Hypolipidemic drug clofibrate induces hepatic dedifferentiation.

The effect of clofibrate on rat liver enzymes and metabolites was compared with that produced by partial hepatectomy and an extrahepatic tumor. Clofibrate administration produced decrease in gamma-glutamyltranspeptidase (GGT) activity with concomitant increase in glutathione concentration. The drug was able to exert its GGT-lowering effect even when fed to tumor-bearing animals. Presence of an extrahepatic neoplasm as well as administration of clofibrate resulted in marked decrease in activities of hepatic arginase and ornithine transaminase. Administration of clofibrate to the tumor-bearing rat produced a further decrease in activities of these two enzymes. These results suggest that clofibrate causes hepatic dedifferentiation and simulates an extrahepatic tumor. However, clofibrate did not induce any significant increase in polyamine profile unlike the other two experimental conditions.