Registration Dossier

Data platform availability banner - registered substances factsheets

Please be aware that this old REACH registration data factsheet is no longer maintained; it remains frozen as of 19th May 2023.

The new ECHA CHEM database has been released by ECHA, and it now contains all REACH registration data. There are more details on the transition of ECHA's published data to ECHA CHEM here.

Diss Factsheets

Toxicological information

Basic toxicokinetics

Currently viewing:

Administrative data

Endpoint:
basic toxicokinetics in vivo
Type of information:
experimental study
Adequacy of study:
key study
Study period:
No data
Reliability:
1 (reliable without restriction)
Rationale for reliability incl. deficiencies:
comparable to guideline study

Data source

Referenceopen allclose all

Reference Type:
study report
Title:
Unnamed
Year:
2000
Report date:
2000
Reference Type:
publication
Title:
The effect of pregnancy on renal clearance of boron in rats given boric acid orally.
Author:
Vaziri ND, Oveisi F, Culver DB, Pahl MV, Andersen ME, Strong PL & Murray J
Year:
2001
Bibliographic source:
Toxicological Sciences 60: 257 – 263.

Materials and methods

Objective of study:
excretion
Test guideline
Qualifier:
no guideline followed
Principles of method if other than guideline:
Groups of 10 Sprague-Dawley (Charles River) pregnant or non-pregnant rats, were maintained on a specially prepared low boron diet (approximately equivalent to 0.3 boric mg/kg/day) for 7 days prior and switched to a lower boron diet 24 h prior to treatment. Doses of 0.3 (0.052), 3.0 (0.52) or 30 (5.2) mg boric acid (mg B)/kg in water was administered by gavage. Plasma boron was determined at 3 h and 15 h after administration of boric acid and urine was collected for 12 h after the first blood sample was taken. A separate experiment was performed to estimate the plasma half-life. Six pregnant and six non-pregnant rats were treated in the same way as for the renal clearance study. They received a single dose of 30 (5.2) mg boric acid (mg B)/kg (on GD 16) for the pregnant rats. Blood samples (0.25 mL) were taken by periorbital puncture after light anaesthesia at 3, 5, 7, 9,12 and 15 hours post dosing.
GLP compliance:
not specified

Test material

Constituent 1
Chemical structure
Reference substance name:
Boric acid
EC Number:
233-139-2
EC Name:
Boric acid
Cas Number:
10043-35-3
Molecular formula:
H3BO3
IUPAC Name:
Boric acid
Details on test material:
- Name of test material: Boric acid
- Analytical purity: > 90 %
Radiolabelling:
not specified

Test animals

Species:
rat
Strain:
Sprague-Dawley
Sex:
female
Details on test animals or test system and environmental conditions:
TEST ANIMALS
- Age at study initiation: 12-weeks old
- Weight at study initiation: 200 - 250 g
In addition 37 timed-pregnant rats of simillar weight range were used.
- Diet: Ad libitum
- Water: Ad libitum

ENVIRONMENTAL CONDITIONS
- Temperature (°C): 22 ± 2 °C
- Humidity (%): 50 - 60 %
- Photoperiod (hrs dark / hrs light): 12h dark/light
- Other: Animals were maintained in stainless steel cages and potential soures of boron were minimised.

Administration / exposure

Route of administration:
oral: gavage
Vehicle:
water
Details on exposure:
All pregnant and non-pregnant rats were maintained on a casein-based rat diet. To ensure an adequate amount of dietary boron a "low boron" diet (1.4 mg BA/kg diet, or 0.25 mg B/kg diet) was used and supplemented with boric acid (3.5 mg BA/kg diet, or 0.64 mg B/kg diet) and the rats were given the supplemented diet on days 1 through 7 of the study (prior to gavage adminsitration of boric acid). Pregnant rats were placed on the supplemented diet beginning on day 9 of gestation for the first 7 days of the study. This diet aimed to acheive steady state conditions for rats given a diet comparable to that ingested by humans in terms of boron intake. The supplemented diet contained about 15 - 25 times less than boron in Purina rat chow and was designed to deliver a dose of approximately 0.3 mg/kg/day of boric acid (equivalent to 0.05 mg B/kg/day).
On the afternoon of the 7th day (GD 15 for pregnant rats) through the evening of the 8th day of the study all pregnant and non-pregnant rats were switched to low-boron caein diets without the boric acid supplementation to minimise any cross-contaminiation of the urine with boron in the diet.

Duration and frequency of treatment / exposure:
Single administration
Doses / concentrationsopen allclose all
Dose / conc.:
0.3 mg/kg bw/day
Remarks:
renal clearance study, corresponds to 0.052 mg Boron/kg bw/day
Dose / conc.:
3 mg/kg bw/day
Remarks:
renal clearance study, corresponds to 0.52 mg Boron/kg bw/day
Dose / conc.:
30 mg/kg bw/day
Remarks:
renal clearance study, corresponds to 5.2 mg Boron/kg bw/day
Dose / conc.:
30 other: mg/kg bw
Remarks:
Plasma half-life study
No. of animals per sex per dose / concentration:
Renal clearance study: 10 rats per group, sex not specified
Plasma half-life study: 6 pregnant and 6 non-pregnant females.
Control animals:
yes, concurrent vehicle
Positive control reference chemical:
No data
Details on study design:
Renal clearance study:
The lowest dose was comparable to the high end of the normal range of human dietary intake of boron. The highest dose was approximately half of the NOAEL.

Plasma half-life study:
The dose was equivalent to the highest dose in the clearance study and was selected because if any dose level exhibits a non-linear plasma curve it is most likely to be the high dose. It is assumed that if the high dose is linear then the lower doses would also be linear.
Details on dosing and sampling:
Renal clearance study:
Two blood samples were drawn from each rat, the first after approximately 3 h after administration; the second approximately 12 h after the first.
A 12 h urine sample was collected from each rat the clearance study during the period between the first and second blood samples being taken.

Plasma half-life study:
Six blood samples were drawn from each animal during a 12 h period starting 3 h after dosing on Day 8 of the study.
Statistics:
Reanal clearance was expressed as mean ± standard deviation. Two way analysis of variance, multiple range test (Student-Newman-Keuts Method) was used as appropriate. For all statistical analyses p values < 0.05 were considered statistically significant.

Results and discussion

Main ADME results
Type:
excretion
Results:
Renal clearance: 3.1 mL/min/kg for non-pregnant rats, 3.2 mL/min/kg for pregnant rats. Clearance independent of dose up to 30 mg boric acid/kg bw. (5.24 mg B/kg bw).

Toxicokinetic / pharmacokinetic studies

Details on absorption:
Plasma half-life evaluation:
Gavage administration resulted in plasma levels of 1.82 ± 0.32 and 1.78 ± 0.32 μg B/mL among non-pregnant and pregnant rats in the first blood sample which was taken 3 h after dosing. This was followed by a monophasic decline in plasma boron concentrations in both pregnant and non-pregnant rats; the plasm levels were consistent with a compartmental model. There was no evidence of saturation kinetics. The estimated half-lives of boric acid in non-pregnant and pregnant rats were 2.93 ± 0.24 and 3.23 ± 0.28 h respectively. This difference was not statistically significant.
Details on distribution in tissues:
No data
Details on excretion:
The urinary concentration of boron was significantly higher in pregnant compared to non-pregnant rats at the high dose, but not at the mid or low dose. The concentration of boron in the urine during the 12 h collection period in the urine of non-pregnant rats was 1.67 ± 0.62, 10.12 ± 8.16 and 66.82 ± 47.00 μg B/mL at the low, mid and high doses respectively. In pregnant rats the corresponding urine boron concentrations were 1.62 ± 0.49, 12.30 ± 5.12 and 121.45 ± 47.09 μg B/mL, respectively. The amount of boron excreted in the urine increased proportionately with increasing dose. The percentage of the administered dose recovered in the urine was significantly higher in the low dose group compared to the mid and high dose groups. No significant dose-related differences in boric acid clearance were observed in either non-pregnant or pregnant rats.
Toxicokinetic parameters
Toxicokinetic parameters:
half-life 1st: The plasma half-life of boric acid in non-pregnant and pregnant rats given boric acid by gavage was 2.93 ± 0.24 and 3.23 ± 0.28 hours, respectively.

Metabolite characterisation studies

Metabolites identified:
no
Details on metabolites:
Boric acid is not metabolised.

Applicant's summary and conclusion

Conclusions:
Gavage administration resulted in plasma levels of 1.82 ± 0.32 and 1.78 ± 0.32 μg B/mL among non-pregnant and pregnant rats in the first blood sample which was taken 3 h after dosing. This was followed by a monophasic decline in plasma boron concentrations in both pregnant and non-pregnant rats; the plasma levels were consistent with a compartmental model. There wsa no evidence of saturation kinetics. The estimated half-lives of boric acid in non-pregnant and pregnant rats were 2.93 ± 0.24 and 3.23 ± 0.28 h respectively. This difference was not statistically significant.
The urinary concentration of boron was significantly higher in pregnant compared to non-pregnant rats at the high dose, but not at the mid or low dose. The concentration of boron in the urine during the 12 h collection period in the urine of non-pregnant rats was 1.67 ± 0.62, 10.12 ± 8.16 and 66.82 ± 47.00 μg B/mL at the low, mid and high doses respectively. In pregnant rats the corresponding urine boron concentrations were 1.62 ± 0.49, 12.30 ± 5.12 and 121.45 ± 47.09 μg B/mL, respectively. The amount of boron excreted in the urine increased proportionately with increasing dose. The percentage of the administered dose recovered in the urine was significantly higher in the low dose group compared to the mid and high dose groups. No significant dose-related differences in boric acid clearance were observed in either non-pregnant or pregnant rats.