Combined effects of cadmium and nickel on hepatic glutathione S-transferases in rats.

1. The acute combined effects of cadmium (Cd) and nickel (Ni) on rat hepatic glutathione S-transferase (GST) activities toward the substrates 1-chloro-2,4-dinitrobenzene (CDNB), 1,2-dichloro-4-nitrobenzene (DCNB) and ethacrynic acid (EAA) were determined and compared to those of Cd or Ni alone. 2. Male adult rats (225-275 g) were administered either a single dose of Cd (3.58 mg CdCl2.H2O/kg, i.p.) 72 hr prior to sacrifice or a single dose of Ni (59.5 mg NiCl2.6H2O/kg, s.c.) 16 hr prior to sacrifice. For the combined treatment, animals received the single dose of Ni 56 hr after the single dose of Cd and they were killed 16 hr later. 3. Cd treatment alone did not produce any changes in the hepatic GST activities toward the substrates studied. 4. Ni treatment alone, however, significantly increased hepatic GST activity toward EAA whereas it was ineffective on GST activities for CDNB and DCNB. 5. Combined treatment of metals did not alter hepatic GST activities toward the substrates CDNB and DCNB. Hepatic GST activity for EAA, however, was significantly increased by the combined treatment. Nevertheless, the combined treatment did not augment the increase in GST activity for EAA noted by Ni treatment alone.