title: Biomarkers of toluene exposure in rats: mercapturic acids versus traditional indicators (urinary hippuric acid and o-cresol and blood toluene).
abstract: 1. Toluene (TOL) is a neurotoxic, ototoxic and reprotoxic solvent which is metabolized via the glutathione pathway, producing benzylmercapturic, o-, m- and p-toluylmercapturic acids (MAs). These metabolites could be useful as biomarkers of TOL exposure. 2. The aims of this study were (1) to provide data on MAs excretion in rat urine following TOL exposure by inhalation, (2) to compare them to data from traditional TOL biomarkers, i.e. TOL in blood (Tol-B), and urinary hippuric acid (HA) and o-cresol (oCre) and (3) to establish a relationship between these different indicators and the airborne TOL concentration (Tol-A). 3. Sprague-Dawley rats were exposed to a range of TOL concentrations. Blood and urine were collected and analyzed to determine biomarker levels. 4. Levels of the four MAs correlate strongly with Tol-A (comparable to the correlation with Tol-B). 5. MAs are thus clearly superior to oCre and HA as potential markers of exposure to TOL.
authors.affiliation: Pollutants and Health, Institut National de Recherche et de Sécurité, Vandoeuvre-lès-Nancy, France. frederic.cosnier@inrs.fr
authors.forename: Frédéric
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Cosnier
authors.forename: Benoît
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Cossec
authors.forename: Manuella
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Burgart
authors.forename: Hervé
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Nunge
authors.forename: Céline
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Brochard
authors.forename: Marie-Josèphe
authors.initials: MJ
authors.lastname: Décret
authors.forename: Aurélie
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Rémy
mesh_terms: D000111:Acetylcysteine / Q000097:blood* / Q000737:chemistry / Q000652:urine*; D000397:Air Pollution / Q000032:analysis; D000818:Animals; D015415:Biomarkers / Q000097:blood / Q000652:urine; D003408:Cresols / Q000652:urine*; D004781:Environmental Exposure / Q000032:analysis*; D006626:Hippurates / Q000652:urine*; D006801:Humans; D007536:Isomerism; D016014:Linear Models; D008297:Male; D051381:Rats; D017207:Rats, Sprague-Dawley; D012044:Regression Analysis; D014050:Toluene / Q000097:blood* / Q000737:chemistry
chemical_list: D015415:Biomarkers; D003408:Cresols; D006626:Hippurates; D014050:Toluene; C030514:hippuric acid; D000111:Acetylcysteine; C034047:2-cresol