Dosimetry of styrene 7,8-oxide in styrene- and styrene oxide-exposed mice and rats by quantification of haemoglobin adducts

Abstract Rats (Sprague Dawley) and mice (NMRI) were administered nonlabelled or labelled styrene and styrene oxide by i.p. injection. Blood samples were collected 6 and 24 h after treatment for studies of dose-response and 6 h to 32 days after treatment for studies of adduct stability. Haemoglobin (Hb) and plasma protein adduct levels were determined by radioactivity measurements or, in the case of adducts to N-terminal valine in Hb, by the so-called N -alkyl Edman procedure. Adducts to N-terminal valine were found to be chemically stable during the life-span of the erythrocytes, whereas adducts to carboxylic acid residues showed a reduced stability. The Hb-adduct levels found after styrene oxide treatment were compatible with a linear dose-response at low doses (≤ 0.4 mmol/kg body weight). At higher doses the detoxification of styrene oxide was overloaded resulting in a higher than proportional increase in adduct levels. Saturation of detoxification of styrene oxide could also explain the non-linear dose-response relationship observed in the mouse following treatment with styrene. Styrene oxide gave 4–7 times higher adduct levels than styrene when administered to the animals at equimolar low concentration. For both compounds, the levels of adducts to N-terminal valine were 2–3 times higher in the mouse than in the rat. A comparison of Hb-adduct levels in the styrene-exposed animals with adduct levels in styrene-exposed reinforced plastics workers (Christakopoulos et al., Scand. J. Work Environ. Health, 19(4) (1993) 255–263) suggests that styrene is less effective in humans than in mice and rats.