Journal of Pharmacological Reports
Open Access

Abstract

Toxicological Properties of Potassium Bromate

Andrzej Starek and Beata Starek-Świechowicz

Potassium bromate (KBrO3), used in both the food and cosmetics industry, and a drinking water disinfection byproduct, is a nephrotoxic chemical and rodent carcinogen. As KBrO3 is primarily an oxidizing compound, reactive oxygen and other species generated from bromate have been held responsible for the genotoxic, carcinogenic and toxic effects. Bromate induces primary DNA oxidative damage, mutations, and DNA-strand breakage, structural chromosomal aberration types of chromatid breaks and exchanges. KBrO3 induces of micronuclei in different cells in vivo. Bromate is clastogenic agent. Bromate administered in the drinking water was tumorogenic in the rat kidney, thyroid, and mesothelium and was a renal carcinogen in the male mouse. The incidence of mesotheliomas on the tunica vaginalis testis in rats was a dose-dependent manner. It was shown that KBrO3 is an effective promoter of kidney neoplasia induced by N-ethyl-N-hydroxyethylnitrosamine. There are a lot naturally occurring compounds which may be used as effective chemopreventive agents against KBrO3-mediated renal and other organ oxidative stress, toxicity and tumor promotion response.