Dicofol toxicity in rats

Abstract

An experiment was conducted to assess the toxicity of dicofol in rats. A group of ninety adult rats weighing 150-200g of either sex were included in five groups as the control groups consisting of 10 rats of either sex and the experimental groups consisting of 20 rats of either sex, in each group. Dicofol was administered orally, once daily for three months to the experimental Groups Il, III and IV at the dose rate of 50 mg/kg, 75 mg/kg and 100mg/kg respectively. Group V was sprayed 0.1 per cent dicofol, once daily for three months. The main items of observation included clinical symptoms of dicofol toxicity and assessment of body weight. The clinical signs were evident in the experimental groups. Dicofol caused skin irritation when applied externally. The percentage of mortality was 5-10 in the experimental groups. The rats of experimental gro~ps showed a marked loss of appetite which resulted in decrease in body weight. The detection of dicofol by thin layer chromatography in liver, heart and kidney tissues showed their presence in these organs. This indicated the toxicity of dicofol to these organs. Necropsy study conducted revealed both gross and microscopic lesions in the tissues of liver, heart and kidney. The haematological parameters showed no variation in values from that of the normal. The study revealed a note of caution to the wide . spread use of dicofol as insecticide.