Toxicological studies on sophorolipid derivatives. I Acute toxicity, eye irritation, primary skin irritation, skin sensitization, phototoxicity, photosensitization, mutagenicity of polyoxypropylene(12)((2'-0-.BETA.-D-glucopyranosyl-.BETA.-D-glucopyranosyl)oxy-) fatty acid ester.

Acute toxicity, eye irritation, primary skin irritation, skin sensitization, phototoxicity, photosensitization and mutagenicity of sophorolipid derivatives were studied in rats, mice, rabbits, guinea pigs and Salmonella typhimurium strains. The acute oral toxicity of sophorolipid (SL) which Torulopsis bombicola produces, and its derivatives (PSL, Ethyl-SL and Oleyl-SL) were shown to be very low. The LD50 values of PSL ranged from 10 g/kg to 16 g/kg on oral administration in rats and mice, and from 5.8 g/kg to 6.6 g/kg on subcutaneous administration in mice. The oral LD50 values of Ethyl-SL and Oleyl-SL were estimated to be greater than 15 g/kg and that of SL was 12.5 g/kg. In eye irritation study, PSL failed to produce any reactions at 50% concentration even when the rabbit eye was not subsequently washed. SL, Ethyl-SL, Oleyl-SL and Tween 20 were "no irritant" or "slight irritant" to the rabbit eye at 20% concentration. PSL showed no irritancy to both the intact and abraded guinea pig skin at 50% concentration. And in other examinations, it was also indicated that PSL had no potentials of skin sensitization, phototoxicity and photosensitization in guinea pigs and had no potentials of mutagenicity in Salmonella typhimurium TA98 and TA100.