Abstract
The present study was undertaken in the rats to examine whether endotoxin hepatotoxicity is enhanced by increased lipid peroxidation. The rats were given 10 ml of water, corn oil or heated and oxygenated corn oil per kg body weight by stomach tube twice a day for 14 days, and then they were injected physiological saline solution or endotoxin (2 or 2.5 mg per kg body weight) into the tail vein. In the rats pretreated with water or corn oil, the activity of serum glutamic pyruvic transaminase was within the normal limit, and there was no conspicuous morphological change in the liver, except for accumulation of fine fat droplets in few liver cells. On the other hand, in the rats pretreated with heated and oxygenated corn oil, containing a large amount of lipid peroxides, accumulation of small fat droplets in the liver cells and a slight elevation of serum transaminase activity were induced. The challenge with endotoxin (2.5 mg per kg body weight) caused focal hepatocellular coagulative necrosis and a marked elevation of serum transaminase activity, irrespective of the sorts of pretreatment, and there was no significant difference in the biochemical change and the histopathological damage between the rats pretreated with water, corn oil and heated and oxygenated corn oil. These results suggest that increased lipid peroxidation does not contribute to the enhancement of endotoxin hepatotoxicity, although it is thought that carbon tetrachloride and ethanol enhance endotoxin hepatotoxicity by synergism between endotoxin and the chemicals through lipid peroxidation.
Published Version
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