Abstract  The results of the new study of acute toxicity provided no evidence of toxicity in rats given single doses of 500, 1000, or 2000 mg/kg bw sodium gluconate. In two new four-week studies in rats, sodium gluconate was administered orally either by gavage at doses of 0, 500, 1000, or 2000 mg/kg bw per day or by feeding at doses of 0, 1, 1.25, 2.5, or 5% w/w (equal to 1000, 2000, and 4100 mg/kg bw per day). A further group received 1.35% w/w sodium chloride (equal to 1100 mg/kg bw per day), equivalent to the concentration of sodium in 5% sodium gluconate. After gavage, a significant increase in the relative weight of the kidneys (unilateral) was seen in males at 1000 or 2000 mg/kg bw per day. No treatment-related or dose-related effect was observed on any of the other parameters examined in this study. The effects observed in the feeding study, i.e. increased water intake, increased prothrombin time, and increased relative kidney weights, were not dose-related. Qualitative urine analyses revealed effects in both four-week studies that were considered by the Committee to be related to the high sodium intake arising from the sodium gluconate. Evaluation. On the basis of a re-evaluation of data previously considered by the Committee and new-data on the short-term toxicity of sodium gluconate, the Committee extended the previous ADI `not specified' for glucono-delta-lactone to a group ADI for glucono-delta-lactone and the calcium, magnesium, potassium, and sodium salts of gluconic acid..

Abstract  Recently was observed that pyrethroids decrease motor coordination and that calcium channels can be important targets for this effect. To contribute with this observation, this work studied the motor coordination and exploration (using hole-board apparatus), and locomotion (using open-field apparatus) of rats exposed to following treatments: permethrin (PM), PM plus calcium gluconate (CG) and PM plus amlodipine (AML). The results obtained show that CG or AML alone not changed the motor coordination while PM decreases it. CG kept the effect of permethrin; AML, however, decreased the values of permethrin to the control. Locomotor activity and exploration, which could confound results of motor coordination, were not modified by treatments. The concentration of PM in brain tissue was increased by the CG and AML. The neurosomatic index (weight brain/body weight) was increased by the PM and PM+CG. In conclusion, the combined results here obtained indicates that the calcium ion and the channels in which it is involved can be important targets for the toxic effect of pyrethroid insecticide permethrin on motor nerve activity of rats.