Effect of carbon tetrachloride on RNA metabolism in the rat liver

The effect of systematic administration of carbon tetrachloride (CCl₄) to rats on the RNA content in the liver and the intensity of incorporation of the labeled precursor (uridine-H³) into it was investigated. Comparison of the results of morphological and biochemical studies revealed two consecutive stages of the toxic process, terminating in the formation of septal fibrosis. The sharpest changes in rapid RNA turnover in the rat liver were observed during the first 3 months of action of the toxic agent. The disturbance of metabolism also was reflected in a lowered RNA level and changes in the nucleo-cytoplasmic ratio in the tissue of the affected liver.Laboratory of Biochemistry and of Chemical Carcinogenic Agents, N. N. Petrov Research Institute of Oncology, Ministry of Health of the USSR. (Presented by Academician of the Academy of Medical Sciences of the USSR A. I. Serebrov.) Translated from Byulleten' Éksperimental'noi Biologii i Meditsiny, Vol. 81, No. 5, pp. 543–545, May, 1976