Pulmonary effects of butylated hydroxytoluene in mice

By virtue of its antioxidant property butylated hydroxytoluene (BHT) is extensively used to prevent rancidity of food materials on storage. Recently pulmonary effects of BHT ingestion have been reported. Present studies were aimed at exploring the effect of BHT on the lungs of mice. Cellular, biochemical and histopathological changes were studied. Male mice (25-30 g) were given BHT intraperitoneally in doses of 200, 400 or 800 mg/kg bw in olive oil. The controls received olive oil alone. The animals were sacrificed at 24 h, 48 h and 7 day intervals and the bronchoalveolar lavage fluid (BALF) was collected for cellular and biochemical studies. Lungs from separate groups of animals were fixed in formal-saline for histopathological studies. The total number of cells in BHT-exposed mice increased in a dose-dependent manner. Total protein content and the activity of LDH also increased significantly as compared with controls. The histopathological results correlated with the biochemical and cellular alterations. It can, therefore, be concluded that BALF analysis can be used to quantify the acute pulmonary toxicity following extrapulmonary exposure to BHT.