Vitamin E ameliorates high dose trans-dehydrocrotonin-associated hepatic damage in mice.

trans-Dehydrocrotonin (t-DCTN), the diterpenoid from Croton cajucara Bentham, exhibits hypoglycemic and hypolipidemic activities, but in high doses is associated with a discrete hepatotoxicity. In the search for measures to mitigate this, pretreatment with the antioxidants N-acetylcysteine and vitamin E has been examined. Mice that received a high dose t-DCTN (100 mg/kg) manifested hepatic damage, as evidenced by significant elevations in serum ALT and AST, and hepatic GSH, and histological alterations, which could be obliterated by pretreatment with vitamin E, but not with N-acetylcysteine, possibly by creating an effective antioxidant balance.