Chronic effects of dichloromethane on amino acids, glutathione and phosphoethanolamine in gerbil brain

Mongolian gerbils were exposed to dichloromethane for three months by continuous inhalation at 210 ppm. Total free tissue amino acids, glutathione, and phosphoethanolamine were determined in the vermis posterior of the cerebellum and the frontal cerebral cortex. These two brain areas were chosen because humans occupationally exposed to dichloromethane have shown abnormalities in the electroencephalogram of the frontal part of the cerebral cortex. This study showed that long-term exposure of gerbils to dichloromethane (210 ppm) for three months leads to decreased levels of glutamate, gamma-aminobutyric acid, and phosphoethanolamine in the frontal cerebral cortex, while glutamine and gamma-aminobutyric acid are elevated in the posterior cerebellar vermis.