Effect of an acute dose of ethanol on the hepatotoxicity due to carbon tetrachloride

Abstract

— To study the effect of an acute dose of alcohol on the hepatotoxicity due to CCl₄, rats received alcohol (4 g/kg BW) and/or CCl₄ (1.5 ml/kg BW) by concomitant intragastric intubation. Compared to animals receiving CCl₄ alone, the simultaneous application of CCl₄ and alcohol resulted 12 h after administration in significantly lower serum activities of glutamate oxalacetate transaminase (1005±70 vs 739±47; p4 and ethanol, compared to CCl₄ alone, whereas the reversed constellation could be demonstrated 36 h after administration. These results therefore show that in the early phase of CCl₄ intoxication an acute dose of alcohol may partially protect from CCl₄ hepatotoxicity, whereas potentiation was observed under these experimental conditions in the late phase of CCl₄ intoxication.