E.C. de Ferreyra

Late preventive effects of trifluoperazine on carbon tetrachloride-induced hepatic necrosis

As a very preliminary test for a possible role of calmodulin in CCl4-induced hepatic injury, we studied the effects of the anticalmodulin drug trifluoperazine (TFP) on several deleterious actions of CCl4 on the liver. TFP administrated 30 min before or 6 or 10 hr after CCl4 significantly prevented hepatic necrosis induced by the hepatotoxin at 24 hr but not at 72 hr. TFP did not modify the CCl4 concentrations reaching the liver, or the intensity of the covalent binding of CCl4-reactive metabolites to hepatic microsomal proteins or lipids or the CCl4-induced cytochrome P-450 and glucose 6 phosphatase destruction. TFP administration decreased body temperature between 0 and 1 degree C in controls and between 1.2 and 3.5 degrees C in CCl4-treated animals during the 24-hr observation period. When TFP-treated CCl4-poisoned animals were kept normothermic, protective effects were eliminated. One possibility is that the protective effect of TFP might be due to a nonspecific action related to decreased body temperature. Alternatively, prevention might result from TFP inhibition of a late-occurring process critical for CCl4-induced cell necrosis requiring calmodulin participation. If this alternative were in operation, protective consequences of this inhibitory effect of TFP should be either canceled or counteracted in the normothermic TFP + CCl4-treated animal.

Further studies on the late preventive effects of the anticalmodulin trifluoperazine on carbon tetrachloride-induced liver necrosis

Trifluoperazine (TFP) (50 mg/kg ip) administration to rats 6 or 10 hr after CCl4 (1 ml/kg ip in olive oil) significantly prevented liver necrosis but not fatty liver caused by the hepatotoxin at 24 hr as evidenced by either histology or electron microscopy. TFP given 6 hr after CCl4 significantly decreased the CCl4-induced increases in liver calcium content. TFP raised four to five times the liver glycogen content in control rats but was unable to modify decreased glycogen content of CCl4 poisoned animals. TFP administration increased phospholipid and protein synthesis as evidenced by studies on 32P incorporation into microsomal phospholipid and by experiments on [14C]leucine incorporation in microsomal protein fractions from control rat livers. No significant changes were observed in microsomal phospholipid degradation as studied by decay of label from 32P-prelabeled microsomal lipids or in increased protein degradation as evidenced by decay of label from [14C-guanidino]arginine-prelabeled microsomal proteins found in livers of control rats after TFP treatment. Electron microscopy observations of liver from control animals treated with TFP evidenced accumulation of glycogen in areas close to smooth endoplasmic reticulum (SER); large Golgi areas with an abundant number of lysosomes, and minor dilatation effects on the rough endoplasmic reticulum (RER) and nuclear membrane. Results suggest that TFP preventive effects might be due to the anticalmodulin actions of this drug.

Late preventive effects against carbon tetrachloride-induced liver necrosis of the calcium chelating agent calcion

In agreement with the hypothesis that changes in calcium homeostasis might be significant in late stages of chemically-induced liver cell injury, a calcium chelating agent, Calcion, was able to partially prevent CCl4-induced liver necrosis observed at 24 h, when treatment was given as late as 6 or 10 h after the hepatotoxin. Calcion had minor or no effects on covalent binding of reactive metabolites to cellular components, or on lipid peroxidation or on CCl4 levels reaching the liver. Calcion treatment of CCl4-poisoned animals decreased CCl4-induced calcium increases in liver and increased gluthathione levels decreased by hepatotoxin at 24 h. Calcion treatment was not able to prevent CCl4-induced fatty liver. Calcion protective effects were body temperature dependent but they were cancelled when Calcion-treated poisoned animals were kept normothermic. Results suggest that Calcion protective effects might be linked to calcium chelation or alternatively that they might derive from decreases in body temperature.

Further studies on the mechanism of the late protective effects of phenylmethylsulfonyl fluoride on carbon tetrachloride-induced liver necrosis

We previously reported that phenylmethylsulfonyl fluoride (PMSF) administration to rats (100 mg/kg, ip in olive oil) as late as 6 or 10 hr after CCl4 (1 ml/kg, ip as a 20% v/v solution in olive oil) can partially prevent the necrogenic response to the hepatotoxin at 24 hr. Here we confirm that observation by electron microscopy and provide further evidence that only in these circumstances were nuclear clumping of chromatin, slight dilatation of the endoplasmic reticulum, myelin figures and lipid droplets in the cytoplasm, large numbers of lysosomes and peroxisomes, glycogen, and slightly swollen mitochondria observable in the protected animals. A very minor part of the late protective effects of PMSF might be due to the effects of this drug on decreasing the intensity of covalent binding of CCl4-reactive metabolites or the intensity of CCl4-induced lipid peroxidation still occurring 6 or 10 hr after CCl4. PMSF administration did not prevent CCl4-induced decreases in cytochrome P450 content or glucose-6-phosphatase activity but partially prevented CCl4-induced calcium accumulation in liver. PMSF treatment increased glutathione and glycogen content in CCl4-poisoned animals, but did not markedly modify protein/phospholipid synthesis or degradation processes. Results suggest that the late protective effects of PMSF administration in CCl4-induced liver necrosis might be due to a favorable modulation of the calcium-calmodulin system similar to that previously described for other drugs.

Prevention of thioacetamide-induced liver necrosis by prior administration of substrates of microsomal flavincontaining monooxygenase

Prior administration of chlorpromazine (CPZ), imipramine (IMP), mercaptoethylamine (MEA), 1-(1-naphthyl)2-thiourea (ANTU) or phenyl-thiocarbamide (PTC) but not 1,4-dithio-1-threitol (DTT), was able effectively to prevent most of thioacetamide (TAC) -induced liver necrosis. These and previous observations suggest that liver microsomal flavin-containing monooxygenase critically controls the process of activation of TAC to the ultimate necrogen.

Prevention of carbon tetrachloride-induced liver necrosis by the chelator alizarin sodium sulfonate

The administration of the calcium chelator alizarin sodium sulfonate (ASR) (100 mg/kg ip in saline) 30 min before or 6 or 10 hr after CCl4 (1 ml/kg ip as a 20% v/v solution in olive oil) partially prevents the necrogenic effect of the hepatotoxin at 24 hr, but prevention of CCl4 fat accumulation was not observed. Protective action cannot be attributed to potential decreasing effects of ASR on CCl4 levels reaching the liver, on the covalent binding of CCl4-reactive metabolites to cellular components, or on CCl4-induced lipid peroxidation because ASR does not modify these parameters significantly. ASR administration increases GSH levels in livers of both control and CCl4-poisoned animals and decreases the calcium content of intoxicated animals at 24 hr of poisoning. ASR significantly lowers the body temperature of CCl4-treated animals at different times of the intoxication process. Present and previous results from our laboratory on the preventive effects of another very specific calcium chelator, calcion, and several anticalmodulins suggest that the beneficial effects of ASR might be associated with its calcium chelating ability. Other protective effects of ASR, such as lowering body temperature or increasing GSH content in liver, cannot be excluded.

Carbon tetrachloride-induced early biochemical alterations but not necrosis in pigeon's liver.

In contrast to what is well known to occur in rats, pigeons recelving CCl4 (1 ml/kg i.p.) were not susceptible to necrogenic effects of the hepatotoxin at 24 h. There were, such as depression of glucose 6 phosphatase activity, decrease in the cytochrome P-450 content and in aminopyrine-N-demethylase activity in pigeon liver microsomes at 3 and 6 h after CCl4 administration. Pigeon liver was able to activate CCl4 to reactive metabolites that bind covalently to lipids, but no CCl4-induced lipid peroxidation was proved by the diene hyperconjugation technique in pigeon liver microsomes at 1, 3 or 6 h after administration. Results suggest that covalent binding of CCl4-reactive metabolities are more relevant to early biochemical alterations induced by CCl4 than is lipid peroxidation. Absence of CCl4-induced necrosis in pigeon liver could be attributabie to a smaller intensity of covalent binding interactions observed, when compared to susceptible specles, and to absence of lipid peroxidation.

Effects of carbon tetrachloride on the liver of chickens. Early biochemical and ultrastructural alterations in the absence of detectable lipid peroxidation

Administration of CCl4 i.p. to Leghorn chickens did not promote lipid peroxidation of liver microsomal lipids, as evidenced by either increased diene conjugation or by decreased arachidonic acid content. The hepatotoxin did not produce liver necrosis 24 h after dosing, but decreased the cytochrome P-450 content, and aminopyrine N-demethylase and glucose 6 phosphatase activities at 1, 3, 6 and 24 h. CCl4 administration produced dilation of the rough endoplasmic reticulum and detachment of ribosomes from their membranes. These observations suggest that lipid peroxidation is not the key event in the production of these biochemical and ultrastructural alterations, elicited by CCl4.

Prevention of thioacetamide-induced liver necrosis by prior aminoacetonitrile or imidazole administration

Prior administration of aminoacetonitrile (AAN) or imidazole but not isoxazole to rats, was able partially to prevent thioacetamide (TAC)-induced liver necrosis at 24 h. AAN and isoxazole did not prolong the pentobarbital sleeping time of the rats, while imidazole did. These and previous observations suggest a possible participation of non-cytochrome P-450 (P-450)-dependent aminoxidases in TAC activation to a necrogenic metabolite.