Interactive effect of combined exposure to ethylene glycol ethers and ethanol on hematological parameters in rats

The study of the interaction of three glycol ethers, i.e. 2-methoxyethanol (ME), 2-ethoxyethanol (EE) and 2-butoxyethanol (BE) administered subcutaneously for 4 weeks and ethanol simultaneously given as 10% w/v solution for drinking in male rats, was carried out from a toxicodynamic point of view. Administered alone, ME (2.5 and 5.0 mM/kg), EE (2.5 and 5.0 mM/kg) or BE (0.75 and 1.25 mM/kg) resulted in a decrease of red blood cells (RBC), packed cell volumes (PCV), and hemoglobin concentration (HGB), as well as an increase in mean corpuscular volume (MCV) and reticulocyte count (Ret). In the rats co-exposed to ethanol and EGAEs, a significantly less pronounced hematological changes in comparison with animal exposed to these ethers alone were seen. The rats simultaneously exposed to ethanol and both ME and EE at the lower dose demonstrated mainly protection from the alterations in leukocyte system. In contrast, in the rats which consumed ethanol and were simultaneously treated with the higher dose of ME or EE (5.0 mM/kg) the amelioration of same hematological parameters were displayed. The intake of ethanol along with BE treatment at both doses resulted in markedly ameliorated hematological parameters, compared to those which were changed by BE alone. In conclusion, the decrease of the hemolytic effects of EGAEs is ethanol dependent. Ethanol is a substrate of alcohol dehydrogenase (ADH), and affinity of this enzyme to ethanol is greater than that to glycol ethers. It is possible that ethanol results in the change in EGAEs metabolism.