Lung injury in mice and rats acutely exposed to beryllium

Thesis/Dissertation · Tue Jan 01 04:00:00 EST 1985

OSTI ID:6942629

Sendelbach, Jr, L E

The effect of lung injury, in rats and mice, exposed to an aerosol of beryllium sulfate (BE) for one hour, through nose-only inhalation, was evaluated by the methods of bronchoalveolar lavage (BAL) and lung cell kinetics. The BAL in rats, sacrificed over a 21 day period following exposure, showed lactate dehydrogenase (LDH) and alkaline phosphatase (Alk Pase) activities as the most sensitive indicators of lung damage. LDH activity peaked at day 8 while Alk Pase activity peaked at day 5, both being 30 times greater than comparable control values. Acid phosphatase activity and albumin levels were also increased, but not to the same extent as LDH and Alk Pase. The BAL of mice showed LDH activity as the most sensitive indicator of lung damage, with a maximum response 3 times greater than controls at day 5. In another series of experiments, animals were treated with three agents capable of inducing fibrosis: beryllium sulfate, bleomycin, and butylated hydroxytoluene (BHT). Cy A completely inhibited the fibrogenic effects of BHT in mice, as measured through total lung hydroxyproline content. Bleomycin-induced fibrosis was significantly reduced by Cy A treatment in rats, but showed no effect in mice. Additionally, the effect of iron salt administration to rats decreased the intravenous LD/sub 50/ dose, and significantly reduced the inhalation toxicity, of beryllium sulfate. The protective mechanism of iron salt administration, through the induction of ferritin synthesis, is postulated.

• Research Organization: Tennessee Univ., Knoxville (USA)
• OSTI ID: 6942629
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

550300* -- Cytology
560300 -- Chemicals Metabolism & Toxicology
59 BASIC BIOLOGICAL SCIENCES
63 RADIATION, THERMAL, AND OTHER ENVIRON. POLLUTANT EFFECTS ON LIVING ORGS. AND BIOL. MAT.
AEROSOLS
ALBUMINS
ALKALINE EARTH METAL COMPOUNDS
ALKALINE EARTH METALS
ALKALINE PHOSPHATASE
ANIMALS
ANTI-INFECTIVE AGENTS
ANTIBIOTICS
ANTIMITOTIC DRUGS
ANTINEOPLASTIC DRUGS
BERYLLIUM
BERYLLIUM COMPOUNDS
BERYLLIUM SULFATES
BIOLOGICAL EFFECTS
BLEOMYCIN
BODY
COLLOIDS
DISPERSIONS
DRUGS
ELEMENTS
ENZYMES
ESTERASES
HEMIACETAL DEHYDROGENASES
HYDROLASES
INHALATION
INTAKE
LACTATE DEHYDROGENASE
LUNGS
MAMMALS
METALS
MICE
ORGANIC COMPOUNDS
ORGANS
OXIDOREDUCTASES
OXYGEN COMPOUNDS
PHOSPHATASES
PROTEINS
RATS
RESPIRATORY SYSTEM
RODENTS
SOLS
SULFATES
SULFUR COMPOUNDS
TOXICITY
VERTEBRATES