Abstract
Many injection solutions are kept in plastic containers that usually made of polyethylene. A previous study reported that photoinitiators from packaging ink were able to migrate into the food and juice within the container. However, harmful in vivo effects from exposure to such photoinitiators have not been reported. Since many chemicals are used in the polyethylene manufacturing process, we were similarly concerned that chemicals from polyethylene containers could also migrate into their contents. In our recent study, photoinitiators were detected in injection solution from polyethylene containers. To confirm the cytotoxicity of the photoinitiators, normal human peripheral blood mononuclear cell (PBMC) viability was assayed in the presence of photoinitiators, which resulted in almost complete PBMC death. In addition, levels of caspase-3/7 were increased. This result suggested that the mechanism for cell death promoted by photoinitiators was mainly through apoptosis. In a future study, we will determine the in vivo cytotoxicity of photoinitiators and address the safety of injectable solutions in the clinical setting.
