Abstract
Summary
An investigation was made of the effects of 2 carcinogenic agents on the total non-protein sulfhydryl content of the rat liver. It was found that fasting decreased the sulfhydryl content only slightly. Acute doses of β-Naphthylamine produced a marked lowering of the total non-protein sulfhydryl concentration, while p-Dimethylaminoazobenzene failed to elicit this effect. It was possible to demonstrate that the total non-protein sulfhydryl level of the stock diet fed rats remained relatively constant throughout the experiment and that low protein-low riboflavin diet created a type of stress which manifested itself in a decrease in the total non-protein sulfhydryl compounds of the rat liver. This study indicates that addition of 600 mg of p-Dimethylaminoazobenzene or 100 mg of β-Naphthylamine/kg of diet induced a decrease in the total non-protein sulfhydryl content of the liver. The sulfhydryl depletion, which takes place under such experimental conditions, may be involved in either the detoxication mechanism, the process of carcinogenesis, or both. However, it is to be emphasized that the data do not permit any conclusion with respect to the relationship between carcinogenesis and liver sulfhydryl concentration.
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