Effect of hypoxia on the metabolism and hepatotoxicity of carbon tetrachloride and vinylidene chloride in rats.

The metabolism of vinylidene chloride (VDC) and carbon tetrachloride (CCl4) was investigated by measuring the removal of the compounds from the atmosphere of a closed exposure system occupied with male rats. Hepatotoxicity was evidenced in the same rats by determining serum enzyme activities of the aminotransferases (GOT, GPT) and sorbitol dehydrogenase (SDH) before, at the end of the exposure time and 24 hrs later. Control rats exposed to VDC concentrations up to 2000 p.p.m. showed only slight increases of serum aminotransferase- and SDH-activities, which were not at all observed under hypoxic conditions. Hypoxia evoked a small, but significant reduction of the VDC metabolism at 500 p.p.m., but not at 2000 p.p.m. exposure concentration. In contrast to VDC CCl4-metabolism (150 p.p.m.) was increased under hypoxia and consequently hepatotoxicity was aggravated.