Prevention of oral dichlorvos toxicity by different activated charcoal products in mice

To determine whether immediate treatment with oral activated charcoal (AC) products of differing surface areas prevents clinical toxicity of a lethal oral dose of dichlorvos in mice.

An in vivo, prospective, randomized, placebo-controlled study using 75 male albino mice.

Fasting mice were administered 57.5 mg/kg of a 0.55% dichlorvos solution via feeding tube. One minute later, groups of 15 mice each received 1 or 2 g/kg of Actidose-Aqua AC or 1 or 2 g/kg of Sigma AC or sterile water by feeding tube. In this way, all mice received 15 mL/kg of an AC suspension or sterile water. The animals were observed for 24 hours for seizures or death.

In all treatment groups, mice were found to have significantly fewer seizures and deaths (P < .05) than the control group when compared by chi 2 and Fisher's exact tests. No statistical difference was found between the death and seizure rates when treatment groups were compared with each other. The group sizes were too small, however, to rule out significant type II error (beta > .2).

In this in vivo mouse model, all AC products tested decreased the incidence of seizures and death. Further studies should be done to investigate the clinical effects of AC products with different surface areas.