Subchronic Toxicity of Triethylenetetramine Dihydrochloride in B6C3F1 Mice and F344 Rats

Triethylenetetramine dihydrochloride (trien-2HCl; CAS No. 38260-01-04),a chelating agent used to treat Wilson's disease patients whoare intolerant of the drug of choice, was tested for subchronictoxicity in B6C3F1 mice and F344 rats. Mice and rats receivedtrien-2HCl in the drinking water at concentrations of 0, 120,600, or 3000 ppm for up to 92 days. Twenty mice and 18 ratsof each sex were assigned to each dose group fed either a cereal-based(NIH-31) or a purified (AIN-76A) diet, both containing nutritionallyadequate levels of copper. An additional control group of ratsand mice received a Cu-deficient AIN-76A diet. This low copperdiet resulted in Cu-deficiency symptoms, such as anemia, liverperiportal cytomegaly, pancreatic atrophy and multifocal necrosis,spleen hematopoietic cell proliferation, and increased heartweight, together with undetectable levels of plasma copper inrats but not in mice. Trien-2HCl lowered plasma copper levelssomewhat (at 600 and 3000 ppm) in rats fed the AIN-76A diet,but did not induce the usual signs of copper deficiency. Trien-2HClcaused an increased frequency of uterine dilatation at 3000ppm in rats fed AIN-76A diet that was not noted in females fedthe Cu-deficient diet. Trien-2HCl toxicity occurred only inmice in the highest dose group fed an AIN-76A diet. Increasedfrequencies of inflammation of the lung interstitium and liverperiportal fatty infiltration were seen in both sexes, and hematopoieticcell proliferation was seen in the spleen of males. Kidney andbody weights were reduced in males as was the incidence of renalcytoplasmic vacuolization. There were no signs of copper deficiencyin mice exposed to trien-2HCl. The only effect of trien-2HClin animals fed the NIH-31 diet was a reduced liver copper levelin both rat sexes, noted at 3000 ppm.