Acute toxicity of trans-4-hydroxy-2-nonenal in Fisher 344 rats [corrected].

The potential toxicity of trans-4-hydroxy-2-nonenal (HNE), a product formed in vivo during lipid peroxidation, which is also present in foods, was investigated in Fisher 344 rats. Five groups of five male rats each were given by gavage 1000, 300, 100, 30 or 10 mg/kg body weight HNE dissolved in 0.5 mL corn oil. The sixth group, the control, received corn oil alone. Two rats died 6 and 8 hr after being treated with 1000 mg/kg HNE. These two rats showed extensive acute tubular necrosis of the kidney, but had very little liver damage. Diffuse liver cell necrosis was observed in a dose dependent manner in all the rats killed 14 days after treatment, whereas renal change was mild. Interestingly, body weight of the lowest dosage group was significantly higher than that of the control group at termination of the experiment. The results of this study show that HNE has almost the same toxicity as other enals, such as trans-2-heptenal, and that kidney and liver are the main organs affected by toxicity of HNE. Although animals may have efficient defense systems, such as glutathione, to detoxify low to moderate dosages of HNE, at high doses of HNE this defense system is overwhelmed, resulting in serious renal and hepatic damage.