Toxicological studies of a leachable stabilizer di-n-butyltin dilaurate(DBTL): effects on hepatic drug metabolizing enzyme activities.

Abstract

Toxicological studies of a leachable stabilizer Di-n-butyltin dilaurate (DBTL) were undertaken. Effects of DBTL after 15 days oral exposure to rats were studied on brain and liver enzyme activities. A significant decrease in body weight gain of DBTL exposed rats were observed. No effect was observed in the activities of brain enzymes, succinic dehydrogenase, adenosine triphosphatase, acetylcholine esterase and monoamine oxidase. In liver, DBTL treatment resulted in a significant decrease in the activities of microsomal enzymes glucose-6-phosphatase, aminopyrine-N-demethylase, benzphetamine-N-demethylase, aniline hydroxylase, benzo(a)pyrene hydroxylase and also on cytochrome P-450 content, whereas no difference in the activities of mitochondrial enzymes, succinic dehydrogenase, Mg2+-adenosine triphosphatase as well as in the activity of lysosomal enzyme acid phosphatase was observed. Duration of exposure dependent increase in pentabarbital induced sleeping time was also observed. DBTL treatment produced an induction in heme oxygenase activity whereas the activity of -aminolevulinic acid synthetase remained unaltered. The results demonstrate that DBTL significantly affects the biotransformation mechanism and heme metabolism of hepatocytes.