Abstract
Chloroacetonitrile (CAN), is a disinfectant by-product of chlorination of drinking water. Epidemiological studies indicate that exposure to CAN via drinking water might present a potential hazard to human health. The objective of the present work was to investigate the cytotoxic effects as well as the oxidative stress induced by CAN in cultured rat gastric epithelial cells (GECs). GECs were exposed in vitro to different concentrations of CAN (5–40 μm) for 60 min. Also, GECs were incubated with CAN (10 μm) for different time intervals extending to 180 min. Cytotoxicity was determined by assessing cell viability and lactate dehydrogenase (LDH) release, glutathione (GSH) level and lipid peroxidation as indicated by malondialdehyde (MDA) production. Exposure of GECs CAN (10 μm) for 60 min caused a 50% decrease in cell viability and induced an eightfold increase of LDH leakage. In the same experiment, CAN caused a decrease in cellular GSH content to approximately 50% and significantly enhanced MDA accumulation (approx. sevenfold). These toxic responses to CAN were dependent on both concentration and duration of exposure to CAN. There was a good correlation between LDH release and GSH depletion (r =0.96, P<0.05). Treatment of GECs with 5 m mN -acetyl-l -cysteine (NAC) prior to exposure to CAN afforded some degree of protection as indicated by a significant decrease in the LDH leakage (32% of total leakage) and lipid peroxidation (54%) as compared to CAN alone-treated cells. Also, pretreatment of GECs with vitamin C (1 m m) or vitamin E (10 μm) significantly inhibited LDH leakage (20 and 36% of total leakage, respectively). Preincubation with 1 m m desferroxiamine (DFO), a ferric iron chelator, or 10 μm phenanthroline (PHE), a ferrous iron chelator, diminished CAN-induced LDH leakage by 16 and 21% of total leakage, respectively and MDA production by 40 and 44%, respectively. In conclusion, our results suggest that CAN has a potential cytotoxic effect in rat GECs; and thiol group-donors, antioxidants and iron chelators can play a critical role against CAN-induced cellular damage.