Free access article

Reprod. Nutr. Dev. 46 (2006) 139-156
DOI: 10.1051/rnd:2006007

Genotoxical, teratological and biochemical effects of anthelmintic drug oxfendazole Maximum Residue Limit (MRL) in male and female mice

Aida El- Makawy, Hasnaa A. Radwan, Inas S. Ghaly and A. Abd El-Raouf

Cell Biology Department, National Research Center, Dokki, Giza, Egypt

(Received 30 May 2005; accepted 16 November 2005; published online 6 April 2006)

Abstract - Oxfendazole, methyl-5 (6)-phenylsulfinyl-2-benzimidazole carbamate, is a member of the benzimidazole family of anthelmintics. Anthelmintic benzimidazoles are widely used in meat producing animals (cattle, sheep and pigs) for control of endoparasites. The extensive use of veterinary drugs in food-producing animals can cause the presence of small quantities of the drug residues in food. Maximum residue limit or "MRL" means the maximum concentration of residue resulting from the use of a veterinary medicinal product which may be legally permitted recognized as acceptable in food. The FAO/WHO Expert Committee on Food Additives (1999) evaluations of toxicological and residue data, reported that oxfendazole (MRL) has toxicological hazards on human health. The toxicity of oxfendazole (MRL) was tested in male and female mice and their fetuses. Chromosomal aberrations, teratological examination and biochemical analysis were the parameters used in this study. The results show that oxfendazole MRL induced a mutagenic effect in all tested cell types. Also, oxfendazole exhibit embryotoxicity including teratogenicity. The biochemical results show that oxfendazole induced a disturbance in the different biochemical contents of all tested tissues. So, we must increase the attention paid to the potential risk of oxfendazole residues in human beings and should stress the need for careful control to ensure adherence to the prescribed withdrawal time of this drug.

Key words: anthelmintic / oxfendazole / maximum residue limit / genotoxicity / embryotoxicity / teratogenicity / biochemical changes

Corresponding author: Aida El- Makawy makawy2000@yahoo.com

© INRA, EDP Sciences 2006

The OpenURL standard is a protocol for transmission of metadata describing the resource that you wish to access. An OpenURL link contains article metadata and directs it to the OpenURL server of your choice. The OpenURL server can provide access to the resource and also offer complementary services (specific search engine, export of references...). The OpenURL link can be generated by different means.

• If your librarian has set up your subscription with an OpenURL resolver, OpenURL links appear automatically on the abstract pages.
• You can define your own OpenURL resolver with your EDPS Account. In this case your choice will be given priority over that of your library.
• You can use an add-on for your browser (Firefox or I.E.) to display OpenURL links on a page (see http://www.openly.com/openurlref/). You should disable this module if you wish to use the OpenURL server that you or your library have defined.