Ecotoxicological effect of polycyclic musks on Caenorhabditis elegans

Abstract

The polycyclic musks (PCMs), 7-acetyl-1,1,3,4,4,6-hexamethyl-1,2,3,4- tetrahydronaphtha-lene (AHTN) and 1,3,4,6,7,8-hexahydro-4,6,6,7,8- hexamethylcyclopenta-γ-2-benzopyran (HHCB), are widely used as fragrance compounds in laundry detergents, soaps and cosmetics. To assess the potential toxicological effects associated with AHTN and HHCB, Caenorhabditis elegans (C. elegans) was used as a model organism for eco-toxicity testing. We examined acute toxicity using 50% lethal concentrations (LC50) after 24 hr PCM exposure and also examined changes in the test endpoints of growth and maturation such as body length, percentage of gravid worms and fecundity. The LC50 for C. elegans was found to be more than 255.2 mg/l for AHTN and 194.6 mg/l for HHCB. In growth tests, the lowest observed effect concentrations (LOEC) in C. elegans for AHTN and HHCB were 12.8 mg/l and 9.8 mg/l, respectively. In maturation tests, LOECs were estimated at 6.4 mg/l for AHTN and 9.8 mg/l for HHCB. In reproduction tests, while maximum LOECs of 19.5 mg/l were observed for HHCB, concentrations of more than 25.5 mg/l were obtained for AHTN.