Toxicity and carcinogenicity studies of nalidixic acid in rodents

Toxicity and carcinogenicity studies of nalidixic acid, an antimicrobial agent used to treat bacterial infections of the urinary tract, were conducted in F344/N rats and B6C3F1 mice of each sex for 13 weeks or 2 years. In the 13-week studies, nalidixic acid was administered at dietary concentrations ranging from 1,000 to 16,000 ppm. Body weights of both rats and mice were reduced in the groups receiving diet containing 8,000 and 16,000 ppm, and feed consumption of rats in the highest treatment groups was approximately two-thirds that of controls. Degeneration of the germinal epithelium in the seminiferous tubules of the testis was observed in male rats that received 16,000 ppm; no other compound-related histopathologic effects were observed in either species. Two-year studies were conducted by feeding diets containing 0, 2,000, or 4,000 ppm nalidixic acid to groups of 50 rats and mice/sex/group. The average daily feed consumption was slightly reduced compared to control groups and resulted in approximate daily doses of 82 or 175 mg nalidixic acid/kg for low dose and high dose rats, and 220 or 475 mg/kg for low dose and high dose mice. Mean body weights of dosed rats and mice were lower than those of controls, except for groups of low dose female rats and male mice. The incidences of preputial gland neoplasms in dosed male rats and of clitoral gland neoplasms in dosed female rats were significantly increased compared to those in controls; responses in low dose groups were similar to those in high dose groups. There were decreased incidences of leukemia and mammary gland neoplasms in dosed female rats and of pituitary gland neoplasms in dosed male rats. Subcutaneous tissue fibrosarcomas were marginally increased in dosed male mice. There were no increased incidences of neoplasms in dosed female mice. Under the conditions of these studies, the dietary administration of nalidixic acid was carcinogenic for rats, causing preputial gland or clitoral gland neoplasms in males and females, respectively. The association of subcutaneous neoplasms with administration of nalidixic acid to male mice was equivocal.