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To assess photoxicity, several in vitro methods using different cellular models have been developed for preclinical testing. Over prediction of the in vivo photosafety hazard has been however appointed. Herein, we describe the implementation and validation of an in vitro methodology for phototoxicity evaluation based on the 3T3 neutral red uptake phototoxicity test using the HaCaT human keratinocyte cell line, and UVA/UVB radiation. Known positive (5-methoxypsoralen, chlorpromazine, and quinine) and negative (acetyl salicylic acid, hexachlorophene, and sodium lauryl sulphate) controls were tested together with a set of chemical currently used in cosmetic/pharmaceutical formulations. Apart from the advantage of using a cell line of human origin, these cells were generally more resistant to the cytotoxic effects of the test substances relative to the 3T3 mouse fibroblasts when exposed to an UVA irradiation dose of 1.7 mW/cm 2 . Therefore, this HaCaT NRU assay provides a more realistic experimental model that overcomes the over/high sensitivity frequently noted with the 3T3 NRU assay and that is more consistent with the human in vivo situation. Using a more representative method can prevent time-consuming and expensive in vivo testing in both animal models and humans that can significantly delay the clinical development of new chemicals., (Copyright © 2019 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.)

Maternal hexachlorophene (HCP) exposure causes transient disruption of hippocampal neurogenesis in mouse offspring. We examined epigenetically hypermethylated and downregulated genes related to this HCP-induced disrupted neurogenesis. Mated female mice were dietary exposed to 0 or 100 ppm HCP from gestational day 6 to postnatal day (PND) 21 on weaning. The hippocampal dentate gyrus of male offspring was subjected to methyl-capture sequencing and real-time reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction analyses on PND 21. Validation analyses on methylation identified three genes, Dlx4, Dmrt1, and Plcb4, showing promoter-region hypermethylation. Immunohistochemically, DLX4+, DMRT1+, and PLCB4+ cells in the dentate hilus co-expressed GAD67, a γ-aminobutyric acid (GABA)ergic neuron marker. HCP decreased all of three subpopulations as well as GAD67+ cells on PND 21. PLCB4+ cells also co-expressed the metabotropic glutamate receptor, GRM1. HCP also decreased transcript level of synaptic plasticity-related genes in the dentate gyrus and immunoreactive granule cells for synaptic plasticity-related ARC. On PND 77, all immunohistochemical cellular density changes were reversed, whereas the transcript expression of the synaptic plasticity-related genes fluctuated. Thus, HCP-exposed offspring transiently reduced the number of GABAergic interneurons. Among them, subpopulations expressing DLX4, DMRT1, or PLCB4 were transiently reduced in number through an epigenetic mechanism. Considering the role of the Dlx gene family in GABAergic interneuron migration and differentiation, the decreased number of DLX4+ cells may be responsible for reducing those GABAergic interneurons regulating neurogenesis. The effect on granule cell synaptic plasticity was sustained until the adult stage, and reduced GABAergic interneurons active in GRM1-PLCB4 signaling may be responsible for the suppression on weaning.

Hexachlorophene (HCP) has been shown to induce myelin vacuolation due to intramyelinic edema of the nerve fibers in animal neural tissue. We investigated the maternal exposure effect of HCP on hippocampal neurogenesis in the offspring of pregnant mice supplemented with 0 (control), 33 or 100 ppm HCP in diet from gestational day 6 to day 21 after delivery. On postnatal day (PND) 21, offspring as examined in males exhibited decreased granule cell lineage populations expressing paired box 6, sex-determining region Y-box 2 and eomesodermin in the hippocampal subgranular zone (SGZ) accompanied by myelin vacuolation involving white matter tracts of the hippocampal fimbria at ≥ 33 ppm. However, SGZ cellular populations expressing brain lipid binding protein and doublecortin were unchanged at any dose. Transcript expression of cholinergic receptor genes, Chrna4 and Chrnb2, and glutamate receptor genes, Grm1 and Grin2d, examined at 100 ppm, decreased in the dentate gyrus. HCP exposure did not alter the number of proliferating or apoptotic cells in the SGZ, or reelin- or calcium-binding protein-expressing γ-aminobutyric acid (GABA)ergic interneurons in the dentate hilus, on PND 21 and PND 77. All neurogenesis-related changes observed in HCP-exposed offspring on PND 21 disappeared on PND 77, suggesting that maternal HCP exposure at ≥ 33 ppm reversibly decreased type 2 intermediate-stage progenitor cells in the hippocampal neurogenesis. Myelin vacuolation might be responsible for changes in neurogenesis possibly by reducing nerve conduction velocity of cholinergic inputs from the septal-hippocampal pathway to granule cell lineages and/or GABAergic interneurons, and of glutamatergic inputs to granule cell lineages., (Copyright © 2015 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.)

Hexachlorophene (HCP) is known to induce myelin vacuolation corresponding to intramyelinic edema of nerve fibers in the central and peripheral nervous system in animals. This study investigated the effect of maternal exposure to HCP on hippocampal neurogenesis in rat offspring using pregnant rats supplemented with 0 (controls), 100, or 300 ppm HCP in the diet from gestational day 6 to day 21 after delivery. On postnatal day (PND) 21, the numbers of T box brain 2(+) progenitor cells and terminal deoxynucleotidyl transferase-mediated dUTP-biotin nick end-labeling(+) apoptotic cells in the hippocampal subgranular zone (SGZ) decreased in female offspring at 300 ppm, which was accompanied by myelin vacuolation and punctate tubulin beta-3 chain staining of nerve fibers in the hippocampal fimbria. In addition, transcript levels of the cholinergic receptor, nicotinic beta 2 (Chrnb2) and B-cell CLL/lymphoma 2 (Bcl2) decreased in the dentate gyrus. HCP-exposure did not alter the numbers of SGZ proliferating cells and reelin- or calcium-binding protein-expressing γ-aminobutyric acid (GABA)-ergic interneuron subpopulations in the dentate hilus on PND 21 and PND 77. Although some myelin vacuolation remained, all other changes observed in HCP-exposed offspring on PND 21 disappeared on PND 77. These results suggest that maternal HCP exposure reversibly decreases type-2b intermediate-stage progenitor cells via the mitochondrial apoptotic pathway in offspring hippocampal neurogenesis at 300 ppm HCP. Neurogenesis may be affected by dysfunction of cholinergic inputs into granule cell lineages and/or GABAergic interneurons as indicated by decreased transcript levels of Chrnb2 and numbers of Chrnb2(+) interneurons caused by myelin vacuolation in the septal-hippocampal pathway., (Copyright © 2014 Elsevier Ireland Ltd. All rights reserved.)

Background: Inhibin B is a heterodimer glycoprotein that downregulates follicle-stimulating hormone and is produced predominantly by Sertoli cells. The potential correlation between changes in plasma Inhibin B and Sertoli cell toxicity was evaluated in male rats administered testicular toxicants in eight studies. Inhibin B fluctuations over 24 hr were also measured., Methods: Adult rats were administered one of eight testicular toxicants for 1 to 29 days. The toxicants were DL-ethionine, dibutyl phthalate, nitrofurazone, 2,5-hexanedione, 17-alpha ethinylestradiol, ethane dimethane sulfonate, hexachlorophene, and carbendazim. In a separate study plasma was collected throughout a 24-hr period via an automatic blood sampler., Results: Histomorphologic testicular findings included seminiferous tubule degeneration, round and elongate spermatid degeneration/necrosis, seminiferous tubule vacuolation, aspermatogenesis, and interstitial cell degeneration. There was a varying response of plasma Inhibin B levels to seminiferous tubule toxicity, with three studies showing high correlation, three studies with a response only at a certain time or dose, and two studies with no Inhibin B changes. In a receiver operating characteristics exclusion model analysis, where treated samples without histopathology were excluded, Inhibin B showed a sensitivity of 70% at 90% specificity in studies targeting seminiferous tubule toxicity., Conclusion: Decreases in Inhibin B correlated with Sertoli cell toxicity in the majority of studies evaluated, demonstrating the value of Inhibin B as a potential biomarker of testicular toxicity. There was no correlation between decreases in Inhibin B and interstitial cell degeneration. In addition, a pattern of Inhibin B secretion could not be identified over 24 hr., (© 2013 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.)

Examinations of brain of rats intoxicated with hexachlorophene or acrylamide with ultrahigh-field (4.7 T) proton magnetic resonance (MR) showed alterations consistent with clinical pictures in humans and morphological findings in experimental animals. On the other hand, conventional biochemical analyses have revealed that ethylene oxide, methyl bromide, and acrylamide inhibit creatine kinase (CK; an enzyme catalyzing the reaction: ATP+creatine<-->ADP+phosphocreatine) activities in the brain of animals. Thus, 31P MR combined with magnetization transfer may be utilized to monitor living humans (or animals) intoxicated with these chemicals by determining CK activities in the target organ.

Effects on activated sludges of several disinfectants with strong and wide antimicrobial ability, were investigated using an oxygen up-take method. As a results, at the maximal non-reactive concentration of disinfectants, hexachlorophene has estimated value of 6 mg/l and shows the highest toxicity against activated sludges. At the lethal concentration of 50%, the toxicity of triclosan is the strongest disinfectant.

N-methyl-D-aspartate (NMDA) and non-NMDA receptors were found to be involved in development of functional disorders caused by hexachlorophene. In order to specify the role of glutamate receptors we studied the protective effects of the selective antagonist of the kainate/(+/-)-alpha-amino-3-hydroxy-5-methylisoxazole-4-propionic acid (AMPA) receptor/channel 1,2,3,4-tetrahydro-6-nitro-2, 3-dioxo-benzo[f]quinoxaline-7-sulphonamide disodium (NBQX) and of the non-competitive NMDA receptor antagonist ifenprodil tartrate on coordinative motor behaviour of adult male Wistar rats as assessed in a simple 'ladder-test'. Neurotoxic injury of the cerebrum after hexachlorophene administration and putative amelioration after treatment with test substances was demonstrated histologically. Hexachlorophene-induced motor disturbance remitted spontaneously when stopping the noxis, but remittance occurred significantly earlier when NBQX [0.45 and 0.6 mg/kg intraperitoneal (i.p.)] was applied as well. Ifenprodil (0.15 to 1.2 mg/kg) did not improve the motor function. Vacuolation of white matter of the whole cerebrum was observed after 3 weeks of treatment with hexachlorophene. These morphological alterations caused by hexachlorophene treatment [central nervous system (CNS) vacuolation] spontaneously revert only after 5-6 weeks. The 5-day duration with test substances was too short for remission of vacuolation which thus may not apply to the situation after treatment with glutamate antagonists, despite improvement of motor function. The results suggest that kainate/AMPA receptor channels are at least partially involved in the mechanism of brain damage induced by hexachlorophene, however, the polyamine binding site of the NMDA receptor evidently is not involved.

Brain succinate dehydrogenase (SDH) activity was inhibited by in vitro hexachlorophene (HCP) with a half inhibitory concentration (IC50) of 0.65 x 10(-3) M. The HCP exerted noncompetitive inhibition at 0.5 mM (IC50) on SDH activity. The brain SDH demands more energy of activation (deltaE) in the presence of HCP. The ionizable groups of SDH such as the sulfhydral group of cysteine and alpha-amino groups of cysteine were not altered qualitatively in the presence of HCP.

Currently, most neurotoxicological investigations are still conducted using various animal models (e.g. chickens, rodents). In this report, alternative strategies of testing were examined to detect the neurotoxic potency of foreign compounds. Primary neuronal cell cultures from fetal rats are already an accepted model for mechanistic and pharmacological studies in drug research. Their suitability for neurotoxicological studies was examined by using industrial model compounds, which are well-known inductors of neuropathies: acrylamide, hexachlorophene, paraquat, n-hexane, and its neurotoxic metabolites acetylaceton and 2,5-hexandione. As a control compound, the nonneurotoxic solvent n-heptane was used. General cytotoxicity and the intracellular content of glial fibrillary acid protein, neuron-specific enolase, and neurofilaments were measured. n-Heptane induced an acute cytotoxicity and acrylamide and 2,5-hexandione produced a delayed cytotoxicity in primary neuronal cells, whereas the others showed no cytotoxic potency in the tested concentration range. These results were in agreement with the quantification of neurons by neuron-specific enolase. In contrast, with the exception of acetylaceton, glia cells were significantly affected by all neurotoxins at the later time. Signs of axonopathies were demonstrated for acrylamide, n-hexane and its metabolites, as well as for hexachlorophene and paraquat in vitro, by determining the intracellular neurofilament level. Therefore, the determination of cell-specific end points is necessary to detect the neurotoxic potency and quality of a compound, whereas the cytotoxicity assay limited the tested concentration range.

1. Urinary alkalinisation may be helpful in treating acute poisoning with uncouplers of oxidative phosphorylation containing a phenolic hydroxyl (pKa 4-6) or other acidic moiety. 2. We studied the effects of urine alkalinisation and acidification on the tissue distribution of hexachlorophene (HCP, pKa 5.7) in male Sprague Dawley rats (10 rats/group). 3. Ammonium chloride (10 mL kg-1, 2% m/v) or sodium bicarbonate (10 mL kg-1, 2% m/v) were administered by gavage on three occasions over 24 h, prior to a single gavage dose of HCP (180 mg kg-1). Controls received aqueous sodium chloride (10 mL kg-1, 0.9% m/v) followed by either HCP (180 mg kg-1) or vehicle alone. 4. Urine pH, body mass and body temperature were monitored during the study and, at the conclusion of the experiment (12 h post-HCP dose), organ mass (liver, kidney, brain), and plasma, urine and tissue HCP concentrations were measured. 5. No clinical features of toxicity were observed in any group. However, sodium bicarbonate significantly reduced median HCP in liver--median plasma and kidney HCP concentrations were also reduced but not significantly. Conversely, ammonium chloride significantly increased median HCP concentrations in liver and kidney--median plasma HCP was also increased but not significantly. 6. The results provide some support for the hypothesis that blood pH influences the tissue distribution of uncouplers of oxidative phosphorylation containing an acidic moiety. Urinary alkalinisation may be useful in treating acute poisoning with these compounds.

A new low-toxic antimicrobial preparation is proposed to impregnate woven materials used in treatment of pyo-inflammatory wounds contaminated with Gram-positive and Gram-negative bacteria as well as with pathogenic fungi as a result of an artificial infection. Sodic form of sudamate is less toxic, its bactericidal effect being 3-5 times more effective than that of hexachlorophene.

The question of what happens to cholesterol in the adult central nervous system during its slow turnover has been addressed using rats with brain and spinal cord labeled with [4-14C]cholesterol upon intracerebral injection of labeled cholesterol into rats at 10-12 days of age. At six months after injection, 14C was found only in the brain and spinal cord and was slowly released via the rat's urine. When labeled rats were given demyelinating agents (triethyl tin chloride, hexachlorophene, sodium cyanide) and when experimental allergic encephalomyelitis was induced, a measurable increase in urinary 14C label above control levels was found. It was concluded that there is a direct relationship between the experimental demyelination induced and the increased release of cholesterol metabolites into urine. The study suggests that a clinical method could be developed to determine the rate of central nervous system demyelination by measuring the amount of urinary cholesterol metabolites.

Effect of repeated oral administration of hexachlorophene (HCP) on glycolytic and oxidative pathways was studied in the rat brain. The rats were divided into three batches of six in each batch. The first batch was treated with paralytic dose (60 mg.kg-1.day-1) of HCP for 7 days. The second batch of animals was treated with sublethal dose (18 mg.kg-1.day-1) for 7 days. The third batch of animals was served as the age matched controls which received vehicle (corn oil) only. The glycolytic and oxidative metabolism of carbohydrates was significantly inhibited in the brain of rat during HCP treatment and the inhibition was more pronounced in paralytic dose treatment as compared to sublethal dose treatment. The inhibition of NADP-isocitrate dehydrogenase coupled with glucose 6-phosphate dehydrogenase indicates reduced generation of NADPH2 and pentoses for the synthesis of fatty acids and nucleotides.

Two-stage carcinogenesis (initiation and promotion) has been demonstrated in various mammalian tissues, but there is no conclusive evidence that it occurs in the nervous system. The present work has investigated the possibility that it might occur in the brain of the rat. Pregnant Sprague-Dawley rats were given an initiating dose (10 mg/kg intravenously (i.v.)) of N-ethylnitrosourea (ENU), which resulted in a low but consistent yield of brain tumours in the offspring. The dose was determined in a prior dose-response investigation. The 'initiated' offspring were treated postnatally with the putative promoter, hexachlorophane, and its ability to increase tumour incidence was examined by standardized step sectioning of the brain from rats killed at 6 months. There was no evidence of promotion of ENU-induced brain neoplasms by hexachlorophane in the rat. The experimental procedure led to a reproducible incidence of glial tumours in the pups.

The skins of guinea pigs were exposed to 50 mg/kg hexachlorophene (HCP) for 7, 15 or 30 days. The activities of skin marker enzymes (beta-glucuronidase, histidase, tyrosinase) increased, but glutathione decreased. Lipid peroxidation and histamine contents increased during different time intervals. The histopathological changes showed damage to epidermis and dermis. Depending on the duration of exposure, HCP produces biochemical and histopathological damage to skin.

The effect of hexachlorophene (HCP; 2,2'-methylenebis(3,4,6-trichlorophenol), cuprizone (CPZ; bicyclohexone oxaldihydrazone) and triethyl tin (TET; triethyl tin sulphate) in producing vacuoles in the brain of the Sprague-Dawley rat has been quantified by image analysis of the extent of the spongy change in the white matter. The state of the astrocytes was assessed by immunocytochemical staining for glial fibrillary acidic protein (GFAP). HCP and TET caused a dose-related spongiosis, but cuprizone had no significant effect on the brain. With chronic HCP treatment, the spongiosis was accompanied by astrocyte hypertrophy and proliferation, and the extent of the gliotic reaction was related to the dose of HCP. The results demonstrate that HCP can produce and maintain astrocyte proliferation in the rat brain. Such an agent was required for use in an investigation of a putative tumour promoter in the rat.

The effects of inhaled zinc oxide/hexachloroethane smoke (11,580 mg x min/m3) and intratracheally instilled zinc chloride (2.5 mg/kg body weight) have been studied in rat lung. The effects of subsequent treatment with 70% oxygen have been studied after both procedures. Both the inhalation of the smoke and instillation of zinc chloride produced similar effects that included pulmonary edema, alveolitis and, at a later stage, some fibrosis. After zinc chloride instillation, the pathological changes largely spared the periphery of the lung, while following smoke inhalation they were more diffuse. Subsequent oxygen administration had little effect on the development or progression of the pathological changes.

Endogenous avian RNA tumor virus gene expression was induced in chick embryo cells by the 1,1,1-trichloro-2-, 2-bis(p-chlorophenyl ethane) metabolites bis(chlorophenyl)acetic acid and dichlorodiphenyl dichloroethylene and the antibacterial agent hexachlorophene. Line 100 x 7, C/ABE, chick cell cultures were incubated with each of these chemicals or the known endogenous virus inducer bromodeoxyuridine. At subtoxic levels, all four chemicals induced the production of virus particles as determined by assay for the viral-specific reverse transcriptase and infectivity. Since the endogenous virus produced is of subgroup E and consequently unable to infect surrounding cells of the type C/ABE, amplification of the induced virions was accomplished by infecting the subgroup E susceptible cell line 15B C/C with supernatants from the chemically treated cultures. Fluorescent antibody treatment of line 100 x 7 C/ABE cultures showed approximately 35% to 40% of the cells stained in the chemically treated cell cultures, suggesting that only a portion of the cells were responding to the chemical induction.

The toxicity and carcinogenicity of life-time applications of hexachlorophene on the skin of Swiss mice were studied. Twice weekly applications of 0.02 ml of a 50% or 25% solution produced necrosis and ulceration of the skin as well as neurological symptoms and a mortality of up to 22% within two weeks. At autopsy, edema and cystic lesions were seen in the white matter of the central nervous system. The neurological symptoms were reversible, though a proportion of the cystic lesions persisted. Only one skin tumor was seen and the number of tumors of other organs, lymphomas, lung adenomas, liver hemangiomas, and other tumors, was not higher than in the controls. It is concluded from this study that percutaneous application of hexachlorophene has toxic local and systemic effects in mice, but no carcinogenic effects.

The neurotoxicity associated with chronic exposure to hexachlorophene (HCP) was evaluated by measuring the activity of seven cell specific marker enzymes in brain and by comparing these measurements to morphological changes analyzed by light microscopy. Animals were divided into two groups, the experimental group received HCP at a daily dose of 20 mg/kg p.o. for 53 consecutive days whereas the control group received an equivalent amount of the vehicle only. HCP produced no change in the rate of gain in body weight nor did it produce a statistically significant change in brain weight. Furthermore, no overt abnormal neurological symptoms were observed at this level of exposure to HCP. The white matter throughout the brain was extensively vacuolated in the HCP-treated rats, imparting a spongiform structure which was absent in the white matter of the control animal brains. The data obtained reveal that chronic HCP treatment produce little change in any of the neuronal marker enzymes with the exception of a significant decrease in tyrosine hydroxylase activity in the striatum. Of the nonneuronal enzymes assayed, a significant increase in non-neuronal enolase, glutamine synthetase, and 2',3'-cyclic nucleotide phosphohydrolase was observed in the sciatic nerve, hippocampus and optic nerve, respectively.

Albino noninbred rats were exposed to hexachlorophene (chronic inhalation of 0.1 CL50 for 12 months). The tumors detected occurred mostly in the lungs. Increased incidence of lung tumors as well as their histomorphologic pattern (not typical of spontaneous neoplasms of these animals) suggested carcinogenicity of hexachlorophene under the said conditions.

The primary effect of hexachlorophene on rat retina is disruption of the disc membranes of photoreceptor outer segments and irreversible destruction of their cell bodies. The neurons of the ganglion cell layer of the retina also become affected, probably secondary to optic nerve lesions present in hexachlorophene intoxication. The early and probably reversible changes of the discs are vacuolation and vesiculotubular degeneration. Vacuolation in the discs results from separation of their inner aspects. This lesion is analogous to the separation of myelin lamellae at the intraperiod line, also produced by hexachlorophene.

Hexachlorophene (HCP) was studied for mutagenic effects in the dominant lethal test on mice. Groups of male mice were treated with either 2.5 or 5.0 mg hexachlorophene per kg body weight as a single intraperitoneal injection. Control animals were treated with the propylene glycol vehicle. Each male was mated with 3 untreated females for each of 8 consecutive weeks with the uterus of the females examined at mid-pregnancy for signs of early embryonic death. Treatment did not alter mating capacity and fertility of the males. The administration of hexachlorophene had no influence on pre- or post-implantation losses. An increase in early resorptions among female mice bred to males treated with the reference compound, methyl methanesulfonate (MMS) given a single i.p. injection of 100 mg/kg, indicated the susceptibility of the mouse strain used to a known mutagen. It is concluded that hexachlorophene at maximally tolerated doses is not mutagenic in the dominant lethal test in mice.

The administration of single or multiple oral doses of hexachlorophane to yearling sheep resulted in a periportal fatty liver. The accumulation of fat is accompanied by ultrastructural changes in the hepatocyte organelles, particularly the endoplasmic reticulum and Golgi apparatus, and by decreased serum lipid and triglyceride levels. It is suggested that an impairment in the triglyceride secretory mechanism of the liver cell may be the patho-physiological basis for fatty liver. However, the changes in the liver were not accompanied by an evidence of significant impairment of liver cell function.

Cats given HCP (20 mg/kg) orally each day developed hindlimb paralysis and greatly elevated CSFP (174 mm saline; 19 mm in controls) in 3 to 5 days. "Status spongiosis" was seen in white matter only in sections of brain and cord. There was no dilation of cerebral ventricles, or damage to their ependymal linings or to the arachnoid villi. The neurological picture excluded any but a terminal effect upon cranial nerve function. There appeared to be no damage to neurons, and recovery of survivors was complete within 6 weeks after cessation of HCP administration. Elevated CSFP in paralyzed anesthetized cats was quickly lowered by an average of 256 mm by slow iv administration of 30% urea (2 g/kg in 10% invert sugar). Unanesthetized cats similarly paralyzed were able to stand and walk for up to 4 hr after this treatment. Neither acetazolamide nor prednisolone alone had any effect, nor did coadministration with urea enhance the effect of urea. The HCP lesion does not appear to be inflammatory in origin, nor does it seem to involve ventricular obstruction or overproduction of cerebrospinal fluid. The reappearance of paralysis about 4 hr after osmotic diuresis, which corresponds with the elimination of urea, suggests that prolonged iv infusion with urea or a similar osmotically active substance may have significant clinical value in the management of HCP poisoning.

A critical review of the available data on the risks and benefits of hexachlorophene suggests that there is ample evidence fror the toxic potential; whereas there is no substantial evidence of its benefit in life-threatening staph 80/81 epidemics, and effective less toxic alternatives are available. In view of its limited usefulness and definite toxicity, the routine use of hexachlorphene is unjustified;

Hexachlorophene (HCP) was tested for carcinogenicity in lifetime feeding studies in male Sprague--Dawley rats that were fed on a protein- and vitamin-deficient diet and in C57B1 and XVII/G mice that received the chemical incorporated into a complete diet. After 2 years, no significant carcinogenic effects were observed in these animals. In XVII/G mice injected subcutaneously at birth or receiving HCP via the mother's milk, the incidence of tumors was not statistically increased. No carcinogenic effect was observed in (C57B1 X C3H) F1 hybrid mice that received HCP transplacentally.

In a dermal toxicological study the effect of hexachlorophene on the blood coagulation process in dogs over a period of 12 weeks was investigated. The thrombelastographic results revealed a reduction in reaction time, coagulation time and an increase in maximal amplitude supplemented with subsequent increase in the number of platelets and the enhancement of ESR.

In a systemic tolerance study in Beagle dogs the effect of an ointment, containing 1, 3 or 10% hexachlorophene (HCP), applied dermally, on the optic system over a period of 12 weeks was investigated. Besides an irreversible loss of visual faculty during treatment with 3 and 10% HCP, a permanent mydriasis, peripapillary exudations and other alterations of the ocular fundus were observed at the same dose levels, suggesting that HCP has a strong affinity to the optic nervous system in dogs without clear-cut correlations to HCP plasma levels.

Seven cell specific marker enzymes in brain and optic nerve and morphological evaluation by light microscopy were used to characterize the neurotoxicity associated with exposure of rats to hexachlorophene (HCP; 40 mg/kg/day, po, for 9 days). In vitro exposure to HCP at concentrations up to 100 microM had no direct inhibitory effect on the marker enzymes, validating their use in evaluating brain function in vivo. Rats exhibited a reduction in body weight gain, weakness, and ataxia of the hind limbs by the ninth day of HCP exposure. At 24 hr following the last day of exposure to HCP, the activities of the three neuron specific enzymes, glutamic acid decarboxylase, tyrosine hydroxylase, and choline acetyltransferase, in rat brain were unchanged from those of the vehicle-treated control group. Of the two astroglial enzyme markers measured, a small but significant increase was observed in the activity of nonneuronal enolase in the cerebellum and glutamine synthetase in the hippocampus of HCP-treated rats. The optic nerve appeared to be the most sensitive tissue in that the activity of both the astroglial marker, nonneuronal enolase, and the myelin marker, 2',3'-cyclic nucleotide phosphohydrolase, was significantly decreased following HCP exposure. This decrease in enzyme activity is consistent with the histological observations demonstrating extensive vacuolization and edema in the optic nerve after exposure to HCP.