Comparative Study on the EC(50) Value in Single and Mixtures of Dimethylformamide, Methyl Ethyl Ketone, and Toluene

The aim of this research was to improve our understanding of human toxicity due to exposure to DMF, MEK, or TOL individually as compared to exposure to DMF-MEK or DMF-TOL mixtures, by comparing EC(50) values as well as the morphological changes in HepG2 cells treated with these substances. We found that there was marked cell necrosis in the groups treated with mixtures than in those treated with the compounds alone, and that the amount of cell death and the EC(50) value were more dependent on MEK and TOL than on DMF. Moreover, analysis of the changes in effective concentration curves revealed that MEK had an antagonistic effect on the human toxicity of DMF, whereas TOL had a synergistic effect. Accordingly, these results suggest that in workplaces involved in the manufacture of synthetic leather, mixtures of DMF and TOL should be avoided as much as possible in order to minimize environmental toxicity and protect the health of the workers.