol in rats.

Methyl isoeugenol was administered in rodent diet for a minimum of 28 consecutive days to groups of 16 male and 16 female rats (Sprague-Dawley strain) at levels of approximately 30, 100 and 300 mg/kg body weight/day. A further group of 16 male and 16 female rats was given the rodent diet as a control. The administration of methyl isoeugenol in the diet did not adversely affect the growth or general health of the animals or their food intakes. Although high dose animals of both sexes had increased lymphocyte and total white blood cell counts, these are not considered, in isolation, to be an adverse effect of treatment. None of the minor variations observed in the serum chemical analyses or urine analyses is considered to be indicative of a treatment-related toxic effect. An increase in liver weight, adjusted for body weight, was seen in male and female rats receiving 300 mg methyl isoeugenol/kg body weight. Few histopathological abnormalities were observed. Although the incidence of kidney and Harderian gland lesions was higher for high dose animals compared with the controls, the lesions are of a type that occurs spontaneously and are thus not considered to be attributable to treatment with methyl isoeugenol. While the increased liver weight and white blood cell counts of rats given 300 mg methyl isoeugenol/kg body weight may represent effects of treatment, it is not considered that there is any reason to regard these as adverse effects.

Alanine Transaminase

A 28-day feeding study with ethyl acetoacetate in rats.

Ethyl acetoacetate encapsulated in gum arabic was administered in rodent diet for a minimum of 28 consecutive days to groups of 16 male and 16 female rats (Sprague-Dawley strain) at levels of approximately 100, 300 and 1000 mg/kg body weight/day. A further group of 16 male and 16 female rats was given rodent diet containing gum arabic as a control. The administration of ethyl acetoacetate in the diet did not adversely affect the growth or general health of the animals or their food intakes. None of the minor variations observed in the haematology, serum chemical analyses or urine analyses are considered to be indicative of a treatment-related toxic effect. Caecal enlargement was seen in male rats treated with the top dose of ethyl acetoacetate, but this was accompanied by a normal histopathology. Few histopathological abnormalities were observed. Proteinaceous casts were found in the bladder of approximately half the male rats given 1000 mg ethyl acetoacetate/kg, and nephrocalcinosis was a common occurrence in female rats in this dose group. Renal function was unimpaired in treated male and female rats, and the histopathological findings are common in the strain of rats chosen for this study. Although the caecal enlargement and the changes in kidney and bladder of rats given 1000 mg ethyl acetoacetate/kg are noted, it is considered that ethyl acetoacetate did not produce treatment-related adverse effects in rats during this study.

Acetoacetates

Studies on the relationship between acute testicular damage and urinary and plasma creatine concentration.

A single dose of cadmium chloride (3.23 mumol Cd2+/kg) causing acute testicular damage in male rats also caused significant creatinuria and creatinaemia at 48 h after dosing. Doses of cadmium which did not cause testicular necrosis did not cause creatinuria or creatinaemia. Surgical ligation of the pampiniform plexus also caused ischaemic necrosis of the testis and this was followed by significant creatinuria and creatinaemia. However, neither orchidectomy followed by a toxic dose of cadmium, orchidectomy alone nor sham operation caused significant creatinuria or creatinaemia. Cadmium dosing induced a temporary loss of body weight which was less than that caused by food restriction. Food restriction did not cause significant creatinuria but did cause significant creatinaemia. These data suggest that the creatine is derived from the damaged testis and that measurement of urinary creatine may be a useful non-invasive means of detecting acute testicular damage caused by exposure to chemicals or mechanical impairment of blood flow.

Animals

The morphogenesis of cyclohexylamine-induced testicular atrophy in the rat: in vivo and in vitro studies.

Male Wistar strain rats were fed a diet providing an intake of 0 or 400 mg cyclohexylamine (CHA)/kg body weight/day for 1, 3, 7, 9, or 13 weeks. At the end of the appropriate feeding period the rats were perfused-fixed with Karnovsky's fixative. The weights of the fixed testes were recorded and the testes, epididymides, and spermatic cord were sampled and processed into methacrylate resin. Histopathological examination of the testes showed changes after 3 weeks of CHA administration. The most frequent and consistent lesion consisted of a focal, basal vacuolation of the Sertoli cell cytoplasm associated with the local loss of spermatocytes and spermatogonia. After a 7-week administration, the Sertoli cell vacuolation was extensive, while the germ cell population showed mild to moderate degeneration and depletion. After longer periods of treatment the lesion was more severe and affected a greater number of tubules leading to general disruption of the germinal epithelium. Cocultures of Sertoli and germ cells were prepared from the testes of Wistar strain rats and exposed to (CHA) or its metabolite 4-aminocyclohexanol (4ACH) at concentrations ranging from 0.1 to 10 mM for periods of 24-72 hr. The cultures were fixed, stained, and examined by light microscopy. Cultures exposed to CHA or 4ACH showed morphological changes comparable with those seen in vivo. Sertoli cell vacuolation was the earliest change with progressive germ cell degeneration and exfoliation from the Sertoli cell monolayer. At equimolar concentrations, CHA produced more marked changes than 4ACH. These results suggest that CHA itself acts directly on the testis and that its primary cellular target is the Sertoli cell.

Aging

The metabolism and testicular toxicity of cyclohexylamine in rats and mice during chronic dietary administration.

Cyclohexylamine hydrochloride has been given in the diet to mice and to Wistar and DA rats for 13 weeks, to provide a constant intake of 400 mg of the base/kg/day. Significantly decreased food intake and body weight gain were found in both strains of rats but not mice. The metabolism of [14C]cyclohexylamine was widely different in Wistar and DA rats and in rats and mice, and these differences were not altered appreciably by chronic intake for 13 weeks. The differences in metabolism resulted in marked and persistent differences in the concentrations of the hydroxylated metabolites in the plasma and testes of treated animals with Wistar much greater than DA much greater than mice. After 7 and 13 weeks testicular atrophy was demonstrated in both strains of rats given cyclohexylamine diet by a decrease in organ weight and by histological changes. DA rats appeared more sensitive to testicular toxicity from cyclohexylamine than Wistar rats, while mice showed no evidence of testicular damage. These data show that the development of testicular toxicity is not related to the extent of hydroxylation. The concentrations of cyclohexylamine in the plasma and testes of the treated animals were lower in mice than in either strain of rats despite a similar daily intake. This suggests that species differences in pharmacokinetics may contribute to the apparent difference in sensitivity to testicular toxicity.

Animals

Effect of ethylene glycol monomethyl ether on spermatogenesis, dominant lethality, and F1 abnormalities in the rat and the mouse after treatment of F0 males.

Adult male CD rats and CD-1 mice were given a single oral dose of ethylene glycol monomethyl ether (EGM) at 0, 500, 750, 1,000, or 1500 mg/kg. Groups of 10 were killed at weekly intervals after dosing for analysis of sperm counts and morphology or testicular histology; further groups of 10 were sequentially mated to pairs of virgin females to test for dominant lethality or gross foetal malformations in the F1 generation (F1 abnormalities). EGM was found to deplete the spermatocytes of both species severely, principally pachytene cells, but with other stages affected with increasing dose. A delay in the progression of spermatogenesis may account for a discrepancy between the apparent stage-specificity of damage deduced from lowered sperm counts and that observed histologically. In the rat, morphological abnormalities were observed in sperm that had been exposed as spermatocytes; in the mouse, however, the sensitive cells were the late spermatocytes and early spermatids. In all these parameters there was an indication of a dose-response relationship in both rats and mice. In the mating studies EGM induced a dose-related decrease in fertility 5 weeks after dosing in the rat, but complete sterility in all but the lowest dose after 6 weeks. In contrast, EGM had no effect on the reproductive capacity of the mouse. There was no statistically significant evidence for the induction of dominant lethal mutations or F1 abnormalities in either species. A single oral dose of cyclophosphamide (CTX) at 100 mg/kg induced a significant increase in dominant lethality in both species. CTX reduced the number of total implants in the rat and induced a nonsignificant increase in the number of abnormal offspring sired by treated male mice.

Abnormalities, Drug-Induced

The ultrastructural effects of di-n-pentyl phthalate on the testis of the mature rat.

A sequential morphological study has been carried out to examine the ultrastructural effects of di-n-pentyl phthalate (DPP) on the mature rat testis. A single oral dose of 2.2 g DPP/kg body wt was administered, and testes, perfuse-fixed 3-48 hr after dosing, were examined by transmission electron microscopy. By 3 hr, rarefaction of the basal Sertoli cell cytoplasm was seen and the basal plasma membranes separating adjacent Sertoli cells were thrown into a series of convoluted profiles with the appearance of interdigitating cell processes. The subjacent ectoplasmic specializations that normally face these membranes were disrupted, and by 12 hr the inter-Sertoli junctions showed numerous membrane discontinuities. The lateral processes of Sertoli cell cytoplasm, which separate germ cells, showed retraction and fragmentation, resulting in direct contact between adjacent germ cells or the isolation of germ cells unapposed by Sertoli cell plasma membrane. In addition, the ectoplasmic specializations associated with Sertoli-spermatid and Sertoli-pachytene spermatocyte junctions were often disrupted or absent. The mitochondria in the Sertoli cells were enlarged and, in some tubules, increased in number. The changes seen were restricted to tubules in the successive stages XI-XIV, I, and II of the spermatogenic cycle. Elongating spermatids (steps 12-15) showed cytoplasmic condensation and vacuolation by 12 hr and were necrotic by 24 hr. A small proportion of zygotene and early pachytene spermatocytes showed necrosis by 24 hr after dosing. By 48 hr, the cytoplasmic rarefaction and convoluted plasma membranes had regressed and ectroplasmic specializations had reformed along Sertoli-Sertoli junctions.

Animals

Long-term toxicity study of Green S in mice.

Groups of 105 (control) or 65 (treated) female CD-1 mice were mated one to one with equal numbers of males after both sexes had received diets containing 0 (control), 0.033, 0.33 or 0.66% Green S for 9 wk. The number of animals pregnant, the number of young born and the number surviving were similar in all groups. One male and one female from each litter were used to provide groups of 85 (control) or 50 (treated) mice of each sex for the long-term study. Treatment with Green S continued throughout pregnancy and rearing. Body weight and condition were regularly monitored for each animal throughout the study. Blood was examined from groups of 20 mice from the control and highest treatment groups at wk 14, 28 and 51 and from all survivors at the end of the study. A post-mortem examination was carried out on all animals in the long-term study and a full range of tissues was preserved and examined by light microscopy. Organ weights were recorded at the autopsy of all mice reaching the end of the study. No effects that could be attributed to treatment were seen in any of the observations. The no-untoward-effect level of Green S fed to mice for 2 yr is concluded to be 0.66% of the diet, equivalent to intakes of approximately 530 and 660 mg/kg body weight/day in males and females, respectively.

Animals

Three-generation toxicity study of rats ingesting Green S in the diet.

Green S was fed to rats of both sexes, over three generations, at dietary concentrations designed to provide daily intakes of 0, 50, 500 or 1000 mg Green S/kg body weight. At each generation, treated groups each consisted of 36 males and 36 females with 60 of each sex as controls. The F0 generation first received Green S as weanlings, but succeeding generations were exposed throughout life, including in utero, as treatment continued during gestation and lactation. There were no adverse effects of treatment on body-weight gain, food and water consumption or on the general condition of the animals. Green-coloured faeces were produced by all animals exposed to the colouring and pale green coloration of urine or the bladder was seen in a few animals at autopsy. The post-mortem examinations and organ weights of animals receiving up to 500 mg Green S/kg/day showed no adverse effects of treatment. At 1000 mg/kg/day findings related to treatment were increased spleen weight (both sexes) and increased kidney weight (male), but relevant histopathological changes were not seen in either of these organs. Caecal enlargement was the most consistent finding in animals receiving 500 or 1000 mg Green S/kg/day, but this was not considered to be a toxic effect. Reproductive performance and intra-uterine development were not affected by treatment despite green colouring being visible in the amniotic sacs of foetuses from dams given 500 or 1000 mg Green S/kg/day. Small differences in the degree of skeletal ossification of foetuses from F2 generation dams were not related to treatment. A slightly premature eruption of the incisors during postnatal development of treated animals was not considered to be an adverse effect. It is concluded that the no-untoward-effect level in this study is 500 mg Green S/kg body weight/day.

Abnormalities, Drug-Induced

An ultrastructural study of ethylene glycol monomethyl ether-induced spermatocyte injury in the rat.

Previous studies have shown that administration of ethylene glycol monomethyl ether (EGM) to the rat results in testicular damage with the spermatocyte being the primary cellular site for toxicity. An ultrastructural study has now been carried out to characterize the early subcellular changes following a single dose of 250 or 500 mg EGM/kg body weight. At 12 and 18 hr after dosing, large membrane bound intracellular vacuoles filled with flocculent or granular material were observed in the basal region of the tubules. These mostly appeared to originate as rarefaction and swelling of Sertoli cell processes. Necrosis of spermatocytes was evident at 12 hr but the process of cell death was rapid with cells either appearing normal or in an advanced state of necrosis. Many of the spermatocytes which appeared otherwise normal, showed areas of plasma membrane dissolution, a change which was also seen affecting the facing Sertoli cell plasma membrane resulting in continuity of the cytoplasm between the two cells. This membrane change was seen in the absence of any other morphological abnormality in the affected spermatocyte, although slight mitochondrial condensation was sometimes also present. By 24 hr after dosing, most of the spermatocytes in the spermatogenic stages which had shown the earlier membrane changes, had become necrotic while Sertoli cell vacuolation had largely regressed. Although the membrane dissolution was an early and specific effect, it is regarded as part of the phagocytic response of the surrounding Sertoli cell. It is suggested that the vacuolar changes in the Sertoli cell may be causally associated with spermatocyte injury.

Animals

A quantitative study of stage-specific spermatocyte damage following administration of ethylene glycol monomethyl ether in the rat.

A quantitative study has been carried out to characterize the stage susceptibility of the spermatocyte to ethylene glycol monomethyl ether (EGM) toxicity. EGM was administered as a single oral dose of 250 mg/kg body wt and rats were examined at time periods after dosing. The number of spermatocytes and round spermatids in tubules at each stage of spermatogenesis was counted. A sharp transition in susceptibility was observed between zygotene spermatocytes in stage XIV which showed no effect and pachytene spermatocytes in stage I which showed death or depletion of 70% of its population after 1 day. A similar transition was seen between dividing spermatocytes and step 1 spermatids, the latter being unaffected. There was a gradual reduction in susceptibility toward midpachytene such that cells in stages VII-XI showed no effect. Analysis of later time periods revealed no effect on spermatogonia or prepachytene spermatocytes but did indicate that midpachytene spermatocytes underwent delayed cell death after further progression through the cycle. In a separate sequential morphological study of early changes, the earliest signs of necrosis were seen 12 hr after dosing and were restricted to spermatocytes in stages V, XI, and XII. Cell death then progressed in a wave-like manner through stages XIII and XIV finally reaching stage I, 24 hr after dosing.

Animals

The role of metabolism in 2-methoxyethanol-induced testicular toxicity.

The role of metabolism in 2-methoxyethanol (ME)-induced testicular toxicity has been investigated with Sprague-Dawley rats. Following administration of [14C]ME (250 mg/kg, ip) to a group of animals, there was evidence of testicular damage, identified as depletion of the spermatocyte population. Radioactivity detected in urine over 48 hr after treatment accounted for 55% of the dose. The major urinary metabolites were identified by HPLC and isotope dilution analysis, as methoxyacetic acid (MAA) and methoxyacetylglycine (accounting for 50 to 60% and 18 to 25%, respectively, of urinary radioactivity). Analysis of plasma revealed a rapid conversion of ME to MAA (t1/2 for disappearance of ME = 0.6 +/- 0.03 hr) and gradual clearance of radioactivity (t1/2 = 19.7 +/- 2.3 hr). Pretreatment of animals with pyrazole (400 mg/kg, ip) 1 hr prior to [14C]ME dosing gave complete protection against the testicular toxicity of ME. Radioactivity detected in the urine from the pyrazole-pretreated groups over 48 hr (18%) was significantly lower than in the ME-only group. The major radioactive peak co-chromatographed with ME (30 to 36% of the total urinary radioactivity). MAA and methoxyacetylglycine were not major metabolites. Analysis of plasma revealed almost complete inhibition of the conversion of ME to MAA (t1/2 for disappearance of ME = 42.6 +/- 5.6 hr, clearance of radioactivity t1/2 = 51.0 +/- 7.8 hr). The results demonstrate that metabolic activation is required for 2-methoxyethanol to exert toxicity to the male reproductive system.

Acetates

Studies on the toxicity of some glycol ethers and alkoxyacetic acids in primary testicular cell cultures.

Primary mixed cultures of Sertoli and germ cells were prepared from testes of immature rats and their response to the known testicular toxicants ethylene glycol monomethyl ether (EGM) and ethylene glycol monoethyl ether (EGE) was studied. Neither EGM nor EGE produced any morphological evidence of toxicity when added to the culture medium at up to 50 mM for 72 hr. In contrast, their metabolites methoxyacetic acid (MAA) and ethoxyacetic acid (EAA) at 2 to 10 mM for 24 to 72 hr caused degeneration of the pachytene and dividing spermatocytes, the target cells of the parent ethers in vivo. As in vivo, earlier spermatocytes, spermatogonia, and Sertoli cells appeared unaffected. EAA was less potent than MAA whereas n-propoxy- and n-butoxyacetic acid, and methoxyacetylglycine, a further metabolite of MAA, produced no morphological changes under these conditions. The same order of toxicity was observed in concurrent studies with the four acids in rats. In culture, the severity of the morphological changes was paralleled by decreases in the activity of carnitine acetyltransferase and lactate dehydrogenase-X in the attached germ cell fraction. Analysis of culture medium provided no evidence for the conversion of EGM to MAA or other metabolites or for the further metabolism of MAA. The close correspondence between the testicular toxicity of alkoxyacetic acids in culture and in vivo suggests a similar mode of action in both cases and points to the potential value of these cultures for mechanistic studies and for screening purposes. The results also emphasize the role of metabolism in the testicular toxicity of glycol ethers and indicate that MAA is an active metabolite of EGM.

Acetates