Toxicity of aflatoxin B 1 in rat and mouse hepatocytes in vivo and in vitro

Abstract

The reported LD 50 for the adult, male Fisher rat is 1.2 mg aflatoxin B 1/kg body weight (i.p.); we have found that male C57BL/6 mice survive single doses of aflatoxin B 1 as high as 60 mg/kg (i.p.). We have demonstrated a 1000-fold greater LC 50 of aflatoxin B 1 for primary mouse liver cell cultures from C57BL/6 male mice (3×10 −5 M) than for primary liver cells from F344 male rats (3×10 −8 M). In 4 h of exposure to a non-toxic dose (1×10 −9 M) of [ 3H]aflatoxin B 1, cultured rat liver cells accumulated up to 5-fold higher concentrations of 3H label than did mouse liver cells. The difference in cell-associated counts was due largely to higher levels of aflatoxin B 1 metabolites bound to macromolecules in the rat cells.