A study of the relationships between carbon tetrachloride-induced lipid peroxidation and liver damage in rats pretreated with vitamin E

Abstract

The relationships between the peroxidation of musomal lipids and the early liver damage have been investigated in rats pretreated with progressively higher doses of α-tocopherol (vit. E) and intoxicated with various amounts of carbon tetrachloride. Pretreatment of rats with vit. E at 25 mg 100g body wt. has minor effects on both the peroxidation of musomal lipids and the liver triglyceride accumulation in rats poisoned with CC1 4 at 250 μl 100g body wt. However, a decrease of the peroxidative reaction and of the liver steatosis occurs when the rats are pretreated with progressively higher doses of vit.E. A close correlation exists between the two phenomena, when the intoxication is accomplished with CC1 4 at 250 μ1 100 g body wt. Also, the musomal concentration of α-tocopherol is strictly correlated to both the decrease of musomal lipoperoxidation and the decrease of liver triglyceride accumulation. The CCl 4-induced impairment of musomal glucose-6-phosphatase and the incorporation of 14C from 14CC1 4 into liver musomal lipids are not affected by vit. E pretreatment. The extent of musomal lipoperoxidation is not correlated to the liver triglyceride accumulation when vit. E-pretreated rats are given CC1 4 at 25 or 2.5 μ1 100 g body wt. However, a correlation between lipoperoxidation and liver steatosis occurs when non-pretreated rats are challenged with the three different doses of the halogenated hydrocarbon.