CARCINOGENICITY OF POLICOSANOL IN SPRAGUE-DAWLEY RATS - A 24-MONTH STUDY

The effects of policosanol (50-500 mg/kg) administered orally for 24 m onths to Sprague Dawley rats of both sexes were investigated. No diffe rences related to daily clinical observations, weight gain, food consu mption, or mortality (survival analysis) between groups were found. Hi stopathological study showed that the frequency of the occurrence of n on-neoplastic and neoplastic (benign and malignant) lesions was simila r in the control and policosanol-treated groups. The lesions observed in this study were similar to the spontaneous lesions reported in this species in previous studies. Since no drug-related increase in the oc currence of malignant or benign neoplasms was found, nor acceleration in tumors growth in any specific group was observed, this study shows no evidence of policosanol induced carcinogenicity in this strain of r ats. (C) 1994 Wiley-Liss, Inc.