Sub-acute toxicity of 1-bromopropane oral exposure in rats / 中国职业医学

ABSTRACT

OBJECTIVE: To observe the sub-acute toxicity of 1-bromopropane(1-BP) oral exposure for 28 days in SD rats. METHODS: Specific pathogen free adult female SD rats were randomly assigned to the control and exposed group, 8 rats in each group. The 1-BP was suspended in corn oil and administered by gavages in a dose of 800 mg/kg body weight to rats in the exposed group, once a day, 5 days per week for 4 weeks. The rats in the control group were given equal volume of corn oil. After the last exposure, blood and urine of rats were collected for 1-BP level detection and hematological examination. Brain, heart, lung, liver, kidney and spleen of rats were collected for gross pathological examination and histopathological examination. RESULTS: The rats of exposed group showed unstable standing, weakness of hind limbs, limping and lying down from the 3 rd week of exposure. From the 1 st to 4 th week of exposure, mean body weight of rats in the exposed group were significantly lower than those of the control group(P<0.05). In the exposed group, the level of 1-BP in urine was higher than that in blood(P<0.05), and that there was positive correlation between them(Spearman correlation coefficient=0.954, P<0.01). In the control group, 1-BP was not detected. The absolute weights of brain and lung tissue in the exposure group decreased(P<0.05), meanwhile the organ coefficients of heart, liver, spleen and kidney were significantly increased compared with the control group(P<0.05). The number of red blood cells, hemoglobin concentration, hematocrit, the mean hemoglobin concentration, the total serum cholesterol and triglycerides were decreased(P<0.05). No pathological change related to 1-BP exposure was observed in the main organs of the rats in the exposed group. CONCLUSION: The sub-acute oral toxicity of 1-BP is mainly neurotoxicity and hematotoxicity. The 1-BP level in urine may reflect its exposure.