Effect of ascorbic acid on the hepatotoxicity due to the daily intake of nitrate, nitrite and dimethylamine

Abstract

It is known that nitrates, nitrites and dimethylamine may react in the gastro‐intestinal tract synthesizing the powerful hepatotoxic and carcinogenic dimethylnitrosamine. The purpose of this study was to investigate hepatotoxicity due to the daily intake of nitrates and nitrites administered to rats during 14 weeks together with dimethylamine in drinking water, and to evaluate the protecting effect of ascorbic acid against the hepatotoxicity of the presumably endogeneous formed dimethylnitrosamine. The toxicity criteria studied were weight of liver (absolute and relative), free and total bilirubin, alkaline phosphatase and pyruvic glutamic transaminase, all in the form of serum, and histopathologic tests of the liver. The results gave evidence of hepatotoxicity induced by the intake of nitrate, nitrite and dimethylamine all together, and not through the only intake of nitrate or nitrite or of amine. Daily doses of ascorbic acid [(211 ± 40) and (18 ± 4) mg/kg] seemed to hinder hepatotoxicity according to the criteria under investigation.