Effect of mercuric chloride on the activities of some hepatic enzymes of regenerating rabbit liver following partial hepatectomy.

Mercuric chloride (HgCl2) administered at a dose of 1mg/kg body wt/day for 5 days decreased hepatic lactate dehydrogenase (LDH) activity (63%) and increased isocitrate dehydrogenase (ICDH) activity (127%). After withdrawal of HgCl2 treatment for 10 days, the LDH and glutamate pyruvate transaminase (GPT) activities showed 56% and 40% decrease, respectively, while alkaline phosphatase (AkP) activity increased 4.12 fold. The ICDH activity got normalized. Glutamate oxaloacetate transaminase (GDT) was not affected at all. The hepatic LDH, ICDH and GPT activities decreased 58%, 72% and 82%, respectively, five days after partial hepatectomy (PH), while AkP activity increased 90%. At the end of 15 days after PH, the hepatic ICDH activity increased 4.27 fold, while GPT and GOT activities decreased 67% and 91%, respectively. The hepatic ICDH activity of PH-rabbit increased 53%, after 5 days of HgCl2 treatment post-PH, while GPT and AkP activities decreased 89% and 97%, respectively, during this period. The ICDH activity increased 416%, 10 days after the last dose, while all other enzymes showed normal values. The total body growth rate and relative liver weight decreased under all experimental conditions.