PMID- 18715840
OWN - NLM
STAT- MEDLINE
DCOM- 20081118
LR  - 20080821
IS  - 1232-1087 (Print)
IS  - 1232-1087 (Linking)
VI  - 21
IP  - 2
DP  - 2008
TI  - Pulmonary irritation after inhalation exposure to benzalkonium chloride in rats.
PG  - 157-63
LID - 10.2478/v10001-008-0020-1 [doi]
AB  - BACKGROUND: Benzalkonium chloride (BAC) is a quaternary ammonium compound (QAC) 
      with a C8 to C18 chain length of alkyl groups. Since BAC exerts toxic effects on 
      microorganisms, it has been used as an effective germicide and preservative, 
      mostly in cosmetic industry and medicine. However, the toxic potential of BAC may 
      be hazardous to humans, due to the common use of preparations containing BAC as a 
      preservative. MATERIAL AND METHODS: To assess the possible toxic effects of BAC, 
      two-stage experiments were performed on female Wistar rats. At first, LC50 after 
      a single exposure to BAC aerosol was determined. Then, the animals were exposed 
      to BAC aerosol at 30 mg/m3 for 6 h, and for 3 days (6 h/day). The controls were 
      unexposed rats. Directly after BAC exposure and 18 h afterwards, BALF 
      concentrations were measured of total protein, Clara cell protein, matrix 
      metalloproteinase-9 (MMP-9), hyaluronic acid (HA), immunoglobulin E (IgE) and 
      cytokines (TF-alpha, IL-6 and MIP-20), lactate dehydrogenase (LDH) and 
      GSH-S-transferase (GST). RESULTS: The LC50 value for exposed rats was ca. 53 mg 
      BAC in m3 air for 4 h. All the rats survived single and repeated inhalation 
      exposure to 30 mg/m3 BAC. After single and repeated exposure, lung weight, total 
      protein, HA and LDH activity in BALF of exposed rats were higher than in controls 
      while CC16 levels were decreased. A significantly higher BALF concentration of 
      IL-6 and IgE was noted in animals exposed to single and repeated doses. BALF 
      concentrations of MMP-9, TNF-alpha, and MIP-2 in exposed rats were similar to 
      those in control animals. CONCLUSION: BAC may be classified to class I acute 
      inhalation toxicity. It showed a strong inflammatory and irritant activity on the 
      lungs after 6h inhalation and stimulated dynamic patterns of IL-6 and IgE 
      production and protein infiltration from blood vessels to BALF. Continued 
      exposure resulted in cellular destruction, a statistically significant increase 
      in LDH activity and a continuous decrease in CC16 concentration in BALF.
FAU - Swiercz, Radoslaw
AU  - Swiercz R
AD  - Department of Toxicology and Carcinogenesis, Nofer Institute of Occupational 
      Medicine, Lodz, Poland. radek@imp.lodz.pl
FAU - Halatek, Tadeusz
AU  - Halatek T
FAU - Wasowicz, Wojciech
AU  - Wasowicz W
FAU - Kur, Barbara
AU  - Kur B
FAU - Grzelinska, Zofia
AU  - Grzelinska Z
FAU - Majcherek, Wanda
AU  - Majcherek W
LA  - eng
PT  - Journal Article
PT  - Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't
PL  - Poland
TA  - Int J Occup Med Environ Health
JT  - International journal of occupational medicine and environmental health
JID - 9437093
RN  - 0 (Benzalkonium Compounds)
SB  - IM
MH  - Animals
MH  - Benzalkonium Compounds/administration & dosage/*toxicity
MH  - Female
MH  - Inhalation Exposure
MH  - Lung Diseases/*chemically induced/pathology
MH  - Organ Size/drug effects
MH  - Rats
MH  - Rats, Wistar
EDAT- 2008/08/22 09:00
MHDA- 2008/11/19 09:00
CRDT- 2008/08/22 09:00
PHST- 2008/08/22 09:00 [pubmed]
PHST- 2008/11/19 09:00 [medline]
PHST- 2008/08/22 09:00 [entrez]
AID - D95V4756006X0763 [pii]
AID - 10.2478/v10001-008-0020-1 [doi]
PST - ppublish
SO  - Int J Occup Med Environ Health. 2008;21(2):157-63. doi: 
      10.2478/v10001-008-0020-1.