Health & Environmental Research Online (HERO)


Print Feedback Export to File
5341916 
Technical Report 
Biodegradation Of Alpha-hexachlorocyclohexane. II. Glutathione-Mediated Conversion To Hydrophilic Substance By Particulate Fractions Of Rat Liver And By Homogenates 
Kraus, P; Noack, G; Porting, J 
1973 
279 
2 
The biodegradation of alpha-hexachlorocyclohexane (319846) (HCH) by liver and homogenates of various organs was examined in rats. Some animals were pretreated with HCH before sacrifice and preparation of liver, kidney, spleen, lung, brain, and whole blood homogenates. Subcellular liver fractions studied were nuclei, mitochondria, microsomes, and cytosol. HCH degradation was monitored by determining the amount of radioactivity rendered hydrophilic on incubation with labeled HCH. The three particulate liver fractions consistently converted some alpha-HCH to water soluble substances when they were supplemented with glutathione; it was least with the nuclear fraction and highest with the cytosol fraction. Pretreatment with HCH induced an increase in the amount of HCH transformed per milligram of protein by the liver cytosol fraction in-vitro. By contrast, the in-vitro activity of liver nuclei, mitochondria, or microsomes was found to be unaffected by pretreatment. An increase in net production of hydrophilic radioactive substance from labeled HCH was seen after addition of glutathione to homogenates of all organs except blood. The authors conclude that HCH interferes with processes involving the endogenous substrates.