ACUTE BLOOD TOXICITY OF THE ABUSED INHALANT, CYCLOHEXYL NITRITE

Cyclohexyl nitrite is an abused nitrite inhalant. This is the first re port of toxicity of cyclohexyl nitrite. Mice were exposed to 300-900 p pm cyclohexyl nitrite in an inhalation chamber for 45 min and then ble d. Such treatment resulted in a 7-10% reduction in red blood cell coun ts, haemoglobin and haematocrit levels. Both blood leucocyte counts an d spleen cellularity were reduced by 40%. Unlike isobutyl nitrite, sub chronic treatment of mice with cyclohexyl nitrite did not impair macro phage tumoricidal activity or production of reactive nitrogen intermed iates, but did modulate B and T cell mitogen responses. The data sugge st that cyclohexyl nitrite had cytotoxic activity, comparable to that of isobutyl nitrite, which might be related to the anaemia reported in abusers. The immunomodulatory properties of cyclohexyl nitrite differ ed from those of isobutyl nitrite. (C) 1997 International Society for Immunopharmacology.