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Species and tissue differences in the microsomal oxidation of 1,3-butadiene and the glutathione conjugation of butadiene monoxide in mice and rats. Possible role in 1,3-butadiene-induced toxicity.

Rat and mouse liver, lung, and kidney microsomes metabolized 1,3-butadiene to butadiene monoxide (BM), whereas microsomes from testis, one of the target organs of 1,3-butadiene toxicity in both species, were ineffective. 1,3-Butadiene metabolism was NADPH-dependent and inhibited by 1-benzylimidazole. With mouse microsomes, a 4-fold higher rate was measured with kidney compared with liver or lung, which exhibited similar rates. With rat microsomes, the rate obtained with liver was 2- and 6-fold higher than those of lung and kidney, respectively. Overall, oxidation rates by mouse tissues were higher than those of rat tissues. These results, along with the finding that BM was stable in the presence of rat plasma, provide evidence for the role of circulating metabolites in 1,3-butadiene-induced toxicity. Furthermore, crotonaldehyde, a known carcinogen, was detected with mouse tissues only. Thus, in addition to the greater ability of mouse tissues to produce BM, formation of crotonaldehye may contribute to the greater susceptibility of mice to 1,3-butadiene toxicity compared with rats. Nearly all rat liver glutathione S-transferase activity was localized to the cytosol (greater than 96%). BM glutathione conjugation rates with liver cytosol of both species were similar, whereas conjugation rates with mouse lung and kidney cytosol were 4- and 2-fold higher than those of rat lung and kidney, respectively. Thus, species differences in BM glutathione conjugation do not correlate with species susceptibility.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)

Animals

Disposition of butadiene monoepoxide and butadiene diepoxide in various tissues of rats and mice following a low-level inhalation exposure to 1,3-butadiene.

1,3-Butadiene (BD), a chemical used extensively in the production of styrene-butadiene rubber, is carcinogenic in Sprague-Dawley rats and B6C3F1 mice. Chronic inhalation studies revealed profound species differences in the potency and organ-site specificity of BD carcinogenesis between rats and mice. BD is a potent carcinogen in mice and a weak carcinogen in rats. Previous studies from our laboratory and others have shown marked differences between rats and mice in the metabolism of BD, which may account for species differences in carcinogenicity. The purpose of the present study was to examine the production and disposition of two mutagenic BD metabolites, butadiene monoepoxide (BDO) and butadiene diepoxide (BDO2), in blood and other tissues of rats and mice during and following inhalation exposures to a target concentration of 62.5 p.p.m. BD. BDO was increased above background in blood, bone marrow, heart, lung, fat, spleen and thymus tissues of mice after 2 h and 4 h exposures to BD. In rats, levels of BDO were increased in blood, fat, spleen and thymus tissues. No increases in BDO were observed in rat lungs. BDO2, the more mutagenic of the two epoxides, was increased in the blood of rats and mice at 2 and 4 h after initiation of exposure to BD. In mice, BDO2 was detected in all tissues examined immediately following the 4 h exposure. This metabolite was detected in heart, lung, fat, spleen and thymus of rats, but at levels 40- to 160-fold lower than those seen in mice. Immediately after the 4 h exposure, blood levels of BDO2 were 204 +/- 15 pmol/g for mice but were 41-fold lower for rats. In the sensitive mouse target organs, heart and lungs, levels of BDO2 exceeded BDO levels immediately after the exposure. This study shows that the levels of BD epoxides are markedly greater in the mouse BD target organs. The high concentrations of BDO2 in these organs suggest that this compound may be particularly important in BD-induced carcinogenesis. Thus, although BD is oxidatively metabolized by similar metabolic pathways in rats and mice, the substantial quantitative differences in tissue levels of mutagenic epoxides between species may be responsible for the increased sensitivity of mice to BD-induced carcinogenicity.

Administration, Inhalation

Analysis of butadiene, butadiene monoxide, and butadiene dioxide in blood by gas chromatography/gas chromatography/mass spectroscopy.

A new method was developed to quantify the levels of 1,3-butadiene (BD), butadiene monoxide (BDO), and butadiene diepoxide (BDO2) in blood. The method was based on vacuum distillation of tissues followed by analysis of the distillates using multidimensional GC/MS. Metabolites isolated from blood by vacuum distillation were condensed into a cold trap. After warming the traps to room temperature, BD and BDO were sampled from the trap vapor phase. BDO2 was extracted from the codistilled water phase using ethyl acetate. Samples were analyzed using a multidimensional GC system equipped with a custom-built interface. The method was validated by analysis of 0.75-mL aliquots of mouse blood spiked with 5.0, 3.4, and 0.55 nmol of BD, BDO, and BDO2, respectively. The recoveries of analytes were 96 +/- 18%, 125 +/- 15%, and 98 +/- 12%, respectively (mean +/- SD, n = 6). Kinetic studies indicated no loss of BDO and BDO2 in blood held at room temperature in closed containers for up to 1 h. The method was applied to blood samples from B6C3F1 mice and Sprague-Dawley rats exposed by inhalation (nose-only) to 100 ppm BD for 4 h. Blood levels of BD and BDO in exposed rats were 4.1 +/- 1.0 and 0.10 +/- 0.06 microM, respectively (mean +/- SD, n = 6). Levels of BDO2 were below the limits of detection (0.01 nmol/mL). Blood levels of BD, BDO, and BDO2 in mice exposed to 100 ppm BD for 4 h were 2.9 +/- 1.3, 0.38 +/- 0.14, and 0.33 +/- 0.19 microM, respectively (mean +/- SD, n = 6).(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)

Animals

Metabolism of 1,3-butadiene by lung and liver microsomes of rats and mice repeatedly exposed by inhalation to 1,3-butadiene.

1,3-Butadiene, a colorless gas widely used as an intermediate in the production of synthetic rubber, is carcinogenic in rats and mice. Species differences exist in the sensitivity to inhaled 1,3-butadiene and the target tissue specificity for tumor formation. We examined whether repeated inhalation exposure of rats and mice to 1,3-butadiene would affect the rate of metabolism of 1,3-butadiene by lung and liver microsomes in these species. Male Sprague-Dawley rats and B6C3F1 mice were exposed nose-only to air (control) or 7600 +/- 170 ppm 1,3-butadiene (13,600 +/- 300 micrograms/l) and 740 +/- 10 ppm 1,3-butadiene (1300 +/- 20 micrograms/l), respectively, for 6 h/day for 5 days. After the last exposure, nasal tissue (rats only), lungs and livers were removed from the animals and microsomes were prepared. Microsomes from the different tissues were incubated with 6 mumol 1,3-butadiene and 10 mumol NADPH for 30 min and the rate of disappearance of 1,3-butadiene from the reaction flasks was quantitated. There was a statistically significant (P less than 0.05) depression in the rate of 1,3-butadiene metabolism (50%) in microsomes from lungs of both rats and mice that were exposed repeatedly to 1,3-butadiene compared to control animals. There was no effect of repeated 1,3-butadiene exposure on liver or nasal tissue (rats only) metabolism of 1,3-butadiene in rats or mice. The data from these studies indicate that it is unlikely that species differences in sensitivity or tissue susceptibility are due to an inductive or inhibitory effect of 1,3-butadiene on its own metabolism in the tissues examined.

Administration, Inhalation

Mechanisms of 1,3-butadiene oxidations to butadiene monoxide and crotonaldehyde by mouse liver microsomes and chloroperoxidase.

NADPH-dependent oxidation of 1,3-butadiene by mouse liver microsomes or H2O2-dependent oxidation by chloroperoxidase produced both butadiene monoxide and crotonaldehyde; methyl vinyl ketone and 2,3- and 2,5- dihydrofuran were not detected. The crotonaldehyde to butadiene monoxide ratio remained constant over time in both the microsomal and the chloroperoxidase reactions; however, much more crotonaldehyde was produced by chloroperoxidase than microsomes; crotonaldehyde was not detected when reference samples of butadiene monoxide were used in control incubations containing NADPH and microsomes or H2O2 and chloroperoxidase. Moreover, incubations of 1,3-butadiene with horseradish peroxidase and H2O2, or microsomes and H2O2 or arachidonic acid did not result in the oxidation of 1,3-butadiene. In microsomes, metabolite formation was dependent on incubation time, NADPH, and protein concentrations and did not change when the 1,3-butadiene pressure was varied between 24 and 52 cm Hg. Inclusion of the cytochrome P450 inhibitor 1-benzylimidazole inhibited 1,3-butadiene metabolism, but inclusion of KCN, catalase, or superoxide dismutase had no effect. These results support the role of cytochrome P450 in 1,3-butadiene oxidation by mouse liver microsomes. The formation of crotonaldehyde but not methyl vinyl ketone by cytochrome P450 or chloroperoxidase indicates regioselectivity in the oxygen transfer from the hemoproteins to 1,3-butadiene. The intermediates formed may undergo either ring closure to form butadiene monoxide or a hydrogen shift to form 3-butenal which tautomerizes to produce crotonaldehyde. Evidence for this tautomerization was obtained by the finding that 3-buten-1-ol, an alternative precursor of 3-butenal, was oxidized to crotonaldehyde under incubation conditions similar to that used for 1,3-butadiene.

Aldehydes

Species differences in the formation of butadiene monoxide from 1,3-butadiene.

When 1,3-butadiene is incubated with liver postmitochondrial fractions from mouse, rat, monkey or man and a NADPH-regenerating system, the formation rate of butadiene monoxide is different in the four species. With the exception of the rhesus monkey, the amount of epoxide is proportional to the monooxygenase activity. The sequence of epoxide formation is B6C3F1 mouse, Sprague Dawley rat, man, rhesus monkey. The ratio between mouse and monkey was about 7:1. When 1,3-butadiene is incubated with homogenates from lung tissue, only tissues from mouse and rat produce measurable butadiene monoxide concentrations. The monooxygenase activity in lung tissue of the mouse was only 1/30 that in mouse liver. By contrast, lung tissue formed epoxide concentrations comparable to those formed by liver tissue, whereas monkey and human lung tissue did not produce any measurable levels of butadiene monoxide. The data might suggest that the results of recent rodent inhalation studies with 1,3-butadiene could not automatically be extrapolated to man.

7-Alkoxycoumarin O-Dealkylase

Inhalation pharmacokinetics based on gas uptake studies. VI. Comparative evaluation of ethylene oxide and butadiene monoxide as exhaled reactive metabolites of ethylene and 1,3-butadiene in rats.

When ethylene oxide or butadiene monoxide is added to the atmosphere of a closed inhalation chamber occupied by Sprague-Dawley rats, a first-order elimination pattern is observed. When either of these compounds is IP injected into rats which are subsequently placed in the closed chamber, the course of epoxide in the atmosphere follows Bateman exponential functions. From the experimental data, the kinetic parameters for distribution and metabolic elimination of ethylene oxide and butadiene monoxide can be derived. When ethylene or 1,3-butadiene was added to the closed exposure systems and kept at atmospheric concentrations which assured maximal metabolic turnover of the olefin (i.e., concentrations above 1,000 ppm ethylene or 1,500 ppm 1,3-butadiene), exhalation of the appropriate epoxide occurred and led finally to a constant (plateau) concentration of the reactive metabolite in the system's atmosphere. Although the initial time-course was different between butadiene monoxide and ethylene oxide (with a high initial increase of ethylene oxide and a subsequent decrease) an analysis at steady-state (plateau concentrations) revealed that only 29% of the amounts of both epoxides which in theory are formed as primary metabolites from the parent olefins are systematically available (i.e., distributed in the entire organism). The discrepancy is probably related to first pass elimination of the epoxide.

Animals

High concentrations of butadiene epoxides in livers and lungs of mice compared to rats exposed to 1,3-butadiene.

1,3-Butadiene (BD) is carcinogenic in B6C3F1 mice and Sprague-Dawley rats, and mice are more sensitive than rats. This study measured the concentrations of the putative DNA-reactive BD metabolites, butadiene monoxide (BMO) and butadiene diepoxide (BDE), in lung and liver of male Sprague-Dawley rats and B6C3F1 mice exposed to BD by inhalation. Samples (n = 3-6) of lung and liver were collected at 3 and 6 hr during and at 6 and 12 min following 6-hr nose-only inhalation exposure to 0, 62.5, 625, 1250, or 8000 (rats only) ppm BD. BMO and BDE were extracted into methylene chloride and quantified by gas chromatography-mass spectrometry. Since BD epoxides can be conjugated with glutathione (GSH), the nonprotein sulfhydryl content of lung and liver was quantified colorimetrically. Analytical limitations precluded quantitation of BD epoxides in tissues of rats or mice exposed to 62.5 ppm BD. Exposures greater than or equal to 625 ppm BD resulted in higher BMO concentrations in lungs and livers of mice compared to rats. In mice exposed to 625 and 1250 ppm BD, the maximum concentrations of BMO at 3 or 6 hr of exposure in lungs (2.6 +/- 0.2 and 3.7 +/- 1.2 nmol/g tissue; mean +/- SE) were higher than in livers (0.58 +/- 0.12 and 0.93 +/- 0.19 nmol/g). Rats exposed to 625 and 1250 ppm BD had lower concentrations of BMO in lungs (0.16 +/- 0.03 and 0.31 +/- 0.07 nmol/g) and livers (0.06 +/- 0.01 and 0.16 +/- 0.06 nmol/g) than mice. In rats exposed to 8000 ppm BD, the maximum concentrations of BMO in lungs (1.3 +/- 0.2 nmol/g) and livers (1.2 +/- 0.1 nmol/g) were nearly identical. BDE was quantified in lungs, but not livers, of mice exposed to 625 and 1250 ppm BD. The maximum concentrations of BDE in mouse lungs were 0.71 +/- 0.06 and 1.5 +/- 0.1 nmol/g, respectively; BDE was not detected in livers or lungs of rats exposed to any of the concentrations of BD tested. GSH depletion was dependent on the concentration and duration of BD exposure. The lungs of mice sustained the greatest magnitude of depletion (26% of control at 6 hr of exposure to 1250 ppm BD).(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 400 WORDS)

Animals

Comparison of the biotransformation of 1,3-butadiene and its metabolite, butadiene monoepoxide, by hepatic and pulmonary tissues from humans, rats and mice.

1,3-Butadiene (BD), a widely used monomer in the production of synthetic rubber and other resins, is one of the 189 hazardous air pollutants identified in the 1990 Clean Air Act Amendments. BD induces tumors at multiple organ sites in B6C3F1 mice and Sprague-Dawley rats; mice are much more susceptible to the carcinogenic action of BD than are rats. Previous in vivo studies have indicated higher circulating blood levels of butadiene monoepoxide (BMO), a potential carcinogenic metabolite of BD, in mice compared to rats, suggesting that species differences in the metabolism of BD may be responsible for the observed differences in carcinogenic susceptibility. The metabolic fate of BD in humans is unknown. The objective of these studies was to quantitate in vitro species differences in the oxidation of BD and BMO by cytochrome P450-dependent monooxygenases and the inactivation of BMO by epoxide hydrolases and glutathione S-transferases using microsomal and cytosolic preparations of livers and lungs obtained from Sprague-Dawley rats, B6C3F1 mice and humans. Maximum rates for BD oxidation (Vmax) were highest for mouse liver microsomes (2.6 nmol/mg protein/min) compared to humans (1.2) and rats (0.6). The Vmax for BD oxidation by mouse lung microsomes was similar to that of mouse liver but greater than 10-fold higher than the Vmax for the reaction in human or rat lung microsomes. Correlation analysis revealed that P450 2E1 is the major P450 enzyme responsible for oxidation of BD to BMO. Only mouse liver microsomes displayed quantifiable rates for metabolism of BMO to butadiene diepoxide (Vmax = 0.2 nmol/mg protein/min), a known rodent carcinogen. Human liver microsomes displayed the highest rate of BMO hydrolysis by epoxide hydrolases. The Vmax in human liver microsomes ranged from 9 to 58 nmol/mg protein/min and was at least 2-fold higher than the Vmax observed in mouse and rat liver microsomes. The Vmax for glutathione S-transferase-catalyzed conjugation of BMO with glutathione was highest for mouse liver cytosol (500 nmol/mg protein/min) compared to human (45) or rat (241) liver cytosol. In general, the KMs for the detoxication reactions were 1000-fold higher than the KMs for the oxidation reaction. Because of the low solubility of the BD and the relatively high KM for oxidation, it is likely that the Vmax/KM ratio will be important for BD and BMO metabolism in vivo. In vivo clearance constants were calculated from in vitro data for BD oxidation and BMO oxidation, hydrolysis and GSH conjugation.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 400 WORDS)

Animals

Metabolism of 1,3-butadiene to butadiene monoxide in mouse and human bone marrow cells.

1,3-Butadiene (BD), a gas used in the production of rubber and plastics, induces a high incidence of leukemias and lymphomas in B6C3F1 mice. Because of the potential involvement of the hematopoietic system in response to BD, we have examined metabolism of BD by B6C3F1 mouse and human bone marrow and by purified human myeloperoxidase (MPO), an enzyme rich in bone marrow. BD was metabolized to butadiene monoxide (BMO) by MPO and by mouse and human bone marrow cells. In all of these systems metabolism was stimulated by hydrogen peroxide suggesting a peroxidase-mediated process. In B6C3F1 mouse bone marrow cell lysates, hydrogen peroxide but not NADPH stimulated metabolism suggesting that cytochrome P450 was not involved in BMO formation. Metabolism of BD to BMO in hydrogen peroxide-fortified mouse bone marrow cell lysates was more than two orders of magnitude lower than in either NADPH-fortified rat or mouse hepatic microsomes. Experiments using both mouse and human bone marrow cells showed that cells from both sources could generate BMO from BD. These data show that BD can be converted to BMO in a target organ of BD carcinogenicity.

Animals

Synthesis and characterization of N-acetyl-L-cysteine S-conjugates of butadiene monoxide and their detection and quantitation in urine of rats and mice given butadiene monoxide.

Butadiene monoxide (BM), a mutagen and carcinogen, is the major metabolite of 1,3-butadiene in rats and mice. Because mercapturic acids (N-acetyl-L-cysteine S-conjugates) were expected in vivo metabolites of BM, reference BM-mercapturic acids were prepared by the reaction of racemic BM with N-acetyl-L-cysteine. Four isomers were purified and characterized as diastereomeric pairs of S-(2-hydroxy-3-buten-1-yl)-N-acetyl-L-cysteine (I) and S-(1-hydroxy-3-buten-2-yl)-N-acetyl-L-cysteine (II) based on analyses by 1H NMR, fast atom bombardment mass spectrometry, and high resolution electron impact mass spectrometry. Regioisomers I and II were identified in the urine of rats and mice administered (ip) BM based on GC/MS analyses performed after HPLC fractionation followed by esterification and silylation of the carboxyl and hydroxyl groups, respectively, and comparison of GC retention times with synthetic standards. S-(4-Hydroxy-2-buten-1-yl)-N-acetyl-L-cysteine, a rearrangement product formed during chemical synthesis or storage of both I and II under acidic conditions, was not detected; no other BM metabolites were evident in urine samples using this method. When rats were given BM at a dose of 71.5 to 285 mumol/kg, their urinary excretion of I and II within 8 h of BM administration exhibited linear relationships with the administered BM dose; the total amount of the BM dose excreted as combined I and II averaged 17 +/- 4% (mean +/- SD, n = 15). No metabolites were detected in urine samples collected between 8 and 24 h after BM dosing.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)

Acetylcysteine

Species differences in urinary butadiene metabolites; identification of 1,2-dihydroxy-4-(N-acetylcysteinyl)butane, a novel metabolite of butadiene.

1,3-Butadiene (BD) is used in the manufacture of styrene-BD and polybutadiene rubber. Differences seen in chronic toxicity studies in the susceptibility of B6C3F1 mice and Sprague-Dawley rats to BD raise the question of how to use the rodent toxicology data to predict the health risk of BD in humans. The purpose of this study was to determine if there are species differences in the metabolism of BD to urinary metabolites that might help to explain the differences in the toxicity of BD. The major urinary metabolites of BD in F344/N rats, Sprague-Dawley rats, B6C3F1 mice, Syrian hamsters, and cynomolgus monkeys were identified as 1,2-dihydroxy-4-(N-acetylcysteinyl)-butane (I) and the N-acetylcysteine conjugate of BD monoxide [1-hydroxy-2-(N-acetylcysteinyl)-3-butene] (II). These mercapturic acids are formed by addition of glutathione at either the double bond (I) or the epoxide (II) respectively. When exposed to approximately 8000 p.p.m. of BD for 2 h, the mice excreted 3-4 times as much metabolite II as I, the hamster and the rats produced approximately 1.5 times as much metabolite II as I, while the monkeys produced primarily metabolite I. The ratio of formation of metabolite I to the total formation of the two mercapturic acids correlated well with the known hepatic epoxide hydrolase activity in the different species. These data suggest that (i) the availability of the monoepoxide for conjugation with glutathione is highest in the mouse, followed by the hamster and the rat, and is lowest in the monkey; and (ii) the epoxide availability is inversely related to the hepatic activity of epoxide hydrolase, the enzyme that removes the epoxide by hydrolysis. The ratio of the two mercapturic acids in human urine following BD exposure may indicate the pathways of BD metabolism in humans and may aid in the determination of the most appropriate animal model for BD toxicity.

Acetylcysteine

Toxicity of the components of styrene polymers: polystyrene, acrylonitrile-butadiene-styrene (ABS) and styrene-butadiene-rubber (SBR). Reactants and additives.

The toxicity of the components of styrene polymers, e.g., polystyrene, ABS and SBR, were reviewed with primary focus on the reactive monomers (except styrene) (e.g., acrylonitrile, butadiene) as well as on impurities and solvents such as benzene, hexane and methylethyl ketone, and additives such as phenyl-2-naphthylamine, di-n-butyl phthalate, and a number of peroxide initiators and flame retardants (e.g., 2,3-dibromopropanol, decadibromodiphenyl oxide and antimony trioxide). It is stressed that toxicity data are generally lacking for the majority of additives employed in the production of styrene polymers. Information is also lacking as to the numbers of individuals at potential risk and the extent of their exposure to the large number of additives employed.

1-Naphthylamine

1,3-Butadiene: toxicity and carcinogenicity in laboratory animals and in humans.

1,3-Butadiene is a high production volume chemical used largely in the manufacture of synthetic rubber. The production and use of 1,3-butadiene increased dramatically during World War II with the development of the synthetic rubber industry. Before the 1980s, 1,3-butadiene was not considered to be particularly hazardous to human health; therefore, OSHA established a permissible limit of 1,000 ppm for occupational exposure to this chemical. Results of recent inhalation carcinogenicity studies have demonstrated clearly that 1,3-butadiene is a multiple-organ carcinogen in Sprague-Dawley rats and in B6C3F1 mice. Particularly noteworthy in mice were the early occurrences and extensive development of lymphomas, the induction of uncommon hemangiosarcomas of the heart, and the development of malignant lung tumors at exposure concentrations as low as 6.25 ppm. Because 6.25 ppm was the lowest concentration ever used in a long-term carcinogenicity of this gas, it is likely that lower exposure levels would also cause cancers in laboratory animals. In addition, multiple organ site neoplasia was induced in mice after only 13 weeks of exposure. Two reactive epoxides, 1,2-epoxy-3-butene and diepoxybutane, have been identified as intermediates in the biotransformation of 1,3-butadiene in rats and mice. Metabolism is probably an important factor in the carcinogenicity of 1,3-butadiene, because in vitro mutagenicity of 1,3-butadiene requires metabolic activation, whereas these epoxide intermediates are direct acting mutagens in bacteria and are carcinogens in rats and mice. The metabolism of 1,3-butadiene in rats and mice is linear up to concentrations of at least 1000 ppm. Pharmacokinetic studies on 1,3-butadiene and on 1,2-epoxy-3-butene have revealed certain quantitative differences in metabolic rates between Sprague-Dawley rats and B6C3F1 mice; however, these differences were not of sufficient magnitude to account for the reported different target site carcinogenic responses in these two strains of animals. Thus, additional factors must be involved in distinguishing site specificity in the carcinogenicity of 1,3-butadiene between species. In addition to its carcinogenic effects, 1,3-butadiene is a potent in vivo genotoxic agent to mouse bone marrow cells. Hematologic changes indicative of a partially regenerative anemia were induced in mice at 62.5 and higher concentrations. 1,3-Butadiene is also a reproductive and developmental toxicant. Epidemiology studies of workers employed in the production of 1,3-butadiene or of styrene-butadiene rubber have consistently revealed associations between occupational exposure to 1,3-butadiene and excess mortality due to lymphatic and hematopoietic cancers.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 400 WORDS)

Administration, Inhalation

Toxicokinetics of inhaled 1,3-butadiene in monkeys: comparison to toxicokinetics in rats and mice.

1,3-Butadiene is a potent carcinogen in mice and a weaker carcinogen in rats. People are exposed to butadiene through its industrial use--largely in rubber production (over 3 billion pounds of butadiene were produced in 1989)--and because it is common in the environment, occurring in cigarette smoke, gasoline vapor and in the effluents from fossil fuel incineration. Epidemiological studies have provided some evidence for butadiene carcinogenicity in people. Differences in the uptake and metabolism of inhaled butadiene between rodents and primates, including people, might be reflected in differences in its toxicity. In order to compare uptake and metabolism in primates to that in rodents--for which data were already available--we exposed cynomolgus monkeys (Macaca fascicularis) to 14C-labeled butadiene at concentrations of 10.1, 310 or 7760 ppm for 2 hr. Exhaled air and excreta were collected during exposure and for 96 hr after exposure. The uptake of butadiene as a result of metabolism was much lower in monkeys than in rodents. For equivalent inhalation exposures, the concentrations of total butadiene metabolites in the blood were 5-50 times lower in monkey than in the mouse, the more sensitive rodent species, and 4-14 times lower than in the rat. If the toxicokinetics of butadiene in people is more like that of the monkey than that of rodents, then our data suggest that people will receive lower doses of butadiene and its metabolites than rodents following equivalent inhalation exposures to butadiene. This has important implications for assessing the risk to humans of butadiene exposure based on animal studies.

Administration, Inhalation

Inhalation toxicology and carcinogenicity of 1,3-butadiene in B6C3F1 mice following 65 weeks of exposure.

1,3-Butadiene, a large-production volume chemical used mainly in the manufacture of synthetic rubber, was found to induce multiple-organ carcinogenicity in male and female B6C3F1 mice at exposure concentrations (625 and 1250 ppm) equivalent to and below the OSHA standard of 1000 ppm. Since this study was terminated after 60 weeks of exposure because of reduced survival due to fatal tumors, and because dose-response relationships for 1,3-butadiene-induced neoplastic and nonneoplastic lesions were not clearly established, a second long-term inhalation study of 1,3-butadiene in B6C3F1 mice was conducted at lower exposure concentrations, ranging from 6.25 to 625 ppm. Both the histopathological findings from animals dying through week 65 and the results of evaluations of animals exposed for 40 and 65 weeks are presented in this report. Exposure to 1,3-butadiene caused a regenerative anemia at concentrations of 62.5 ppm and higher. Testicular atrophy was induced at 625 ppm, and ovarian atrophy was observed at 20 ppm and higher. During the first 50 weeks of the study, lymphocytic lymphoma was the major cause of death of mice exposed to 625 ppm 1,3-butadiene. Neoplasms of the heart, forestomach, lung, Harderian gland, mammary gland, ovary, and liver were frequently observed in 1,3-butadiene-exposed mice that died between week 40 and week 65 of the study. Studies in which exposure to 1,3-butadiene was stopped after limited periods were also included to assess the relationship between exposure levels and duration of exposures on the outcome of 1,3-butadiene-induced carcinogenicity. In these studies, lymphocytic lymphomas were induced in male mice exposed to 625 ppm 1,3-butadiene for only 13 weeks. The incidence of lymphocytic lymphoma in male mice exposed to 625 ppm 1,3-butadiene for 26 weeks was two times that in mice exposed to 625 ppm for 13 weeks. However, when the exposure concentration was reduced by half to 312 ppm and the exposure duration extended to 52 weeks, the incidence of lymphocytic lymphoma was reduced by 90%. Thus, the multiple of the exposure concentration times the exposure duration did not predict the incidence of lymphocytic lymphoma in mice. The early mortalities resulting from lymphocytic lymphomas in male mice exposed to 625 ppm 1,3-butadiene limited the expression of tumors at other sites. A clearer dose-response for 1,3-butadiene-induced neoplasia should be apparent from experiments in mice exposed to lower concentrations of this chemical for 2 years.

Air Pollutants, Occupational