Development and use of a single-animal whole-body system for inhalation exposure.
Inhalation exposure studies, in which test subjects are fully or partially immersed in an atmosphere containing a compound of interest, are usually carried out using one of two possible exposure systems: large whole-body chambers or systems that expose only the animal's nose or head. Whole-body chambers may require large quantities of test compound, which can pose a problem if the chemical is expensive or available in limited quantities. Nose- or head-only systems can help conserve test compound but may cause stress or injury to animals. To address these concerns, the authors developed an exposure system consisting of small single-animal whole-body chambers. They exposed 80 mice and 80 rats to five test compounds at various concentrations. Though the system was labor-intensive for animal care technicians, it effectively exposed animals to precise chemical doses without causing adverse effects, using less test compound than would have been required in a conventional whole-body chamber.
Wong
Brian A
BA
Chemical Industry Institute of Toxicology Centers for Health Research, PO Box 12137, Research Triangle Park, NC 27709, USA. bwong@thehamner.org
Ross
Paul W
PW
James
R Arden
RA
D000818:Animals; D001273:Atmosphere Exposure Chambers; D001835:Body Weight / Q000187:drug effects; D004867:Equipment Design; D005260:Female; D019570:Inhalation Exposure; D008297:Male; D051379:Mice; D008815:Mice, Inbred Strains; D051381:Rats; D011916:Rats, Inbred F344; D018675:Toxicity Tests / Q000295:instrumentation* / Q000379:methods; D015262:Xenobiotics / Q000008:administration & dosage* / Q000737:chemistry
D015262:Xenobiotics