title: Age-related susceptibility to hepatotoxicants.
abstract: Limited information is available regarding age-associated events that lead to differences in vulnerability to chemicals that injure the liver. For some agents, such as allyl alcohol, alterations in metabolic activation, by liver biotransformation enzymes, are responsible for age-associated changes in severity of liver damage. For other toxicants, such as carbon tetrachloride, there appears to be no relation between changes in activation/detoxification processes and the effects of aging on the extent of liver injury. With diquat, a rise in iron content seems to explain the increased toxicity observed in hepatocytes of old rats compared with those of young-adult rats. Additional research is needed to identify the mechanisms responsible for age-dependent differences in sensitivity to environmental chemicals.
authors.affiliation: University of Oklahoma Health Sciences Center, College of Pharmacy, P.O. Box 26901, Oklahoma City, OK 73190, USA.
authors.forename: L E
authors.initials: LE
authors.lastname: Rikans
authors.forename: K R
authors.initials: KR
authors.lastname: Hornbrook