1987 年 33 巻 5 号 p. 337-341
The present study was carried out to investigate the tissue distribution of toluene in rats with acute and subacute toluene intoxication. We used rats that had inhaled toluene vapor once for 30 min as a model of acute toluene intoxication and rats that had inhaled toluene vapor for 15 min per day for five days as a model of subacute toluene intoxication. Toluene levels in various tissues were measured. In the case of rats immediately after toluene inhalation, toluene levels in tissues were in the range of 71-587 ppm (μg/g tissue) for acute intoxication and in the range of 26-273 ppm for subacute intoxication. In particular, the liver and fatty tissue showed high toluene levels of over 450 ppm for acute intoxication and of over 200 ppm for subacute intoxication. When the rats were maintained for 17 h after exposure, fatty tissue and hair showed toluene levels similar to those immediately after inhalation. However, toluene in the liver decreased to about 1 ppm in the case of acute intoxication and to about 0.2 ppm in that of subacute intoxication. When rats with acute intoxication were killed immediately after toluene inhalation and kept for 17 h at room temperature, large amounts of toluene disappeared from the hair and spleen, but the other tissues showed levels similar to those immediately after inhalation. Repeated toluene inhalation did not lead to accumulation of toluene in any tissue.
