Toluene Can Disrupt Rat Ovarian Follicullogenesis and Steroidogenesis and Induce Both Autophagy and Apoptosis

Toluene has been shown to be highly toxic to humans and animals and can cause damage to various tissues. However, studies reporting its effects on ovarian function are still limited. In this study, we investigated the in vivo effect of toluene using female Wistar rats. We found that toluene exposure decreased ovarian weight and affected ovarian structure by increasing the number of abnormally growing follicles. Moreover, it significantly increased progesterone and testosterone levels. We also showed that toluene exposure decreased GDF-9 protein and its encoding gene. In addition, it inhibited the expression of most of the genes involved in granulosa cell proliferation and differentiation, such as Insl3, ccnd2 and actb. The TUNEL assay showed that apoptosis occurred at the middle and high doses only (4000 and 8000 ppm, respectively), whereas no effect was observed at the low dose (2000 ppm). Interestingly, we showed that toluene exposure induced autophagy as LC3 protein and its encoding gene significantly increased for all doses of treatment. These results may suggest that the activation of autophagy at a low dose of exposure was to protect ovarian cells against death by inhibiting apoptosis, whereas its activation at high doses of exposure triggered apoptosis leading to cell death.

The Effect of Exposure Process of Toluene To The Spermatogonia Cell a Rattus Strain Wistar

Intoduction: Acute and chronic exposure to toluene at high doses is known to affect all organs of the body including the spermatogenesis process. In the industrial sector, the use of toluene as a solvent is still widely used, up to 10 million tons per year. The control over health problems that may occur is carried out by applying work exposure threshold values. This research aims to explore the effect of toluene exposure at the threshold value range on spermatogenesis.Method: This research used laboratory experiment on 30 male Wistar rats which were divided into five groups of different exposure levels, namely 12.5 parts per million (ppm], 25 ppm, 50 ppm, 100 ppm, and no exposure (control). Exposure was given for 4 hours daily over 14 days through a hood with measured release in the glass cage. The toluene exposure markers observed were Malondialdehyde (MDA) in the blood tissue and testicles using the Thiobarbituric Acid Reactive Substances (TBARS) method. The effect on the spermatogenicity process was assessed by counting the spermatogonia A cells of male Wistar rats with Periodic Acid Schiff (PAS) staining and is calculated by the Abercrombie formula. Analysis of the correlation between the level of exposure and its effect on the increase in malondialdehyde, and spermatogenesis was carried out using the Spearman correlation analysis.Result: There was a moderately positive correlation between levels of toluene exposure and plasma MDA levels (r = 0.42; p = 0.025). Meanwhile, on [the issue of] the quantity of spermatogonia cells, a high level of negative correlation with exposure levels was obtained (r = -0.68; p = 0.001).Conclusion: Toluene exposure in male Wistar rats within the range of threshold values influenced the increase in plasma MDA levels and decreased the Spermatogenia A cells. However, toluene exposure did not affect the testicular MDA levels of male Wistar rats.

Water-stable Cd(ii)/Zn(ii) coordination polymers as recyclable luminescent sensors for detecting hippuric acid in simulated urine for indexing toluene exposure with high selectivity, sensitivity and fast response

Water stable Cd(ii)/Zn(ii) coordination polymers exhibit rapid, sensitive, selective and recyclable detection towards hippuric acid in simulated urine for indexing toluene exposure.

Damage Assessment of Rice Crop after Toluene Exposure Based on the Vegetation Index (VI) and UAV Multispectral Imagery

Chemical spill accidents lead to environmental problems, especially for plants. Plant vegetation assessment is necessary after a chemical accident; however, conventional methods can be inaccurate and time-consuming. This study used the vegetation index (VI) extracted from unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) multispectral imagery for crop damage assessment after chemical exposure. The chemical accident simulations were conducted by exposure of rice at five growth stages to four levels of toluene. The VI was measured at five days after damage and 67 days after planting. Physiological characteristics (chlorophyll content and grain yield) were also measured. As a result, the mean normalized difference VI (NDVI) of toluene-exposed rice was significantly decreased with respect to toluene exposure concentration increases at most growth stages. Recovery after toluene exposure was lower in rice exposed to higher concentrations at the earlier growth stages. The chlorophyll content and grain yield were also decreased after toluene exposure with respect to increasing toluene concentrations and showed positive correlations with the NDVI. It indicates that the NDVI is capable of reflecting the plant response to chemical exposure. Thus, the results demonstrated that the VI based on UAV multispectral imagery is feasible as an alternative for crop monitoring, damage assessment after chemical exposure, and yield prediction.

The Determination of Safe Concentration of Non-Carcinogenic Toluene in Surabaya Printing

Introduction: Safe concentrations of non-carcinogenic toluene can cause adverse effects on health. Based on the results of a research, toxic effects on toluene exposure can cause cancerous (leuikimia) and non-cancerous (aplastic anemia). The Research objective to determine the safe concentration of non-carcinogenic toluene in Surabaya printing. Methods: The research design used was observational analytic, cross sectional research design with a quantitative approach. The research location was a printing press in Surabaya. The variables in this study were the concentration of toluene levels (ppm) and RQ in workers. Total population was 37 workers, while the study sample was taken using accidental sampling method with a total sample of 30 respondents. The formula for determining the concentration of toluene non carcinogen intake is (CxRxtExfExDt): (Wbx30x365). Results: The concentration value of toluene exposure was greater than the standard set by labor regulations No. 5 of 2018 about occupational health and safety of the work environment by 0.2 ppm. A total of 10% of workers falls under normal category, 73% above normal category and 27% below normal category. Conclusion: In this study, we found new findings, viz the concentration of toluene exposure in Surabaya printing area was above normal with a concentration of 0.2 ppm and this is considered not normal.Keywords: non carcinogenic toluene, safe concentration, surabaya printing, toluene