No toxicological effects on acute and repeated oral gavage doses of single-wall or multi-wall carbon nanotube in rats

Three female Crl:CD(SD) rats/group were dosed with single wall carbon nanotube (SWCNT) or multi wall carbon nanotube (MWCNT) four times by gavage at a total of 50 mg/kg bw or 200 mg/kg bw (four equally divided doses at one-hour intervals). Acute oral doses of SWCNT and MWCNT caused neither death nor toxicological effects, and thus the oral LD50 values for SWCNT and MWCNT were considered to be greater than 50 mg/kg bw and 200 mg/kg bw, in rats respectively. Five or ten Crl:CD(SD) rats/sex were dosed with SWCNT once daily by gavage at a dose of 0 (control), 0.125, 1.25 or 12.5 mg/kg bw/day for 28 days with a 14-day recovery period (0 and 12.5 mg/kg bw/day groups). Six or twelve Crl:CD(SD) rats/sex were dosed with MWCNT once daily by gavage at a dose of 0 (control), 0.5, 5.0 or 50 mg/kg bw/day for 28 days with a 14-day recovery period (0 and 50 mg/kg bw/day groups). Based on no toxicological effects, the no observed adverse effect levels (NOAELs) of repeated dose toxicity of SWCNT and MWCNT were considered to be 12.5 mg/kg bw/day and 50 mg/kg bw/day (the highest dose tested), respectively. It was suggested that SWCNT and MWCNT dosed by gavage reached the gastro-intestinal tract as agglomerates and were mostly excreted via feces.