title: Toxic effect in the lungs of rats after inhalation exposure to benzalkonium chloride.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Benzalkonium chloride (BAC) is a quaternary ammonium compound (QAC) toxic to microorganisms. Inhalation is one of the major possible routes of human exposure to BAC.
  
  
  METHODS
  Experiments were performed on female Wistar rats. The rats were exposed to aerosol of BAC water solution at the target concentration of 0 (control group) and 35 mg/m(3) for 5 days (6 h/day) and, after a 2-week interval, the animals were challenged (day 21) with BAC aerosol at the target concentration of 0 (control group) and 35 mg/m3 for 6 h.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Compared to the controls, the animals exposed to BAC aerosol were characterized by lower food intake and their body weight was significantly smaller. As regards BAC-exposed group, a significant increase was noted in relative lung mass, total protein concentration, and MIP-2 in BALF both directly after the termination of the exposure and 18 h afterwards. Significantly higher IL-6 and IgE concentrations in BALF and a decrease in the CC16 concentration in BALF were found in the exposed group immediately after the exposure. The leukocyte count in BALF was significantly higher in the animals exposed to BAC aerosol compared to the controls. In the lungs of rats exposed to BAC the following effects were observed: minimal perivascular, interstitial edema, focal aggregates of alveolar macrophages, interstitial mononuclear cell infiltrations, thickened alveolar septa and marginal lipoproteinosis.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Inhalation of BAC induced a strong inflammatory response and a damage to the blood-air barrier. Reduced concentrations of CC16, which is an immunosuppressive and anti-inflammatory protein, in combination with increased IgE concentrations in BALF may be indicative of the immuno-inflammatory response in the animals exposed to BAC aerosol by inhalation. Histopathological examinations of tissue samples from the BAC-exposed rats revealed a number of pathological changes found only in the lungs.
authors.affiliation: Department of Toxicology and Carcinogenesis, Nofer Institute of Occupational Medicine, Łódź, Poland, radek@imp.lodz.pl.
authors.forename: Radosław
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Swiercz
authors.forename: Tadeusz
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Hałatek
authors.forename: Jan
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Stetkiewicz
authors.forename: Wojciech
authors.initials: W
authors.lastname: Wąsowicz
authors.forename: Barbara
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Kur
authors.forename: Zofia
authors.initials: Z
authors.lastname: Grzelińska
authors.forename: Wanda
authors.initials: W
authors.lastname: Majcherek
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D000891:Anti-Infective Agents, Local / Q000633:toxicity*; D001548:Benzalkonium Compounds / Q000633:toxicity*; D001835:Body Weight / Q000187:drug effects; D001992:Bronchoalveolar Lavage Fluid / Q000737:chemistry / Q000166:cytology; D054426:Chemokine CXCL2 / Q000032:analysis; D019742:Chemokines, CC / Q000032:analysis; D004435:Eating / Q000187:drug effects; D005260:Female; D007073:Immunoglobulin E / Q000032:analysis; D019570:Inhalation Exposure; D015850:Interleukin-6 / Q000032:analysis; D007958:Leukocyte Count; D008168:Lung / Q000473:pathology*; D017208:Rats, Wistar
chemical_list: D000891:Anti-Infective Agents, Local; D001548:Benzalkonium Compounds; C579176:Ccl6 protein, rat; D054426:Chemokine CXCL2; D019742:Chemokines, CC; C513296:Cxcl2 protein, rat; D015850:Interleukin-6; D007073:Immunoglobulin E