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Trichloroethylene and 1,1,1-trichloroethane: effects on brain and liver after five days intermittent inhalation

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Abstract

The inhalation exposure of adult male rats to 7.9 μmol/l (200 ppm) of trichloroethylene for 4 days 6 h each day led to an accumulation of the solvent in the perirenal fat 17 h after the last exposure. Exposures to 20 μmol/l (500 ppm) of 1,1,1-trichloroethane caused similar accumulation. The latter rats presented no changes in their behaviour in an open-field test whereas the motor behaviour of the animals exposed to trichloroethylene was more active in comparison to controls 1 h after the exposure on the 4th day. Trace effects of trichloroethylene on emotional behaviour of the same rats could be seen 17 h after the last exposure.

Further exposures on the 5th day increased brain, liver, lung and blood contents of trichloroethylene and 1,1,1-trichloroethane. A slight decrease in brain RNA content was found in the 1,1,1-trichloroethane exposed rats while RNA decreased significantly after the fifth day of trichloroethylene inhalation. The exposure to 1,1,1-trichloroethane on the 5th day depressed also the microsomal cytochrome P-450 content in liver of rats whereas trichloroethylene increased the hemochrome content slightly at the same time.

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Savolainen, H., Pfäffli, P., Tengén, M. et al. Trichloroethylene and 1,1,1-trichloroethane: effects on brain and liver after five days intermittent inhalation. Arch. Toxicol. 38, 229–237 (1977). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00293657

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