Intraperitoneal Infusion of Neutral-pH Superoxidized Solution in Rats: Evaluation of Toxicity and Complications on Peritoneal Surface and Liver

BACKGROUND: Superoxidized water (SOW) is known to be a potent disinfectant. The aim of this study was to evaluate the toxicity and complications on the peritoneal surface and liver after infusion of pH-neutral SOW into the peritoneal cavity of rats. MATERIAL/METHODS: Thirty Wistar-Albino rats weighing 250–300 g were randomly divided into 3 groups (10 rats/group). Group1 (control group) rats received single dose of 10 mg/kg saline solution intraperitoneally. Group 2 (single-dose group) rats received a single dose of 10 mg/kg pH-neutral SOW intraperitoneally. Group 3 (multiple-doses group) rats received multiple doses of 10 mg/kg pH-neutral SOW intraperitoneally on days 1, 3, and 5. All animals were killed at 1 week after infusion. Blood specimens were taken to the laboratory and macroscopic and microscopic examinations were performed on each rat. RESULTS: All 30 rats survived after the infusion. The gross-macroscopic examinations revealed no pathologic findings in any of the 3 groups. The microscopic examination of peritoneum and liver showed no signs of toxicity or complications in any of the 3 groups. There were no statistically significant differences among the 3 groups with regards to the blood biochemistry, including hemoglobin, hematocrit, platelets, aspartate aminotransferase, alanine aminotransferase, urea, or creatinine levels (p>0.05). However, the leucocyte counts were lower in group 3 than in groups 1 and 2, but this was not statistically significant (p=0.189). CONCLUSIONS: Intraperitoneal infusion of pH-neutral SOW does not result in any significant toxicity or complications on the liver and peritoneal surface. However, multiple infusions lead to low leucocyte counts and future studies with longer follow-up times are needed.