Effect of hexachlorobenzene on the activities of hepatic alcohol metabolizing enzymes.
To study the effect of experimental hepatic porphyria on the activities of hepatic alcohol metabolizing enzymes, female rats received a chow diet containing 0.05% hexachlorobenzene (HCB). After long-term HCB treatment for 60 days hepatic porphyria developed as evidenced by increased hepatic delta-aminolevulinic acid synthase activity and enhanced urinary excretion of delta-aminolevulinic acid, porphobilinogen and total porphyrins. Concomitantly, the activities of the hepatic microsomal ethanol oxidizing system (MEOS) were strikingly augmented by 213% (P less than 0.05) and 177% (P less than 0.01) when expressed per g of liver wet weight or per 100 g of body weight, respectively, whereas hepatic alcohol dehydrogenase activities remained virtually unchanged. Moreover, hepatic catalase showed only a trend for a slightly lower enzymic activity under these experimental conditions. The present data therefore show that experimental hepatic porphyria is associated with alterations of hepatic MEOS activities, which in turn may be a factor for the manifestation of human hepatic porphyrias in the course of alcohol consumption.
D000818:Animals; D002722:Chlorobenzenes / Q000494:pharmacology*; D004195:Disease Models, Animal; D000431:Ethanol / Q000378:metabolism*; D005260:Female; D006581:Hexachlorobenzene / Q000494:pharmacology*; D008099:Liver / Q000187:drug effects / Q000201:enzymology*; D008107:Liver Diseases / Q000201:enzymology / Q000209:etiology; D011164:Porphyrias / Q000139:chemically induced / Q000201:enzymology*; D051381:Rats; D011919:Rats, Inbred Strains
D002722:Chlorobenzenes; D000431:Ethanol; D006581:Hexachlorobenzene