Hamster, 2,3,7,8-TCDD

Olson, J.R., T.A. Gasiewicz, and R.A. Neal. 1980b. Tissue distribution, excretion, and metabolism of 2,3,7,8-tetrachlorodibenzo-p-dioxin (TCDD) in the golden Syrian hamster. Toxicol. Appl. Pharmacol. 56 78-85. 

Dioxins are extremely toxic compounds. LD50 for the most toxic dioxin (2,3,7,8-TCDD) at intragastric injection was 0,6-2,0 mcg/kg for guinea pigs, 3000-5000 mcg/kg for various species of hamsters, about 70 mcg/kg for monkeys and 25-45 mcg/kg for rats. 

Sparschu et al. reported the embryotoxicity of TCDD in rats (1970) (refs. 122a,b). Data are summarized for rats and mice in Table 5. The three major effects observed were intestinal hemorrhages (rat fetuses) and increased incidence of cleft palate and kidney abnormalities (mouse fetuses). TCDD in pg/kg doses has also been reported to cause embryotoxic effects in hamsters eye abnormalities, reduction of mean fetal weight GI hemorrhages, increased prenatal mortality- (ref. 123). 

TCDD in Sprague-Dawley rats, 1,000 g/kg in C57BL/6 mice, and 14 g/kg in Syrian hamsters (Hanberg et al. 1989). These ED50 values approach and exceed the LD50 values for rats and mice (see Section 2.2.2.1). 

Schwetz et al. 1973), and hamsters (Henck et al. 1981) following gavage doses in com oil or com oikacetone vehicle. Doses that produced death were in the g/kg range. Differences in the susceptibility to the lethality of 2,3,7,8-TCDD were observed not only among different species, but also among different strains... 

Toxicity data in animals indicated that similar effects occur after exposure to CDDs by oral, dermal, or parenteral routes. Toxicokinetic data in mice showed that 2,3,7,8-TCDD hepatic levels were similar following oral, intraperitoneal, and subcutaneous exposure (Nau and Bass 1981). However, recent data in rats showed that intratracheal administration of a 2,3,7,8-TCDD dose resulted in a relatively higher accumulation of 2,3,7,8-TCDD in the liver than after oral administration of the same dose (Diliberto et al. 1996). Intraperitoneal administration of 2,3,7,8-TCDD was less toxic than oral dosing in acute-exposure experiments with hamsters (Olson et al. 1980a). 

---