Toxicity and Pharmacological Properties of Surface‐active Alkyltrimethylammonium Bromides in the Rat

Abstract

Acute intravenous toxicity and pharmacological properties ofsurface-activealkyltrimethylammonium bromides (CIO-C~O) were studied in female rats. The acute toxicity of the surfactants decreased with an increasing length of the alkyl chain up to a chain length of 16 carbon atoms. Death appeared to be due to respiratory failure. The twitch responses of sciatic nerve-gastrocnemius muscle preparations were reversibly depressed at direct and indirect stimulation following intravenous injections of sublethal doses of C1~-C14. Doses blocking the twitch responses of indirectly stimulated gastrocnemius corresponded to about half the LD50, and at these doses CIO-CIJ caused a transient decrease in respiratory rate. The C16 homologue caused respiratory arrest without affecting the twitch responses of gastrocnemius at relative low intravenous doses. Sublethal intravenous doses of CI~-CZO caused, apparently due to vasodilatation, a tarnsient fall in arterial blood pressure. The depressor response increased and the twitch response decreased with an increase in the length of the alkyl chain up to a chain length of 16 carbon atoms. Both the depression of skeletal muscle contraction and the vasodilatation is suggested to originate from a non-specific effect of the surfactants on muscle cells.

Development and Application of a Multidimensional Database for the Detection of Quaternary Ammonium Compounds and Their Phase I Hepatic Metabolites in Humans

“…21 Furthermore, depressed skeletal muscle contractility was observed in female rats that had sublethal intravenous injections of C 12 −C 14 alkyltrimethylammonium bromides administered to them. 22 Respiratory effects have also been reported in animal studies. Mice exposed to various aerosolized QACs, for example, had reduced lung tidal volume and pulmonary inflammation.…”

“…Alkyltrimethylammonium compounds (ATMACs), a group of QACs commonly found in fabric softeners and hair conditioners, are highly toxic to aquatic organisms . Furthermore, depressed skeletal muscle contractility was observed in female rats that had sublethal intravenous injections of C 12 –C 14 alkyltrimethylammonium bromides administered to them . Respiratory effects have also been reported in animal studies.…”

Safety Assessment of Trimoniums as Used in Cosmetics

“…Intravenous (through tail vein) LD 50 values for female SPF-bred NMRI mice and female Sprague-Dawley rats for various alkyltrimethylammonium bromides (C10, 12, 14, 16, and 20) ranged from 2.8 to 20 mg/kg for mice and 5.5 to 44 mg/kg in rats. 78 The LD 50 values increased proportionally with the length of the alkyl group. Most animals that died did so within 1 minute from apparent respiratory failure.…”

Optimized Biocompatible Gold Nanotriangles with NIR Absorption for Photothermal Applications

“…Typical gold NT (Au NT) syntheses rely on the use of surfactants, such as cetyltrimethylammonium bromide or chloride (CTAB and CTAC, respectively), which adsorb preferentially on certain low Miller index planes, blocking them and inducing the anisotropic growth of the particles. − However, quaternary ammonium surfactants are known for their cytotoxic effect, − and some complex strategies have been reported in order to either remove CTAB or encapsulate it with a second layer. − Nevertheless, the use of these toxic surfactants should be directly avoided if NPs are to be synthesized for biomedical purposes. Moreover, most surfactant-driven syntheses rarely produce Au NTs that simultaneously satisfy NIR absorbance beyond 800 nm and dimensions smaller than 100 nm in edge length, which are desirable for in vivo applications. ,,, For these reasons, much effort is continuously being made by the scientific community to produce biocompatible Au NTs. ,, …”