Glutathione depletion in isolated rat hepatocytes caused by styrene and the thermal degradation products of polystyrene

Depletion of reduced glutathione (GSH) was induced in isolated rat hepatocytes incubated with styrene or exposed for 120 min to products from oxidative thermal degradation of polystyrene. The depletion depended on the concentrations of styrene and on the degradation temperature. Styrene (1 mM) or products from degradation of polystyrene at 200°C (concentration of styrene in exposure atmosphere 0.7 ppm) had no detectable effect on glutathione levels in isolated hepatocytes. At higher degradation temperatures (250°C and 300°C, with styrene concentrations of 2.5 and 25 ppm, respectively) a rapid depletion was detected as well as with 3 mM styrene in incubation mixture. The latency of lactate dehydrogenase was affected neither by the polystyrene degradation products nor by the styrene added to the incubation mixture.