Short-term toxicity of allyl alcohol in rats.

Groups of 15 male and 15 female rats were give 0 (control), 50, 100, 200 or 800 ppm allyl alcohol in the drinking water for 15 weeks. There were no effects attributable to allyl alcohol in the results of the haematological examinations or analyses of serum. There was a dose-related reduction in the fluid intake at all treatment levels in both sexes, while growth and food consumption were reduced in both sexes given 800 ppm and in males give 200 ppm. Males given 100 ppm or above and females given 200 or 800 ppm produced less urine than the controls in a period without water or following a water load. The only changes in organ weight that could be attributed to treatment were increased values for the relative weights of liver, spleen and kidney. All 3 organs were affected in both sexes given 800 ppm and the kidneys were also affected in both sexes given 200 ppm and in females given 100 ppm. No effects attributable to allyl alcohol treatment were seen at autopsy or in the histopathological examination. The no-untoward-effect level established in this study was 50 ppm of the drinking water, a level equivalent to an intake in rats of between 4.8 and 6.2 mg allyl alcohol/kg/day.

Effects of pyrazole and 3-amino-1,2,4-triazole on the metabolism and toxicity of dimethylnitrosamine in the rat.

Pretreatment of rats with pyrazole or 3-amino-1,2,4-triazole (3-AT) known inhibitors of alcohol metabolism, profoundly inhibited the metabolism of dimethylnitrosamine (DMN), both in terms of [14C]CO2 excretion and of the decline in the blood concentration. Additionally, 4-methylpyrazole, tetraethylthiuram disulfide (disulfiram), methanol, and ethanol inhibited the metabolism of DMN in the whole animal. In parallel experiments with [14C]aminopyrine, no substantial inhibitory effect was found with pyrazole, 3-AT, or disulfiram pretreatment. Investigations into the effects of pyrazole and 3-AT pretreatment on the acute toxicity and hepatotoxicity of DMN showed that pyrazole significantly increased the median lethal dose (LD50) of DMN and provided substantial protection against the hepatotoxicity of DMN, in that centriblobular necrosis was not seen at dose levels of DMN up to 25 mg/kg and early histochemical changes indicative of liver injury were not observed at a dose level of 15 mg DMN/kg. In contrast, 3-AT pretreatment did not affect the LD50 of DMN or provide any protection against the hepatotoxicity of DMN. Further, although both inhibitors delayed the incorporation of radioactivity from [14C]DMN into hepatic subcellular organelles, pyrazole was significantly more effective than was 3-AT.