Abstract
Summary
In rats pretreated with either phenobarbital (PB) or with polychlorinated biphenyl (PCB), an acute hepatotoxic reaction developed within 24 hr of inhalation exposure to vinylidene fluoride (VDF: 1,1-difluoroethylene). PCB is much more effective than PB in this sensitization, which was evaluated by measurement of liver weight, serum sorbitol dehydrogenase activity, and by light-microscopic examination of the liver. PCB-treated rats received 5000, 15,000, or 25,000 ppm VDF for 4 hr while rats treated with PB inhaled 25,000 ppm VDF for 6 hr. The toxic effects of VDF in PCB-pretreated rats were dose responsive. These findings indicate that hepatotoxicity after VDF exposure can occur in rats and that these reactions (e.g., metabolism) can be stimulated by enzyme inducers. In light of the known activation of chlorinated ethylenes to epoxides, the analogous structures of VDF and the chlorinated ethylenes suggest that the epoxide of VDF may be part of the observed toxicity.
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