TOXIC EFFECTS OF PERORAL O-CRESOL INTAKE ON RAT-BRAIN

  • 1 January 1979
    • journal article
    • research article
    • Vol. 25  (2) , 357-364
Abstract
Male Wistar rats were given o-cresol in their drinking water (0.3 g/l) for 20 wk. The ingested cumulative dose exceeded the acute LD50 at the 4th week of the experiment. o-Cresol induced an increased drinking rate initially which decreased significantly below the drinking rate of the controls at the end of the experiment. The biochemical effects in the cerebral homogenate were inconspicuous; they included increased RNA content initially, and reduced glutathione concentration and azoreductase activity at the end of experiment. Glial cells displayed significant increases in the acid proteinase and 2'',3''-cyclic nucleotide 3''-phosphohydrolase activities at the 20th wk of exposure. Cresolic compounds are found in many technical products as contaminants or they are used as sanitation agents.