Should oral gavage be abandoned in toxicity testing of endocrine disruptors?

Researchers at the University of Massachusetts USA conclude that the use of gavage administration as the recommended approach may be inappropriate in the study of endocrine disrupting chemicals (EDCs) because it can confound studies by inducing substantial stress in animals, thus altering all endocrine and non-endocrine responses associated with a regular meal. Gavage also avoids oral absorptions that are part of human dietary exposure. Although there are limitations to all methods of dosing animals, the flaws are so severe for some substances that this route of exposure should be abandoned for the study of EDCs. An article about the research is published in Environmental Health.
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