Tytti Meretoja

Occupational styrene exposure and chromosomal aberrations

Abstract Results from a study on the clastogenicity of styrene in vivo are reported. The chromosomes in cultured blood lymphocytes from ten men occupationally exposed to styrene and 5 controls were examined. Styrene-exposed men showed an increase in the rate of chromosomal aberrations. The incidence of aberrant cells ranged from 11 to 26% in the lymphocytes of the exposed subjects and was 3% or less in those of the control group.

Cytogenetic effects of styrene and styrene oxide

Styrene and styrene oxide induce various cytogenetic effects, similar in both human lymphocytes in vitro and onion root-tip cells in vivo. Styrene appears to cause chromosome breakage in both systems, and in Allium it shows a strong c-mitotic effect. Styrene oxide, on the other hand, seems to destroy the tertiary folding of the chromatin. Cytotoxicity of styrene oxide is very high (complete mitotic inhibition occurs on 0.03% v/v) in human lymphocytes, whereas, in Allium, styrene is slightly more toxic than styrene oxide. Styrene glycol, a further metabolite of styrene oxide, does not cause mitotic inhibition.

Clastogenic effects of styrene exposure on bone marrow cells of rat

Abstract Male rats were exposed through inhalation to 300 ppm of styrene for 2–11 weeks (6 h/day, 5 days/week) for the determination of the effects of styrene on chromosomes in the bone marrow cells of rats after long-term exposure. The rate of chromosomal aberrations increased significantly after a 9-week exposure, whereafter aberrations remained qualitatively and quantitatively on about the same level to the end of the test. Aberrant cell incidence ranged from 8 to 12% in the exposed group and 1 to 6% in the control group. In addition to structural chromosomal aberrations, polyploid cells were also observed exclusively in the exposed animals.

Mutagenicity and toxicity of amitrole. I. Drosophila tests

Amitrole was highly toxic at early larval stages of Drosophila (LD50 is 40 ppm in medium). Toxicity of amitrole was also revealed by prolongation of development time even at 10 ppm. However, no mutagenic effects of amitrole were observed either in the sex chromosome non-disjunction test (females reared on medium containing amitrole at 10 ppm) or in the sex-linked recessive lethal test (males reared on medium containing amitrole at 10 ppm).

Mutagenicity and toxicity of amitrole. II. Human lymphocyte culture tests

Effects of amitrole (3-amino-1,2,4-triazole) on human leucocytes in culture were investigated. Amitrole interfered with lymphoblast transformation and inhibited cell growth in concentrations of 0.2% w/v and higher. Selected metaphases were examined for the presence of chromosome and chromatid aberrations. No clastogenic effects were observed.

Mutagenicity and toxicity of amitrole. III. Microbial tests

Amitrole (3-amino-1,2,4-triazole) inhibits bacterial growth both in Escherichia coli and Salmonella typhimurium at a concentration of 0.5% in minimal medium. Repression of growth already occurs at a concentration of 0.1% of amitrole in this medium. In complete medium the bacteria tolerate concentrations of amitrole as high as 1.7-2.4% before growth ceases. Mutagenicity was tested by differential growth comparisons on E. coli strains W 3110 thy pol A1, defective in DNA polymerase I, and its revertant pol A+. Known mutagens (MMS, NTG, mitomycin C) were used as positive controls. Analogous negative results were also obtained in a revertant test when several trp mutant strains of Salmonella were used.