Electrocardiographic effects of toluene in the anesthetized rat

The influence of inhalation of near lethal quantities of toluene on some ECG parameters, as well as the possible cardiac sensitizing effect of the solvent, were determined in chloralose-anesthetized rats. These actions were compared with those of its close analogue benzene. Both solvents produced tachycardia; toluene increased the duration of QRS and specially PR, while benzene decreased P wave duration. No other systematic changes in ECG morphology or evidence of arrhythmia were observed. Toluene appeared to decrease the number of ectopic beats induced by epinephrine, in contrast to benzene, which increased it markedly. These results suggest that toluene administered by inhalation up to near lethal doses is devoid of untoward ECG effect in the chloralose-anesthetized rat, its only action being a decrease in intraventricular and particularly AV conduction. It does not share the myocardial sensitizing properties of benzene and in fact appears to elicit some protection from the arrhythmogenic effects of epinephrine, although no definite conclusions as to this action can be derived due to limitations in the experimental model used.