Vitamin E and hepatotoxic agents

Abstract

I. The acute toxicity of orally administered CCl, and its subacute toxicity (liver necrosis and hepatic fat accumulation) were studied in young adult male and female rats. CCl, was more toxic in males than in females. The protective effects of vitamin E (D-a-tocopheryl acetate) and three synthetic antioxidants, DPPD (N,N'-diphenyl-p-phenylenediamine), ethoxyquin (6-ethoxy-1,~-dihydro-z,~,4-trimethylquinoline) and BHT (butylated hydroxytoluene) were studied.2. Three daily oral doses (450 mg/kg) of vitamin E given before CCl, increased survival in male rats but not consistently in females. Single oral doses (450 mg/kg) given previously at times between 24 and 72 h were also protective in males, but slightly decreased survival in females. Single intraperitoneal doses (500 mg/kg) given to female rats 1-48 h before CCl, had no effect on survival. None of these treatments with vitamin E significantly decreased CC1,-induced hepatic triglyceride accumulation. A large oral dose (2000 mg/kg) 6 h before CCl, not only significantly increased hepatic fat accumulation but also increased mortality.3. Three daily doses (600 mg/kg) of DPPD or a single oral dose given 72 h before CCl, increased survival in male and female rats. When single doses of DPPD were given 6-48 h before CCl, they had no effect on survival. In contrast, DPPD usually significantly decreased the CC1,-induced hepatic triglyceride rise when given orally 6-72 h before CCl,. Single intraperitoneal doses (1oo-15oo mg/kg) of DPPD, given 1-48 h before CCl,, decreased the hepatic triglyceride rise. Multiple doses of DPPD decreased CC1,-induced liver necrosis, but single doses were generally less effective. 4.Three daily oral doses (300-500 mg/kg) of ethoxyquin given before CCl, were highly effective in preventing mortality, liver necrosis and the rise in hepatic triglycerides. Single oral doses (500 mg/kg) given 72 or 48 h before CCl, produced the same effect, but these single doses 24 or 6 h before CCl, were without effect. The effective treatments usually increased liver weight markedly. Intraperitoneal treatment with ethoxyquin also substantially reduced the toxicity of CC14. Ethoxyquin was the most effective of all four treatments studied, and livers from animals given this substance were often nearly normal in histological appearance.5. The activity of oral doses (400-600 mg/kg) of BHT, given 48 h or more before CCl, was, in general, similar to that of ethoxyquin, but less marked. This substance also caused a large increase in liver weight after 48 h. Oral doses given 6-24 h before CC1, increased the CC1,-induced triglyceride rise still further. Intraperitoneal doses of BHT were ineffective against acute toxicity, liver necrosis or the triglyceride rise.6. Concentrations of a-tocopherol and the three synthetic antioxidants were measured in liver in many of the experiments. Very high hepatic concentrations of a-tocopherol could be obtained without affecting either the acute or subacute toxicity of CCl,. Ethoxyquin and BHT were rapidly eliminated from the liver a...

Ethoxyquin nitroxide

“…In addition to its antioxidant activity, EQ has been reported to have anticarcinogenic effects in mice and rats (Wattenberg, 1972;Gumming and Walton, 1973;Ulland et al, 1973), to protect against dietary liver necrosis (Schwarz, 1958), hepatotoxicity (Cawthorne et al, 1970(Cawthorne et al, , 1971(Cawthorne et al, , 1973, congenital abnormalities in rat (King, 1964), and exudative diathesis in chick (Combs and Scott, 1974), and to increase longevity in mice (Comfort et al, 1971). Similar effects have been attributed to other antioxidants as well (King, 1964;Black, 1974;Georgieff, 1971;Ulland et al, 1973;Grantham et al, 1973;Gumming and Walton, 1973).…”

An abnormality of the bone marrow associated with vitamin E deficiency in sheep

“…Carpenter (1967) found that there was a relationship between the activity of the hepatic microsomal mixed-function oxidase system in rats and their vitamin E status; a similar finding was reported by Cawthorne, Bunyan, Sennitt, Green & Grasso (1970) and Jeffery & Diplock (1972); and electron microscopy studies have indicated that there are changes in mitochondria1 and microsomal structures in vitamin E-deficient animals (Schwarz & Baumgartner, 1969).…”

Vitamin E as a food additive

“…Green and coworkers (31,32) have presented data relevant to this point. This group gave rats a massive, acute dose of carbon tetrachloride (2.0 ml/kg) which produced necrosis of the entire centrilobular region with an outer zone of hydropic degeneration in 24 hr.…”