Gross pathology
(9) Gross pathology. (i) All animals shall be subjected to a full gross necropsy which includes examination of orifices and the cranial, thoracic, and abdominal cavities and their contents. (ii) At least the lungs, liver, kidneys, adrenals, brain, and gonads shall be weighed wet, as soon as possible after dissection to avoid drying. (iii) The following organs and tissues, or representative samples thereof, shall be preserved in a suitable medium for possible future histopathological examination: All gross lesions; brain-including sections of medulla/pons; cerebellar cortex and cerebral cortex; pituitary; thyroid/parathyroid; thymus; heart; sternum with bone marrow; salivary glands; liver; spleen; kidneys; adrenals; pancreas; gonads; accessory genital organs (epididymis, prostrate, and, if present, seminal vesicles); aorta; skin; gall bladder (if present); esophagus; stomach; duodenum; jejunum; ileum; cecum; colon; rectum; urinary bladder; representative lymph nodes; thigh musculature; peripheral nerve; spinal cord at three levels cervical, midthoracic, and lumbar; and eyes. Respiratory tract tissues shall also be preserved in a suitable medium. (10) Histopathology. The following histopathology shall be performed: (i) Full histopathology shall be performed on the respiratory tract, liver and kidney of all animals in the control and high concentration groups. The histopathology of the respiratory tract is described under paragraph (e)(11) of this section. (ii) All gross lesions which differ from controls in frequency, distribution, type, or severity in all concentration groups. (iii) Target organs in all animals, as indicated by the observations in the high concentration group in this study. Histopathologic examination of target organs in animals at all concentration levels (rather than only to the extent necessary to define the NOAEL) can support the application of exposure-response analyses such as the benchmark concentration approach. (iv) Archived organs identified as targets of toxicity from results of the 90-day study (if a 90-day study is required for this substance) should be elevated in high concentration animals of the 4-hr acute study to determine if they are also targets of acute toxicity. (11) Respiratory tract histopathology. (i) Representative sections of the respiratory tract shall be examined histologically. These shall include the trachea, major conducting airways, alveolar region, terminal and respiratory bronchioles (if present), alveolar ducts and sacs, and interstitial tissues. (ii) Care shall be taken that the method used to kill the animal does not result in damage to the tissues of the upper or lower respiratory tract. The lungs shall be infused with a fixative while in an inflated state of fixed pressure. (iii) The upper respiratory tract shall be examined for histopathologic lesions. This examination shall use a minimum of four sections located as specified under paragraphs (e)(11)(iii)(A) through (e)(11)(iii)(D) of this section. An evaluation of the nasal vestibule shall be conducted. The method described by the reference under paragraph (h)(11) of this section should be given consideration. The use of additional sections shall be left to the discretion of the study pathologist, but consideration should be given to additional sections as recommended in the reference under paragraph (h)(8) of this section to ensure adequate evaluation of the entire upper respiratory tract, particularly the nasopharyngeal meatus. The following transverse sections shall be examined: (A) Immediately posterior to the upper incisor teeth. (B) At the incisor papilla. (C) At the second palatal ridge. (D) At the level of the first upper molar teeth. (iv) The laryngeal mucosa shall be examined for histopathologic changes. Sections of the larynx to be examined include the epithelium covering the base of the epiglottis, the ventral pouch, and the medial surfaces of the vocal processes of the arytenoid cartilages. (12) Bronchoalveolar lavage. (i) Animals can be exposed to the substance by either a nose-only procedure or in a whole-body exposure chamber. (ii) Care should be taken that the method used to kill the animal results in minimum changes in the fluid of the lungs of the test animals. (iii) At the appropriate time, the test animals shall be killed and the heart-lung including trachea removed in bloc. Alternatively, lungs can be lavaged in situ. If the study will not be compromised, one lobe of the lungs may be used for lung lavage while the other is fixed for histologic evaluation. The lungs should be lavaged using physiological saline. The lavages shall consist of two washes, each of which consists of approximately 80% (e.g., 5 ml in rats and 1 ml in mice) of the total lung volume. Additional washes merely tend to reduce the concentrations of the material collected. The lung lavage fluid shall be stored on ice at 5 C until assayed. (iv) The following parameters shall be determined in the lavage fluid as indicators of cellular damage in the lungs: total protein, cell count, and percent leukocytes. In addition, a phagocytosis assay shall be performed to determine macrophage activity. Assay methods described in the references under paragraphs (h)(1) and (h)(3) of this section may be used. (13) Combined protocol. The tests described may be combined with any other toxicity study, as long as none of the requirements of either are violated by the combination.