Comparison of the acute hematotoxicity of 2-butoxyethanol in male and female F344 rats.

Administration of 2-butoxyethanol (BE) to rodents causes acute hemolytic anemia, and metabolic activation of BE to butoxyacetic acid (BAA) is required for the development of this effect. Recent studies have shown that female rats treated with BE exhibit a variety of histopathologic lesions that are absent in males and many of these lesions are attributed to the hemolytic effects of BE. Current studies were designed to compare the acute hematotoxicity of BE in male and female F344 rats. Rats were treated with 250 mg BE/kg body weight or water (control; 5 ml/kg) by gavage. At 4, 8, or 24 h after dosing, rats were anesthetized, blood was collected by cardiac puncture, and various blood parameters were measured. BE resulted in a time-dependent swelling of erythrocytes as evidenced by an early increase in hematocrit (Hct) and mean cell volume (MCV) in male rats. In contrast, increased Hct in female rats did not accompany an increase in MCV. It is likely that hemolysis was so severe at 4 h that Hct exhibited a ...