Bone Mass Toxicity Associated with Inhalation Exposure to Toluene

Abstract

The inhalation of a wide range of organic solvents has become popular among young adults. Toluene is one of the most commonly used solvents in industry; it is easily available and convenient to use. Many toxicologic effects on biological systems secondary to deliberate inhalation of toluene have been reported, but investigations on adverse effects associated with bone morbidity is limited. The purpose of this study is to determine bone mineralization and investigate the adverse effects of toluene on bone. The bone mineral density and content of the femoral neck of mice exposed to toluene at 300 ppm for 8 wk were measured by dual X-ray absorptiometry and found significantly reduced compared to the control group. Chronic exposure to toluene was found to affect bone metabolism, and toluene-induced changes could contribute to bone resorption and inhibition of bone formation. Toluene seems to be the responsible component for the demineralizating effects of commonly abused substances, and medical doctors must promote their education about the health hazards in those who abuse solvents especially in areas where inhalant abuse is endemic.

Compositional and functional features of the female premenopausal and postmenopausal gut microbiota

“…Meanwhile, the genus Tolumonas (Fig. ), which clustered in postmenopausal women, had a negative correlation with BMD, which might be because Tolumonas is a toluene‐producing bacterium, and toluene can reduce bone density in mice and adversely affect bones . As mentioned above, alteration in the gut microbiome can result in some autoimmune and endocrine diseases; thus, some syndromes in postmenopausal women might be ameliorated by amending the function and composition of the gut microbiota.…”

The effect of adolescent inhalant abuse on energy balance and growth

“…However, no other human studies on the effects of adolescent inhalant abuse on skeletal growth could be found. Male adolescent mice exposed to toluene have significantly reduced bone mineral density compared to controls, although subsequent studies using rats did not find a reduction in bone density or skeletal microstructure following toluene exposure, rather that the bones were simply smaller …”

Adolescent inhalant abuse leads to other drug use and impaired growth; implications for diagnosis

“…**p≤0.01. Indeed chronic toluene exposure impairs both skeletal growth and bone mineral density in rats 16,34 and bone mineral density in adolescent males with a history of chronic glue sniffing. A break in the y axis below the 10th percentile is utilised to clearly display left-skewed data.…”

“…As this growth spurt can be disrupted by factors such as malnutrition 33 it is likely that inhalant abuse could disrupt this intensive growth period, including skeletal growth. Indeed chronic toluene exposure impairs both skeletal growth and bone mineral density in rats 16,34 and bone mineral density in adolescent males with a history of chronic glue sniffing. 35 Any disruption to growth during adolescence has the potential to cause long-term effects on stature.…”