EFFECTS OF SELECTED ORGANIC-SOLVENTS ON THE ASTROCYTE MEMBRANE ATPASEIN-VITRO

1. The present study deals with astrocyte cultures as a model for stud ying the membrane-mediated central nervous system-depressing effect of organic solvents. 2. The primary astrocyte cultures were prepared fro m neonatal rat cerebella, The cells were cultured in modified essentia l medium, The astrocyte membranes isolated from the cultures were expo sed to solvents in incubation mixture at different dose levels (3, 6 a nd 9 mmol/L) for 1 h. The physiologically important integral proteins Na+, K+-ATPase and Mg2+-ATPase were studied. 3. The aromatic hydrocarb ons (benzene, toluene, styrene, xylene and ethylbenzene) inhibited the ATPase activities according to their lipid solubilities. n-Hexane and cyclohexane clearly had less effect than aromatic hydrocarbons, despi te their greater lipid solubilities. 4. Astrocytes were shown to be se nsitive targets to the effects of organic solvents, measured as the in hibition of the integral enzymes Na+, K+-ATPase and Mg2+-ATPase.