Biochemical effects of methyl tertiary-butyl ether in extended vapour exposure of rats.

Male Wistar rats exposed to 50, 100 or 300 ppm methyl tertiary-butyl ether vapour for 2-15 weeks, 6 h daily, 5 days a week, showed a dose-dependent blood ether concentration after 2 weeks' exposure. Blood concentrations of tertiary-butanol, were also dose dependent indicating metabolic breakdown of the ether in vivo. The blood ether concentrations decreased after 6 weeks of exposure at the 50 ppm dose level and remained unaffected at higher doses while tertiary-butanol concentrations increased after 6 weeks with all doses, and began to decrease thereafter. Exposure caused a transient increase in UDP-glucuronosyltransferase activities in liver and kidney microsomes, almost no effects on hepatic cytochrome P-450 concentrations and a minor induction of kidney microsomal cytochrome P-450 content. Exposure produced almost no effect on brain succinate dehydrogenase, creatine kinase or acetylcholinesterase activities, while early inhibition of muscle creatine kinase activity was noted, accompanied by increased activity at the end of exposure.