[Effect of thiol compounds on experimental liver damage (I). Preventive effect of tiopronin (2-mercaptopropionylglycine) on liver damage induced by carbon tetrachloride (author's transl)].

Effects of oral administration of tiopronin (2-mercaptopropionylglycine) on acute liver damage induced in rats by intraperitoneal administration of carbon tetrachloride (CCl4) were investigated. Tiopronin suppressed increase in serum transaminase activity, accumulation of liver triglyceride and decrease of liver glucose-6-phosphatase activity induced by CCl4. CCl4 induced a significant decrease of nonprotein thiol (NPSH) in the liver 24 hr after administration, but this decrease did not result in an increase of nonprotein disulfide in the liver. Tiopronin suppressed the decrease in NPSH induced by CCl4, but did not influence NPSH in normal rats 24 hr after administration. In addition to these biochemical findings, it was also noted that tiopronin prevented necrosis and decrease of glycogen in liver, as determined histologically. Other compounds such as cystamine, cysteine and glutathione proved to have a preventive effect on CCl4-induced liver damage as in the case of tiopronin. It was revealed that such preventive effect correlated to some extent with NPSH content in liver as well as serum transaminase activity and histological findings.