The present study deals with astrocyte cultures as a model for studying the membrane-mediated central nervous system-depressing effect of organic solvents. 2. The primary astrocyte cultures were prepared from neonatal rat cerebella. The cells were cultured in modified essential medium. The astrocyte membranes isolated from the cultures were exposed to solvents in incubation mixture at different dose levels (3, 6 and 9 mmol/L) for 1 h. The physiologically important integral proteins Na+, K(+)-ATPase and Mg(2+)-ATPase were studied. 3. The aromatic hydrocarbons (benzene, toluene, styrene, xylene and ethylbenzene) inhibited the ATPase activities according to their lipid solubilities. n-Hexane and cyclohexane clearly had less effect than aromatic hydrocarbons, despite their greater lipid solubilities. 4. Astrocytes were shown to be sensitive targets to the effects of organic solvents, measured as the inhibition of the integral enzymes Na+, K(+)-ATPase and Mg(2+)-ATPase.
