Pre-clinical toxicity studies on the new nitroimidazole 1-methylsulphonyl-3-(1-methyl-5-nitroimidazole-2-yl)-2- imidazolidinone.

Administration of 1-methylsulphonyl-3-(1-methyl-5-nitro-2-imidazole-yl)-2-imidazolidinone (Go 10213) at a dose of 5000 mg/kg to rat, mouse, guinea pig and rabbit and 3000 mg/kg to dog did not induce any toxic symptoms or mortality. Repeated daily gavaging with doses ranging from 50-3000 mg/kg/day were tolerated by rats for 2 weeks. No mortality was noticed in treated animals. Reduction in weight gain was observed in male rats on 2000 mg/kg per day and females on 1000 mg/kg per day. No toxic changes were noticed in dogs treated with 200 mg/kg per day for 2 weeks. One monkey treated with 75 mg/kg per day for 4 weeks tolerated the compound without exhibiting any toxic effects. No drug induced alterations were noticed in rats gavaged with 60 and 200 mg/kg per day for 4 weeks. Rats treated with a daily dose of 600 mg/kg showed reduction in body weight gain and atrophy of testes and these changes were reversible after stopping of medication. Dogs medicated with 30 and 100 mg/kg per day tolerated the drug for 4 weeks. Except slight ataxia in a few dogs treated with 100 mg/kg per day, no other drug induced toxic effects were noticed. Neurological symptoms were noticed in all dogs on high dose of 200 mg/kg. Three animals out of six were sacrificed in extremis in this dose. After discontinuation of Go 10213 all dogs on 100 and 200 mg/kg per day recovered normal gait in about a week. No definitive drug induced changes were noticed in laboratory investigations, gross and histopathological examinations.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)