A significant result across three groups can show that the data warrant closer inspection. It cannot tell a toxicologist which specific feed caused a difference without an appropriate follow-up comparison.
Schelstraete and colleagues studied pigs fed T-2 toxin, zearalenone, or control feed for two weeks. They measured midazolam after oral and intravenous administration and also tested inhibition of midazolam metabolism in porcine liver microsomes. The intravenous profiles showed no detected group differences. Several oral pharmacokinetic measures, including bioavailability and total exposure, showed differences in the overall tests.
The paper reports that only the elimination-rate estimate reached significance in the oral post-hoc analysis. The oral bioavailability patterns and microsomal inhibition supported a hypothesis about CYP3A, with a separate hypothesis about absorption after T-2 exposure. Report the overall test, follow-up comparisons, and bench result separately. A promising microsomal signal and an overall animal result leave the treatment-specific effect and any human relevance open.
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