Toxicity of oxidized fats II: tissue levels of lipid peroxides in rats fed a thermally oxidized corn oil diet.

Male Wistar albino rats were fed for 21 days on a diet in which fat (12%) was included either as fresh corn oil, malonaldehyde content = 0.11+/-0.05 micro microg/g (control) or thermally oxidized corn oil, malonaldehyde content = 0.20+/-0.03 microg/g (experimental) and the tissue levels of lipid peroxides in six organs-namely, liver, kidney, brain, heart, lungs and testes-were determined. Of the organs studied, significantly (P < 0.1) higher concentrations of lipid peroxides were observed only in the liver and kidney of the experimental rats. In the course of the feeding, the experimental rats showed significantly (P < 0.1) lower gains in body weights as well as higher relative liver weights than the control rats.