The use of Allyl formate
Allyl formate is a clear, colorless liquid. It is slightly soluble in water. It is reported to cause liver and kidney injury in animals. The most common effect in humans following occupational exposure to allyl formate exposure is upper respiratory tract irritation.
Uses
Allyl formate is used as a solvent in spray lacquers, enamels, varnishes, and latex paints and as an ingredient in paint thinners and strippers, varnish removers, and herbicides. It is also used in liquid soaps, cosmetics, industrial and household cleaners, and dry-cleaning compounds.
Environmental Fate
Allyl formate is cleaved by nonspecific esterases to allyl alcohol, which is then oxidized by alcohol dehydrogenases to the reactive acrolein, which is responsible for the hepatotoxic action. The toxicity of allyl alcohol via its metabolite acrolein is dependent on the concentration of GSH.
After depletion of GSH, the reactive metabolite of allyl alcohol can bind to essential sulfhydryl groups in the cellular macromolecules, leading to structural and functional modifications, which can be responsible for hepatic injury. Appearance of lipid peroxidation signals events that follow toxication mechanisms initiated by acrolein, and subsequent and continued lipid peroxidation could be merely the consequence of the cell death.
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