Abstract
Ionic liquids are a diverse range of charged chemicals with low volatility and often liquids at ambient temperatures. This characteristic has in part lead to them being considered environmentally-friendly replacements for existing volatile solvents. However, methylimidazolium ionic liquids are slow to break down in the environment and a recent study at Newcastle detected 1 octyl 3 methylimidazolium (M8OI) – an 8 carbon variant methylimidazolium ionic liquid - in soils in close proximity to a landfill site. The current M8OI toxicity database in cultured mammalian cells, in experimental animal studies and in model indicators of environmental impact are reviewed. Selected analytical data from the Newcastle study suggest the soils in close proximity to the landfill site, an urban soil lacking overt contamination, had variable levels of M8OI. The potential for M8OI - or a structurally related ionic liquid – to trigger primary biliary cholangitis (PBC), an autoimmune liver disease thought to be triggered by an unknown agent(s) in the environment, is reviewed.
Highlights
Ionic liquids are salts normally composed of organic cations and inorganic anions - with a melting temperature below 100 °C and often, they are liquids at ambient temperatures (Wilkes, 2002)
Over 60 methylimidazolium ionic liquids have been registered with the European Chemicals Agency (ECHA), several with toxicity dossiers, suggesting they are being used in the EU such that they do not require to be listed as an ingredient in any product
Oxidative stress associated with the parent 1 octyl methylimidazolium (M8OI) molecule may contribute to a depletion of lipoic acid and enhance the chances that its carboxylic acid metabolite replace lipoic acid in lipoylated proteins
Summary
Ionic liquids ( frequently referred to as ionic solvents) are salts normally composed of organic cations and inorganic anions - with a melting temperature below 100 °C and often, they are liquids at ambient temperatures (Wilkes, 2002). The modern era of ionic liquid development started with the generation of 1-butylpyridinium chloride–aluminium chloride mixtures in the 1970s (Gale et al, 1978; Wilkes, 2002; Welton, 2018). They are man-made chemicals that do not exist naturally in biological systems and as a consequence, resist degradation in the environment. This article reviews the current state of knowledge regarding the toxic effects of M8OI in mammalian and environmental models and their potential to trigger PBC
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