Influence of diet on the expression of hepatotoxicity from carbon tetrachloride in ICR mice.

Carbon tetrachloride-mediated hepatotoxicity in mice was influenced by two standard, commercially available diets and by a corn oil treatment vehicle. Animals maintained on Purina 5001 diet were less sensitive than animals maintained on Teklad LM-485 diet to hepatic intoxication by carbon tetrachloride (CCl4). Lower sensitivity of the Purina group was evidenced by significantly lower plasma alanine aminotransferase (ALT) levels and higher hepatic cytochrome P-450 levels at all dosages of CCl4. In addition to the diets, the nature of the corn oil vehicle affected toxicological responses of mice to CCl4. When the vehicle from which tocopherols had been extracted was used, CCl4 elicited about twice the levels of plasma ALT than when nonextracted corn oil was used. In conclusion, the nature of the animal diet and treatment vehicle not only can influence toxicological response, but also can be important considerations in the interpretation of toxicological data.