Fixed-dose procedure

Fixed-dose procedure is a method used in toxicology to classify the toxicity of substances. This procedure is used to determine the lethal dose of a substance that kills 50% of the test subjects, also known as the LD50.

Overview

The fixed-dose procedure was developed as an alternative to the LD50 test, which has been criticized for its use of large numbers of animals and for the severe distress caused to the test subjects. The fixed-dose procedure uses fewer animals and causes less distress.

Procedure

In the fixed-dose procedure, a group of animals is given a fixed dose of the substance under test. The dose is chosen to be likely to cause some toxicity but not to be lethal. The animals are then observed for a period of time, and any signs of toxicity are recorded. If no signs of toxicity are observed, the procedure is repeated with a higher dose. This continues until signs of toxicity are observed or until a maximum dose is reached.

Advantages and Disadvantages

The main advantage of the fixed-dose procedure is that it uses fewer animals and causes less distress than the LD50 test. However, it has been criticized for its lack of precision, as it does not provide an exact LD50 value.

See Also

• Toxicology
• Lethal dose
• Animal testing

This article is a medical stub. You can help WikiMD by expanding it!
Most recent articles Ongoing trials	Wikipedia