An assessment of the genetic toxicology of antimony trioxide.
Antimony trioxide (Sb2O3, CAS 1309-64-4) has been examined in a range of in vitro and in vivo genotoxicity assays. Negative results were obtained with the Salmonella/microsome assay and the L5178Y mutation assay, but a positive response was observed in the in vitro cytogenetic assay using isolated human peripheral lymphocytes. However, in vivo, antimony trioxide was non-clastogenic in the mouse bone marrow micronucleus assay, following oral gavage administration for 1, 7, 14 or 21 days at dose levels of up to 5000 mg/kg (single dose) or 1000 mg/kg (repeat dose). A negative result was also obtained in the in vivo rat liver DNA repair (unscheduled DNA synthesis) assay following a single oral gavage administration of doses up to 5000 mg/kg. These data show no genotoxicity for antimony trioxide in vivo and do not confirm a previous report of clastogenicity in the mouse on repeated dosing. It is concluded that antimony trioxide is not genotoxic in vivo and does not present a genotoxic hazard to humans.
Central Toxicology Laboratory, Macclesfield, Cheshire, UK. barry.elliott@ctl.zeneca.com
B M
BM
Elliott
J M
JM
Mackay
P
P
Clay
J
J
Ashby
D000818:Animals; D000965:Antimony / Q000633:toxicity*; D001854:Bone Marrow Cells / Q000187:drug effects; D004260:DNA Repair; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008099:Liver / Q000187:drug effects; D008297:Male; D051379:Mice; D015162:Micronucleus Tests; D008861:Microsomes / Q000187:drug effects; D009152:Mutagenicity Tests; D009153:Mutagens / Q000633:toxicity*; D051381:Rats; D017207:Rats, Sprague-Dawley; D012475:Salmonella / Q000187:drug effects
D009153:Mutagens; D000965:Antimony; C037554:antimony trioxide