Effect of acute 3,3'-dichlorobenzidine administration on rat hepatic enzymic and nonenzymic microsomal lipid peroxidation and antioxidant status.

The effect of pretreatment with 3,3'-dichlorobenzidine (DCB) on (i) enzymic and nonenzymic lipid peroxidation in hepatic microsomes--as measured by malondialdehyde (MDA) formation, and (ii) hepatic antioxidant status--as measured by the contents of vitamin E and reduced glutathione (GSH) and the activity of glutathione peroxidase, was examined in the rat. DCB-pretreatment (20 mg/kg/day, ip, for 2 days) caused an increase in NADPH-dependent (enzymic) lipid peroxidation, but had no effect on the linoleic acid hydroperoxide-dependent (nonenzymic) lipid peroxidation in microsomes. DCB-pretreatment also caused a 44% decrease in the content of vitamin E in microsomes, but had no effect on the content of GSH or the activities of glutathione peroxidases in the liver. The DCB-induced increase in in vitro microsomal lipid peroxidation is interpreted as resulting from the diminution of vitamin E induced by DCB in vivo.