Time-course of changes in hepatic lipid peroxidation and glutathione metabolism in rats with carbon tetrachloride-induced cirrhosis

1. The aims of the present study were to assess: (i) the temporal relationships between hepatic lipid peroxidation, changes in the glutathione detoxification system and the onset/development of cirrhosis in CCl4-treated rats; and (ii) the effects of oral zinc administration on these parameters. 2. Cirrhosis was induced in 120 rats by intraperitoneal injections of CCl4 twice a week over 9 weeks. One hundred and twenty additional animals were used as controls. Both groups were further subdivided to receive either a standard diet or one supplemented with zinc. Subsets of 10 animals each were killed at weeks 1, 2, 3, 5, 7 and 9 from the start of the study. 3. Induction of cirrhosis produced a decrease in the components of the hepatic glutathione anti-oxidant system: glutathione transferase activity decreased from week 1, the concentration of reduced glutathione (GSH) decreased from week 5 and glutathione peroxidase (GPx) activity decreased from week 7. This impairment was chronologically related to an increase in free radical generation. Hepatic lipid peroxidation was significantly correlated with GPx activity (r = -0.47; P < 0.001) in CCl4-treated rats. Zinc administration did not produce any significant improvement of the hepatic glutathione system. 4. In conclusion, cirrhosis induction in rats by CCl4 administration produced a decrease in the hepatic glutathione antioxidant system that was related to an increase in free radical production. Furthermore, zinc supplementation produced a reduction in the degree of hepatic injury and a normalization of lipid peroxidation, but not an improvement of the hepatic GSH anti-oxidant system.