The loss of creatine phosphokinase (CK) from intramuscular injection sites in rabbits. A predictive tool for local toxicity.

The CK activity was measured in muscle tissue taken from the injected area (dorsal longissimus muscle) and the contralateral side of the injection site 72 hours after intramuscular injection into rabbits of 1 ml of different dilutions of propylene glycol or glycerol formal in distilled water or 0.9% saline. The total loss of CK activity from the injection site was calculated as the difference between the CK concentration in the normal muscle tissue and that of the injection site from the same animal. From the results the arbitrary amount of muscle tissue depleted of CK activity was further calculated and compared with the severity of the gross pathological findings. A large necrotic area at the injection site was present in all samples with more than 1 g of muscle tissue depleted of CK activity. Minor and probably acceptable pathological changes were found in samples with less than 1 g of muscle tissue depleted of CK activity. The local damaging effect of drug preparations for intramuscular use can thus be evaluated from the calculated amount of muscle tissue depleted of CK activity.