A 28-Day Repeated Dose Toxicity Study of Ultraviolet Absorber 2-(2′-Hydroxy-3′,5′-di-tert-butylphenyl) benzotriazole in Rats

To examine the possible repeated-dose toxicity of an ultraviolet absorber, 2-(2′-hydroxy-3′,5′-di-tert-butylphenyl)benzotriazole (HDBB), CD(SD)IGS rats were administered HDBB by gavage at a dose of 0 (vehicle: corn oil), 0.5, 2.5, 12.5, or 62.5 mg kg−1 day−1 for 28 days. At the completion of the administration period, a decrease in red blood cells, hemoglobin, and hematocrit was noted only in males at 2.5 mg kg and more. Blood biochemical changes were noted at 0.5 mg kg and more in males and at 62.5 mg kg in females. Histopathologic changes were observed principally in the liver (vacuolar degeneration and hypertrophy of hepatocytes, bile duct proliferation, etc.) and in the heart (degeneration and hypertrophy of myocardium and cell infiltration). These changes were noted at 0.5 mg kg and more in males and at 12.5 mg kg and more in females. At higher doses, hypertrophy of tubular epithelium in the kidneys and diffuse follicular cell hyperplasia in the thyroids in both sexes and increased severity of basophilic tubules in the kidneys and extramedullary hematopoiesis in the spleen in males were also detected. After the 14-day recovery period, these changes mostly recovered in females but not in males. Based on these findings, no observed adverse effect level (NOAEL) was concluded to be less than 0.5 mg kg−1 day−1 in male rats and 2.5 mg kg−1 day−1 in female rats.