(P150) Toxicity of the Explosives TNT, RDX, HMX, and RDX Degradation Products, in Mammalian Cells.
Ang, Choo Yaw*,1, Inouye, Laura2, 1 ASI Services, USACE-ERDC, Vicksburg, Mississippi2 USACE-ERDC, Vicksburg, Mississippi
ABSTRACT- The potential acute toxicities of the nitroaromatic explosive 2, 4, 6-trinitrotoluene (TNT), the cyclonitramine explosives hexahydro-1, 3, 5-trinitro-1, 3, 5-triazine (RDX), octahydro-1, 3, 5, 7-tetranitro-1, 3, 5, 7-tetrazocine (HMX), and two degradation products of RDX, were examined in this study. Five mammalian cell lines of non-neoplastic origin (HK-2 human adult kidney; TM4 mouse testis; GC-1 spg mouse spermatogonia; H2.35 mouse hepatocyte; and CTX TNA2 rat astrocyte) were selected for this initial toxicity screening. Cell viability was measured with the Neutral Red and Lactate Dehydrogenase cytotoxicity assays at the end of a 24-hour chemical exposure. In this study, TNT was cytotoxic to all cell lines with IC50s ranging between 3 and 15 ug/ml; the H2.35 hepatocytes were most sensitive to TNT while the CTX TNA2 astrocytes were least sensitive. HMX was cytotoxic (~60% cell kill) at 100 ug/ml in the CTX TNA2 astrocytes but was only mildly cytotoxic (20%-30%) in the other cell lines. RDX and its mono-nitroso (MNX) and tri-nitroso (TNX) degradation products were either not cytotoxic or only mildly cytotoxic across the cell lines.
Key words: Nitroaromatics, Cyclonitramines, Toxicity, Mammalian