It has been clinically reported that toluene causes mental depression in humans. However, the detrimental effects of toluene exposure on brain function and the relation between features of mental depression and toluene exposure are poorly understood. This study evaluated depression-like behaviors in adult C57BL/6 mice after administration of toluene, and elucidated the effects of classical anti...

Alkylation of ribonuclease A by iodoacetamide at pH 5.5 yields two products: inactive 3-carboxamidomethylhistidine12.ribonuclease and fully active S-carboxamidomethylmethionine ribonuclease. No derivative substituted at histidine-119 was detected. This is in marked contrast to the products obtained on alkylation by iodoacetate at pH 5.5. The rate of alkylation of histidine in ribonuclease by io...

Acute exposure to toluene and other volatile organic solvents results in neurotoxicity characterized by nervous system depression, cognitive and motor impairment, and alterations in visual function. In vitro, toluene disrupts the function of N-methyl-D-aspartate (NMDA)-glutamate receptors, indicating that effects on NMDA receptor function may contribute to toluene neurotoxicity. NMDA-glutamate ...

BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE Abuse of toluene-containing organic solvents by inhalation is a prevalent practice among adolescents. Long-term abuse of toluene causes cognitive deficits. The mechanism of cognitive deficits induced by long-term toluene abuse has not yet been defined. In the current study, we assessed the effects of chronic toluene abuse on cortical gray matter volume and the association...

DNA stable isotope probing (DNA-SIP) with H(2)(18)O was used to identify a toluene-degrading bacterium in soil amended with 48 ppm toluene. After quantification of toluene degradation rates in soil, DNA was extracted from soil incubated with H(2)(18)O, H(2)(16)O, H(2)(16)O and 48 ppm toluene, or H(2)(18)O and 48 ppm toluene. A single DNA band formed along a cesium chloride gradient after isopyc...

Amorphous alumino phosphate (AP) and zirconium phosphate (ZP) materials possessing an ordered nanoporosity have been successfully synthesized by a hydrothermal method using a P123 block co-polymer as the structure directing agent. The materials exhibited excellent catalytic activity towards selective alkylation of phenol with cyclohexanol, where AP showed as high as 100% selectivity to produce ...

A primary goal of protein engineering is to control catalytic activity. Here we show that through mutagenesis of three active site residues, the catalytic activity of a multicomponent monooxygenase is altered so that it hydroxylates all three positions of toluene as well as both positions of naphthalene. Hence, for the first time, an enzyme has been engineered so that its regiospecific oxidatio...

Toluene occurs naturally as a component of crude oil and is produced in petroleum refining and coke oven operations; toluene is a major aromatic constituent of gasoline (HSDB, 1999). It is used in household aerosols, nail polish, paints and paint thinners, lacquers, rust inhibitor, adhesives and solvent based cleaning agents. Toluene is also utilized in printing operations, leather tanning and ...

We have investigated the skin absorption of liquid toluene and of solutions of toluene in water by the methods we used for ethylbenzene (Dutkiewicz and Tyras, I967). The absorption rate of liquid toluene was I4-23 mg./cm.2/hr in I0 estimations on nine subjects. Absorption of toluene from an aqueous solution was proportional to the concentration (Figure). For equal concentrations the rate was on...