Elevated blood pressure and heart rate in rats exposed to a coal-derived complex organic mixture.
The susceptibility of the cardiovascular system to exposure to a high-boiling coal liquid (heavy distillate, HD) was studied in the rat using an isoproterenol (ISO) myocardial infarction model. Male Fischer rats were exposed to HD by inhalation (0.7 mg/l), 6 h/day, 5 days/week, for 6 weeks. After a 10-day recovery period, sham-exposed and HD-exposed rats were injected subcutaneously with 0, 20, 40 or 60 mg ISO/kg body weight. Blood pressure, heart rate, electrocardiogram and 99mTc uptake by the heart were measured 1 day later. A dose-related increase was observed in the uptake of 99mTc by the hearts of both sham-exposed and HD-exposed animals after ISO injection; however, uptake by the sham-exposed group was significantly greater than that of exposed groups. The most striking observation was a 20% elevation in arterial blood pressure of HD-exposed rats over that of sham-exposed animals when no ISO was injected. These results suggest that the cardiovascular system could be detrimentally affected by exposure to coal-derived complex mixtures and, possibly, to other complex organic mixtures.
Sasser
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LB
Biology and Chemistry Department, Pacific Northwest Laboratory, Richland, WA 99352.
Lundstrom
D L
DL
Zangar
R C
RC
Springer
D L
DL
Mahlum
D D
DD
D000280:Administration, Inhalation; D000818:Animals; D001794:Blood Pressure / Q000187:drug effects*; D003033:Coal Tar / Q000633:toxicity*; D011756:Diphosphates; D004195:Disease Models, Animal; D004305:Dose-Response Relationship, Drug; D004562:Electrocardiography; D006339:Heart Rate / Q000187:drug effects*; D007545:Isoproterenol / Q000008:administration & dosage; D008297:Male; D009203:Myocardial Infarction / Q000139:chemically induced / Q000503:physiopathology*; D051381:Rats; D011916:Rats, Inbred F344; D013667:Technetium; D016698:Technetium Tc 99m Pyrophosphate; D013997:Time Factors
D011756:Diphosphates; D016698:Technetium Tc 99m Pyrophosphate; D013667:Technetium; D003033:Coal Tar; D007545:Isoproterenol