Purpose: Previous investigations have shown that chemical absorbent can produce toxicity which may affect many biological organs. Among these materials, phenol is used in chemical, hygienic and pharmaceutical industries as well as in anatomy laboratories, where it is widely used as an agent of fixation. The aim of this investigation was to evaluate the toxically dose-dependent effects of phenol on the neurobehavioral reactions in the rat.
Materials and Methods: In this study, adult rats in the experimental groups (1, 2 and 3) administrated intrapritonneally three different dose of phenol (50, 100 and 200 mg/kg body weight) for 10 days and their magnitute of tremors (slight, moderate and severe) were evaluated by electrophysidogical methods.
Results: Our findings showed that 3-5 minutes after the administration of phenol, tremor appeared and continued up to 7-14 minutes. The magnitude and severity of the tremor (slight, moderate and severe) depended up on the dose of phenol administratered.
Conclusion: These data indicate that phenol as the same as many chemical compounds, may affect on the activities of the central nervous system and lead to block respiratory and cardiac activities and even cause death in severe cases.