Steensgaard A, Ostergaard G, Jensen C V, Lam H R, Topp S, Ladefoged O, Arlien-Søborg P, Henriksen O
Danish Research Center of Magnetic Resonance, Hvidovre Hospital, Denmark.
Neurotoxicology. 1996 Fall-Winter;17(3-4):785-92.
Several epidemiological studies of workers occupationally exposed to white spirit show that neuropsychiatric disorders are a frequent cause of early disability pension in this population compared with non-exposed controls. In the rat, we have demonstrated that exposure to different kinds of white spirit induces changes in neurotransmitter concentrations, indices of oxidative stress, and electrophysiological parameters. Others have confirmed that acute behavioural effects can be induced by short-term high-level exposure. With NMR spectroscopy technique it is possible to study neurochemical parameters in vivo, and to examine the same subjects repeatedly over time. NMR spectroscopy was used to study the effects of organic solvents in rats. Rats were exposed to 0, 400 ppm, or 800 ppm of aromatic white spirit 6 hr/day, 7 days/week for 3 weeks. During the first week, the rats showed signs of irritation of mucous membranes, and appeared to be sedated. Both types of effect gradually diminished during the second week. The rats were examined by single volume of interest (VOI) NMR spectroscopy. N-acetylaspartate, creatinine and phosphocreatinine, and choline containing compounds were measured in the hippocampus and surrounding regions. The concentration of N-acetylaspartate for the three groups was found to be in the range of 8.2-8.5 mM with a standard deviation of 0.6-0.9. There was no difference between the three groups. In a previous study no change in the number of astrocytes in hippocampus was found following exposure to white spirit for six months. Since N-acetylaspartate is thought to be a marker for neurons, the results of these two studies indicate that white spirit does not produce a marked neuronal loss. However, it was not possible to show effect of trimethyltin. In this study trimethyltin was used as a "positive control'. The NMR technique can be applied to the rat, and it is possible to obtain reasonable signal-to-noise ratios.
多项针对职业接触白酒精的工人的流行病学研究表明，与未接触的对照组相比，神经精神障碍是该人群早期领取残疾抚恤金的常见原因。在大鼠实验中，我们已证明接触不同种类的白酒精会导致神经递质浓度、氧化应激指标和电生理参数发生变化。其他人也证实，短期高剂量接触可诱发急性行为效应。利用核磁共振波谱技术能够在体内研究神经化学参数，并随时间反复检测同一受试对象。核磁共振波谱被用于研究有机溶剂对大鼠的影响。大鼠每天暴露于0、400 ppm或800 ppm的芳香族白酒精中，每周7天，共3周。在第一周，大鼠表现出粘膜刺激症状，且似乎处于镇静状态。这两种效应在第二周逐渐减弱。通过单一体积感兴趣区（VOI）核磁共振波谱对大鼠进行检测。在海马体及其周围区域测量了N-乙酰天门冬氨酸、肌酸和磷酸肌酸以及含胆碱化合物。发现三组的N-乙酰天门冬氨酸浓度在8.2 - 8.5 mM范围内，标准差为0.6 - 0.9。三组之间没有差异。在先前的一项研究中，发现暴露于白酒精六个月后海马体中的星形胶质细胞数量没有变化。由于N-乙酰天门冬氨酸被认为是神经元的标志物，这两项研究的结果表明白酒精不会导致明显的神经元损失。然而，未能显示出三甲基锡的作用。在本研究中，三甲基锡被用作“阳性对照”。核磁共振技术可应用于大鼠，并且能够获得合理的信噪比。
