Toxicity of formaldehyde and acrolein mixtures: in vitro studies using nasal epithelial cells

In vitro studies with human and rat nasal epithelial cells were carried out to investigate the combined toxicity of formaldehyde and acrolein and the role of aldehyde dehydrogenases in this process. These studies showed that the toxic effect of mixtures of aldehydes was additive. In addition, aldehyde dehydrogenases were inhibited by disulfiram and acrolein in S9 incubation but disulfiram did not influence the toxicity in vitro (cell culture). This study does not support the idea that aldehyde dehydrogenases play a major role in the detoxification of exogenous aldehydes.