ASSESSMENT OF THE NEUROTOXICITY OF STYRENE, STYRENE OXIDE, AND STYRENE GLYCOL IN PRIMARY CULTURES OF MOTOR AND SENSORY NEURONS

The neurotoxicity of styrene and its major metabolites, styrene oxide and styrene glycol, was investigated in dissociated primary cultures o f murine spinal cord-dorsal root ganglia (DRG)-skeletal muscle using m orphological and electrophysiological endpoints. Styrene and styrene o xide (but not styrene glycol) were acutely cytotoxic to both neuronal and non-neuronal cells in the cultures; concentrations in excess of 2 and 0.2 mM, respectively, induced blebbing, vacuolation, detachment fr om the substratum and cell death in neuronal and non-neuronal cells wi thin 4 days. No effects on neuronal morphology were observed in cultur es treated with sublethal concentrations of styrene or styrene oxide f or up to 3 weeks. The results suggest that oxidation of multiple cellu lar macromolecules that underlies the toxicity of styrene in other org an systems may also be responsible for damage to cells in the nervous system. No changes in action potential production indicative of a 'sol vent effect' on membrane electrical properties was apparent in culture s treated with up to 8 mM styrene or 10 mM styrene glycol.