Organotins: Toxicology and biological effects

Abstract

Organotins are currently one of the most studied groups of organometallic compounds; their novel and often unique chemical properties have intrigued chemists for over 100 years and, today, many of these compounds find extensive use in agriculture and industry. Over the years, however, a number of the organotins have been demonstrated to be toxic and there is now increasing concern that their widespread use may cause adverse effects within environmental and biological systems. This article reviews and updates the current literature concerning organotin toxicology. It identifies the various target organs and systems, discusses mechanisms and species susceptibility, and directs the reader to additional sources of more specialized information as appropriate.

Synthesis, larvicidal, QSAR and structural studies of some triorganotin 2,2,3,3‐tetramethylcyclopropanecarboxylates

“…3 SnOH 0.770 g, 2 mmol in case of 6] was dissolved in 20 ml of hot toluene in a 100 ml round-bottom flask fitted with a Dean-Stark trap. To this was added, with stirring, an equal molar amount of 2,2,3,3-tetramethylcyclopropanecarboxylic acid (0.284 g, 2 mmol) dissolved in 20 ml toluene.…”

“…1,2 Replacing the alkyl groups with aryl substituents on the tin atom converts the organotin compounds into effective agricultural fungicides. 3,4,6 The first recognized entomological use of organotin compounds was as a mothproofing agent 7 in 1928. Trialkyltins were found to be as effective as DDT against the common clothes moth, Tineola bisseliella.…”

Triethyltin‐induced stress responses and apoptotic cell death in cultured oligodendrocytes

“…The adverse effects and apoptotic potential of some organotin compounds toward the immune system have been studied extensively (for review, see Nicklin and Robson, 1988;Pieters et al, 1994). Specifically, tributyltin has been reported to stimulate apoptosis in rat thymocytes (Aw et al, 1990).…”

“…While trimethyltin (TMT)-chloride causes localized neuronal damage (Reuhl et al, 1983; for review, see Nicklin and Robson, 1988), triethyltin (TET)-chloride has direct and specific effects on myelin formation in the brain. Vacuolation of the myelin sheath at the intraperiod line of the lamellae and fluid accumulation was observed (Aleu et al, 1963).…”

Di‐n‐octylzinnverbindungen, Mono‐n‐octylzinnverbindungen [MAK Value Documentation in German language, 1992]

“…Weiterhin wurde die Beteiligung eines Serumfaktors vorgeschlagen, der die Differenzierung von T-Zell-Vorläufern innerhalb des Thymus blockiert [2]. Inzwischen konnte nachgewiesen werden, daß durch die Behandlung mit DOTC in Thymozyten eine rasche und spezifische Abnahme der m-RNA erfolgt, die im Rahmen der Biosynthese von Interleukin-2 gebildet wird [3,4]. Diesem wird unter anderem die Steuerung der Proliferation von Thymozyten in der Rinde zugeschrieben.…”