title: Effects of bicyclol on aflatoxin B1 metabolism and hepatotoxicity in rats.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To study the effect of new antihepatitis drug, bicyclol, on the metabolism and hepatotoxicity of aflatoxin B1 (AFB1) in rats.
  
  
  METHODS
  Rats were given bicyclol 300 mg/kg/d ig for 3 d and then injected ip with AFB1 1.5 mg/kg. Liver damages were examined 16 h after ip AFB1. The in vitro metabolism of AFB1 by bicyclol-pretreated liver microsomes was investigated by HPLC assay.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Bicyclol (300 mg/kg/d for 3 d) pretreatment provided protection against AFB1 hepatotoxicity as evidenced by the decrease of AFB1-elevated serum aminotransferase and hepatic malondialdehyde in rats. Bicyclol pretreatment slightly increased the production of the less toxic metabolite aflatoxin Q1. Bicyclol increased liver cytochrome P450 content, CYP 2B1-mediated 7-pentoxyresorufin O-dealkylase (PROD) activity, cytosolic glutathione (GSH) level, and GSH S-transferase (GST) activities. Moreover, bicyclol increased CYP 3A-mediated erythromycin-demethylase and CYP 1A-mediated 7-ethoxyresorufin O-deethylase (EROD) activities.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Bicyclol protected rats against AFB1 hepatotoxicity by increasing the detoxifying metabolism of AFB1 in the liver.
authors.affiliation: Department of Pharmacology, Institute of Materia Medica, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences Peking Union Medical College, Beijing 100050, China.
authors.forename: Hong
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Lu
authors.forename: Yan
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Li
mesh_terms: D016604:Aflatoxin B1 / Q000378:metabolism / Q000633:toxicity*; D000818:Animals; D001713:Biphenyl Compounds / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D056486:Chemical and Drug Induced Liver Injury / Q000517:prevention & control*; D003577:Cytochrome P-450 Enzyme System / Q000096:biosynthesis*; D004347:Drug Interactions; D008658:Inactivation, Metabolic; D008297:Male; D051381:Rats; D017208:Rats, Wistar
chemical_list: D001713:Biphenyl Compounds; D003577:Cytochrome P-450 Enzyme System; C477843:bicyclol; D016604:Aflatoxin B1