skip to main content
OSTI.GOV title logo U.S. Department of Energy
Office of Scientific and Technical Information

Title: Disposition of inhaled isoprene in B6C3F1 mice

Journal Article · · Toxicology and Applied Pharmacology; (USA)
; ; ; ; ; ;  [1]
  1. Lovelace Biomedical and Environmental Research Institute, Albuquerque, NM (USA)

Isoprene (2-methyl-1,3-butadiene) is the monomeric unit of widely occurring natural products called terpenes. Isoprene is widely used in industry with nearly 1.1 million pounds produced in the United States in 1987. The purpose of this investigation was to determine the toxicokinetics of inhaled isoprene in B6C3F1 mice and to compare the data to previously published toxicokinetic data in F344 rats. The comparative toxicokinetics in the two species will be useful for extrapolation of rodent toxicity data to humans. Male B6C3F1 mice were exposed to nominal concentrations of 20, 200, and 2000 ppm isoprene or (14C)isoprene for up to 6 hr. For all exposures, steady-state levels of isoprene were reached rapidly (i.e., within 15 to 30 min) after the onset of exposure. The mean (+/- SE) steady-state blood levels of isoprene (identified by headspace analysis) for the 20, 200, and 2000 ppm exposures were 24.8 +/- 3.3, 830 +/- 51, and 6800 +/- 400 ng isoprene/ml blood, respectively. At the two higher exposure concentrations, the increases in blood levels of isoprene were proportional to the increases in air concentrations of isoprene. There was approximately a 2.3-fold decrease in the retained 14C/inhaled 14C ratio with increasing exposure concentration. Depending on the exposure concentration, from 52% (20 ppm isoprene) to 73% (2000 ppm isoprene) of the metabolite-associated (nonisoprene) radioactivity was excreted in the urine over a 64-hr postexposure period. 14CO2 exhalation after the end of the 6-hr exposure was minimal (2%) at the 20 ppm exposure and increased up to 18% at the higher isoprene exposure concentrations. These data suggest that metabolism of isoprene in mice is nonlinear within the range of exposure concentrations used in this study.

OSTI ID:
5922056
Journal Information:
Toxicology and Applied Pharmacology; (USA), Vol. 107:3; ISSN 0041-008X
Country of Publication:
United States
Language:
English

Similar Records

Toxicity of inhaled methyl isocyanate in F344/N rats and B6C3F1 mice. II. Repeated exposure and recovery studies
Journal Article · Mon Jun 01 00:00:00 EDT 1987 · Environ. Health Perspect.; (United States) · OSTI ID:5922056

Comparative Metabolism of Carbon Tetrachloride in Rats, Mice and Hamsters Using Gas Uptake and PBPK Modeling
Journal Article · Fri Aug 25 00:00:00 EDT 2000 · Journal of Toxicology and Environmental Health · OSTI ID:5922056

Toxicity of inhaled isocyanate in F344/N rats and B6C3F1 mice. I. Acute exposure and recovery studies
Journal Article · Mon Jun 01 00:00:00 EDT 1987 · Environ. Health Perspect.; (United States) · OSTI ID:5922056