title: Sub-chronic toxicity of low concentrations of industrial volatile organic pollutants in vitro.
abstract: Organic solvents form an important class of pollutants in the ambient air and have been associated with neurotoxicity and immunotoxicity in humans. Here we investigated the biological effects of sub-chronic exposure to industrially important volatile organic solvents in vitro. Jurkat T cells were exposed to toluene, n-hexane and methyl ethyl ketone (MEK) individually for 5 days and solvent exposure levels were confirmed by headspace gas chromatography. A neuroblastoma cell line (SH-SY5Y) was exposed to toluene for the same period. Following exposure, cells were harvested and toxicity measured in terms of the following endpoints: membrane damage (LDH leakage), perturbations in intracellular free Ca(2+), changes in glutathione redox status and dual-phosphorylation of MAP kinases ERK1/2, JNK and p38. The results show that sub-chronic exposure to the volatile organic solvents causes membrane damage, increased intracellular free calcium and altered glutathione redox status in both cell lines. However, acute and sub-chronic solvent exposure did not result in MAP kinase phosphorylation. Toxicity of the solvents tested increased with hydrophobicity. The lowest-observed-adverse-effect-levels (LOAELs) measured in vitro were close to blood solvent concentrations reported for individuals exposed to the agents at levels at or below their individual threshold limit values (TLVs).
authors.affiliation: Environmental Research Institute, University College Cork, Cork, Ireland.
authors.forename: Catherine
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: McDermott
authors.forename: Ashley
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Allshire
authors.forename: Frank N A M
authors.initials: FN
authors.lastname: van Pelt
authors.forename: James J A
authors.initials: JJ
authors.lastname: Heffron
mesh_terms: D002074:Butanones / Q000633:toxicity; D002118:Calcium / Q000378:metabolism; D045744:Cell Line, Tumor; D002849:Chromatography, Gas; D004785:Environmental Pollutants / Q000633:toxicity*; D005978:Glutathione / Q000378:metabolism; D006586:Hexanes / Q000633:toxicity; D006706:Homeostasis / Q000187:drug effects; D006801:Humans; D007221:Industry; D019169:Jurkat Cells; D007770:L-Lactate Dehydrogenase / Q000378:metabolism; D020928:Mitogen-Activated Protein Kinases / Q000378:metabolism; D019055:No-Observed-Adverse-Effect Level; D009930:Organic Chemicals / Q000633:toxicity*; D010084:Oxidation-Reduction; D010766:Phosphorylation; D015398:Signal Transduction / Q000187:drug effects; D012997:Solvents / Q000633:toxicity; D014050:Toluene / Q000633:toxicity
chemical_list: D002074:Butanones; D004785:Environmental Pollutants; D006586:Hexanes; D009930:Organic Chemicals; D012997:Solvents; C026385:n-hexane; D014050:Toluene; C005222:methylethyl ketone; D007770:L-Lactate Dehydrogenase; D020928:Mitogen-Activated Protein Kinases; D005978:Glutathione; D002118:Calcium