Toxicity Assessment of a Single Dose of Poly(ethylene glycol) Diglycidyl Ether (PEGDE) Administered Subcutaneously in Mice

Poly(ethylene glycol) diglycidyl ether (PEGDE) is widely used to cross-link polymers, particularly in the pharmaceutical and biomaterial sectors. However, the subcutaneous toxicity of PEGDE has not yet been assessed. PEGDE samples (500-40,000 mu g/mouse) were subcutaneously injected into the paraspinal dorsum of BALB/c male mice. Cage-side observations were carried out with measurement of organ weight, body weight variation, and feed intake, as well as histopathological characterization on day 28 post-exposure. Mice that received 40,000 mu g of PEGDE showed severe toxic response and had to be euthanized. Subcutaneous injection of PEGDE did not alter feed intake and organ weight; however, the body weight variation of mice injected with 20,000 mu g of PEGDE was significantly lower than that of the other groups. Exposure to 10,000 and 20,000 mu g of PEGDE induced epidermal ulcer formation and hair loss. The histology of skin tissue in mice administered with 20,000 mu g of PEGDE showed re-epithelialized or unhealed wounds. However, the liver, spleen, and kidneys were histologically normal. Collectively, PEGDE, particularly above 10,000 mu g/mouse, caused subcutaneous toxicity with ulceration, but no toxicity in the other organs. These results may indicate the optimal concentration of subcutaneously injected PEGDE.

Automated summary

The study found that PEGDE caused subcutaneous toxicity at concentrations above 10,000 μg/mouse, leading to ulceration, but did not affect other organs.