The acute toxicity of tri-n-butyltin glycocholate

The oral acute toxicity for tri-n-butyltin glycocholate (TBT-GA), a newly synthesized organotin steroid, was determined using Long Evans rats. The compound was suspended in corn oil and adminstered by gavage using standard techniques. Unlike tri-n-butyltin taurocholate, which exhibited two different toxicities, one for the tri-n-butyltin moiety and one for the taurocholic acid moiety, the TBT-GA exhibited a single toxicity, that of the whole molecule. The LD₅₀ value was 213 mg kg^?1 (0.274 mmol kg), which on a millimolar basis is similar to that observed for other tri-n-butyltin compounds. The dead rats exhibited distended stomachs, enlarged ceca, and lesions in the intestinal tract. The actual cause of death could not be positively identified. Animals that survived more than three days also exhibited time- and dose-related atrophy of the thymus gland. With 36% more male than female rats succumbing to TBT-GA, the chemical appears to be more toxic towards male than female rats.