Isopropanol 13-week vapor inhalation study in rats and mice with neurotoxicity evaluation in rats

Abstract

This study was conducted to evaluate the possible subchronic toxicity as well as neurobehavioral effects of isopropanol, a widely used industrial and commercial solvent. Five groups, each containing 10 Fischer 344 rats/sex and 10 CD-I mice/sex, were exposed for 6 hr/day, 5 days/week, for 13 weeks to isopro-panol vapor at concentrations of 0 (control), 100, 500, 1500, or 5000 ppm. An additional 15 rats/sex were assigned to the 0, 500, 1500, and 5000 ppm groups for assessment of neurobeha-vioral function. No exposure-related mortalities occurred dur-ing the study. The narcotic effects of isopropanol were noted only during exposures at 1500 and 5000 ppm. These signs, noted during exposures, were typically absent following expo-sures. The only clinical signs observed following exposures in-cluded swollen periocular tissue, perinasal encrustation, and ataxia for rats of the 5000 ppm group. Neurobehavioral evalua