Metabolic activation of vinyl chloride and vinyl bromide by isolated hepatocytes and hepatic sinusoidal cells.

The formation of liver sinusoidal cell tumors after exposure to vinyl chloride led to a survey of hepatocytes and sinusoidal cells isolated from rat liver as to their ability to metabolically activate vinyl chloride and vinyl bromide. It is shown that metabolism of these vinyl halides to reactive metabolites is confined primarily to hepatocytes. This favours the theory that in the liver reactive metabolites of vinyl chloride leave the hepatocytes to act on hepatic sinusoidal cells.