title: Ammoniated forage poisoning: acute toxicity of newly identified dialkylimidazoles to inbred mice.
abstract: The i.p. acute toxicity of the dialkylimidazoles 1,2-dimethylimidazole, 1,4-dimethylimidazole, 1,5-dimethylimidazole, 2,4-dimethylimidazole and 2-ethyl-4-methylimidazole was investigated in C57B1 female mice, and compared to the toxicity of 4-methylimidazole (4-MI). An approximate median lethal dose protocol was applied designed to obtain a qualitative description of the clinical toxic effects and an estimate of the acute lethal dose with the use of a minimal number of animals. The approximate median lethal dose of the dialkylimidazoles varied from slightly above to 3-times greater than that of 4-MI. 1,4-Dimethylimidazole and 1,5-dimethylimidazole had tremorogenic and convulsive effects qualitatively similar to those of 4-MI. Testing a mixture of alkylimidazoles comparable to the composition found in toxic ammoniated forage or milk did not indicate any synergistic enhancement of the toxicity to mice.
authors.affiliation: National Veterinary Institute, Oslo, Norway.
authors.forename: T
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Sivertsen
authors.forename: L
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Muller
mesh_terms: D000821:Animal Feed / Q000633:toxicity*; D000818:Animals; D004305:Dose-Response Relationship, Drug; D005260:Female; D007093:Imidazoles / Q000633:toxicity*; D007668:Kidney / Q000187:drug effects / Q000473:pathology; D008099:Liver / Q000187:drug effects / Q000473:pathology; D051379:Mice; D008810:Mice, Inbred C57BL; D012640:Seizures / Q000139:chemically induced; D015996:Survival Rate; D014202:Tremor / Q000139:chemically induced
chemical_list: D007093:Imidazoles