title: A study of the biological partitioning behavior of n-alkanes and n-alkanols in causing anesthetic effects.
abstract: n-Alkanes and n-alkanols are two groups of common volatile organic compounds (VOCs) having potential anesthetic effects on workers and building occupants. A partition model based on the octanol-air partition coefficient was developed in this investigation to describe the biological partitioning of n-alkanes and n-alkanols in causing general anesthesia. Data on anesthetic potency (minimum alveolar concentration, MAC) for the test groups in rats were found to fit the model. The slight difference between the n-alkanes and n-alkanols in testing the model could be largely eliminated by correcting for the potential partial pressure gradients of the long-chain alkanes across the blood-brain barrier. The corrected MAC data for the two test groups fit well onto one common activity-partition regression line. This suggests that n-alkanes and n-alkanols may share a common biophase or mechanistic pathway for anesthesia. The present findings may provide some useful insight into setting anesthesia-based health standards for VOC mixtures.
authors.affiliation: School of Public Health, Griffith University, Logan, Queensland, Australia. hokmhau@polyu.edu.hk
authors.forename: K M
authors.initials: KM
authors.lastname: Hau
authors.forename: D W
authors.initials: DW
authors.lastname: Connell
authors.forename: B J
authors.initials: BJ
authors.lastname: Richardson
mesh_terms: D000393:Air Pollutants / Q000737:chemistry; D000438:Alcohols / Q000737:chemistry / Q000493:pharmacokinetics*; D000473:Alkanes / Q000737:chemistry / Q000493:pharmacokinetics*; D000777:Anesthetics; D000818:Animals; D001812:Blood-Brain Barrier; D004305:Dose-Response Relationship, Drug; D006801:Humans; D008954:Models, Biological; D000442:Octanols / Q000737:chemistry; D011650:Pulmonary Alveoli / Q000378:metabolism; D012995:Solubility; D020711:Threshold Limit Values; D014018:Tissue Distribution; D014835:Volatilization; D014867:Water / Q000737:chemistry
chemical_list: D000393:Air Pollutants; D000438:Alcohols; D000473:Alkanes; D000777:Anesthetics; D000442:Octanols; D014867:Water