Inhalation exposure to low levels of ethyl tertiary butyl ether: Its genetic effects were significantly modified by ALDH2 activity

Investigation of the potential mutagenicity of ethyl tertiary-butyl ether in the tumor target tissue using transgenic Big Blue Fischer 344 rats following whole body inhalation exposure

Ethyl tertiary-butyl ether (ETBE) is a fuel oxygenate used for the efficiency of motor vehicle fuels and their octane ratings. ETBE has been reported to induce liver adenomas in male rats in a 2-year bioassay at the highest inhalation concentration tested of 5000 ppm. To investigate the potential mutagenicity of ETBE in the liver, male Big Blue Fischer 344 rats were exposed for 28 consecutive days (6 h/day) to 0, 500, 1500, and 5000 ppm ETBE. The treated rats were sacrificed 3 days post-exposure and the frequencies of cII mutants were evaluated in the liver and bone marrow tissues. The mutant frequency (MF) of the liver in the negative control group was 36.3 × 10^-6 and this value was not significantly different in ETBE-exposed animals (39.4, 37.3, and 45.9 × 10^-6 in 500, 1500, and 5000 ppm groups, respectively). In the bone marrow, the mean MF in the negative control was 32.9 × 10^-6 which was not different from the means of the exposed groups (33.8, 22.6, and 32.0 × 10^-6 for groups exposed to 500, 1500 and 5000 ppm, respectively). These data, along with consistent negative response reported in the literature for other apical genotoxicity endpoints informs that mutagenicity is not likely the initial key event in the mode of action for ETBE-induced hepatocarcinogenesis in the rat.

Aldehyde dehydrogenase 2 deficiency significantly exacerbates tert-butyl alcohol-induced toxicity in mice

Owing to the use of ethyl tert-butyl ether (ETBE) as a fuel additive, the possible adverse effects of ETBE exposure have become a public concern. Our previous study showed that ETBE-induced toxicity in aldehyde dehydrogenase 2 (Aldh2) gene knockout (KO) mice was caused by its primary metabolite acetaldehyde, which was toxic. However, it is unclear whether tert-butyl alcohol (TBA), another main metabolite of ETBE, plays a role in ETBE-induced toxicity. To investigate this relationship, we analyzed the changes of TBA concentrations in tissues after ETBE exposure, and then evaluated the toxicity after direct TBA treatment in both KO and wild-type (WT) mice. An exposure to 500 ppm ETBE via inhalation resulted in the formation of its three metabolites, TBA, 2-methyl-1,2-propanediol and ethanol, whose concentrations in the liver, brain, fat and testis of male KO mice were significantly higher than the corresponding concentrations observed in male WT mice. Direct treatment to TBA (20 mg/mL of drinking water) caused significant changes in relative organ weights and histopathology, and increased levels of genetic damages in both types of mice. These toxic effects were also seen in KO mice exposed to a lower concentration of TBA (5 mg/mL), which was associated with increased oxidative stress in serum (reduced glutathione and reduced glutathione/oxidized glutathione ratio decreased). Our findings indicate that ALDH2 is involved in the metabolism of ETBE and TBA, and ALDH2 deficiency could greatly increase the sensitivity to TBA-induced toxicity.