The effect of doxorubicin on hepatic and cardiac glutathione.

The effect of the antitumor antibiotic doxorubicin on glutathione and glutathione disulfide levels in mouse heart and liver has been evaluated. The glutathione content of hepatic and cardiac tissue from saline-treated controls exhibited a statistically significant diurnal variation. Doxorubicin administration produced a dose-related decrease in hepatic glutathione which was not blocked by pretreatment with the free radical scavenger alpha-tocopherol; a lesser drop in cardiac glutathione was also documented. These changes may play an important role in the metabolism and toxicity of doxorubicin.