Effect of benzyl chloride on rat hepatocytes.

Benzyl chloride (BCl) is used in the manufacture of basic and acidic dyes, pharmaceutical products, resins, and synthetic tannins. BCl is known to have caused liver malfunctions in some workers exposed to 2 ppm BCl vapors. This study was conducted to investigate the effect of BCl on isolated male rat hepatocytes using several toxicity parameters. The hepatocytes were isolated by a collagenase perfusion technique and were incubated in airtight tubes with 1.8 and 3.6 mM BCl in a shaking water bath at 37 degrees C for 10, 30, 60, and 120 min. Throughout the incubation period the cell viability was determined by trypan blue exclusion and leakage of cytosolic enzymes such as lactate dehydrogenase (LDH), aspartate transaminase (AST), and alanine transaminase (ALT). Exposure to BCl resulted in a significant decrease in cell viability as assessed by trypan blue and significant increase in leakage of these enzymes compared to the controls.