Search

The paper presents data on air pollution of the working environment with chemical substances in dental rooms. The concentrations of chemical pollutants, such as mercury, lead, arsenic, disinfectants, drugs, and polymer dust in most working places have not been found to be more than the legally established MAC. Blood tests support that mercury has entered the workers' body. Mercury concentrations of in the dentists' blood correlate with those in the air. Chemical health risk is estimated to be low.

Based on an analysis of correlations between variation in the amount of alveolar macrophages of rat lungs and activity of enzymes localized in these cells (acid phosphatase, beta-galactosidase, beta-glucosidase, lactate dehydrogenase), the cytobiochemical changes in the function of pulmonary alveolar macrophages have been defined with the use of a model of permanent inhalation exposure to sulfur dioxide. The use of the model enables the dilimitation of the stages of defence-compensatory reactions and their transition to an unfavourable biological effect. The results obtained may serve as a theoretical basis for recommending a wider experimental application of the tests in question during regulation of environmental factors.

The authors performed a comparative biochemical study of some enzymes of lysosomic origin (hyaluronidase, N-acetyl-beta-D-glucosaminidase, beta-glucosidase, beta-galatosidase and acid phosphatase), of the state of enzyme substrate system N-acetylneuraminic acid---aldolase of neuramic acid and of the activity of lactatedehydrogenase (soluble in cytosol and bound on mitochodria) in the liver, lungs and blood serum of rats at various regimens of the inhalation action of CCl4. On the basis of results obtained they determined the biological importance of the change of activity of enzymes differently localized in cells at the adaptation of an organisme to the noxious action of CCl4.

The authors review the results of biochemical and cytological study of the function and enzymic structure of lung alveolar macrophages in the early stages of the development of the chemical carcinogen nitrosodimethylamine administered per os. The evidence obtained has shown that in the course of biological action of nitrosodimethylamine one can observe functional abnormalities of lung alveolar macrophages, accompanied by destabilization of the cell membrane and membranes of the subcellular organelles. This apparently reflects the manifestation of unfavourable action of the chemical carcinogen.

Biochemical study of the activity of the enzyme systems of different localization in the cell connected with the subcellular structures - lysosomes (hyaluronidase, N-acetyl-beta-D-glucosaminidase, beta-glucosidase) and hyaloplasm-soluble (aldolase of neuraminic acid), and also a study of the state of the enzyme-substrate groups, belonging to the immunoreactive biopolymeres containing a carbohydrate (glucoproteins, glycosaminoglycanes) was carried out in the tissues of different organs (the liver, kidneys, small intestine, skin) and in the blood serum of albino rats exposed to the isolated and joint (in combination with various doses of ultraviolet irradiation) action of the chemical allergen (dinitrochlorbenzene). General and specific regularities of metabolic reactions, the appearance of which could presumably be connected with the development of delayed allergy were revealed.

Activity of lysosomal enzymes and content of carbohydrate containing biopolymers (glycosaminoglycans, glycoproteins) were altered in various tissues (liver, kidney, brain, aorta) of experimental animals intoxicated with carbon disulfide. Possible role of the impairments observed, related to neurotropic and hepatotoxic effects, is discussed. Subsequent development of atherogenic and embryotoxic effects of carbon disulfide--one of contaminators of surroundings--are considered.

Total number of cells, their viability and ability to adhesion were examined in surface alveolar macrophages isolated from rat livers after exposure to sulphur dioxide during 2, 4 and 6 weeks (0.05, 0.5, 1.0 and 5.0 mg/m3); to nitrogen oxide during 5, 8 and 15 hours, 28 and 56 days (19 mg/m3) and to carbon monoxide during 2, 28 and 56 days (0.01% or 10 MAC). In the experiment with exposure to sulphur dioxide, the activity of enzymes of varying localization in the macrophages - soluble in the cytoplasm (lactate dehydrogenase) and connected with subcellular structures - lysosomes (beta-galactosidase, beta-glucosidase and acid phosphatase) was tested by means of biochemical methods in parallel with cytological examinations. Low concentrations of various chemical contaminants of the atmospheric air (sulphur dioxide, nitrogen oxides, carbon monoxide) have an unfavourable biological effect on rats, manifest in the impairment of local immunity, i.e., decreased number of alveolar macrophages, disturbance of their viability and reduced ability of the macrophages to adhesion. At the same time, sulphur dioxide induces enzyme disorganization in lactate dehydrogenase and in a number of lysosomal enzymes of the macrophages. These results serve as a basis for the recommendation of cytobiochemical methods of elaborating methodological approaches to the regulation of environmental factors. Alveolar macrophages as a constituent part of the mononuclear phagocytic system ensuring local non-specific and specific resistance of the organism form one of the most important cellular mechanisms of protection of the organism against the harmful effect of environmental factors including chemical contaminants of the atmospheric air (1, 2).(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)