Effects of singly administered betaine on hepatotoxicity of chloroform in mice

Effects of a single dose of betaine on the chloroform-induced hepatotoxicity were examined in adult male ICR mice. Administration of betaine (1000 mg/kg, ip) 1 to 7 hr prior to a chloroform challenge (0.25 ml/kg, ip) resulted in remarkable enhancement of hepatotoxicity as indicated by increases in serum sorbitol dehydrogenase (SDH), alanine aminotransferase (ALT) and aspartate aminotransferase (AST) activities. The potentiation of hepatotoxicity was most significant when mice were treated with betaine 4 hr earlier than chloroform. However, a 24 hr prior administration of betaine protected the animals from induction of the chloroform hepatotoxicity. Thus, its effect appeared to be highly dependent on the time lapse from the betaine pretreatment to the challenge of mice with chloroform. Betaine treated either 4 or 24 hr prior to sacrifice did not alter the hepatic contents of cytochrome P-450, cytochrome b5, or NADPH cytochrome P-450 reductase activity. Accordingly the hepatic microsomal p-nitroanisole O-demethylase, aminopyrine N-demethylase, or p-nitrophenol hydroxylase activities were not influenced by the betaine pretreatment. Betaine was shown not to affect any of the enzyme activities associated with glutathione (GSH) conjugation reaction, such as glutathione S-transferases (GSTs), glutathione disulfide (GSSG) reductase and GSH peroxidase irrespective of the time of its administration. When betaine was administered to mice 2-6 hr prior to sacrifice, hepatic GSH level, but not plasma GSH, was decreased significantly. Enhancement of the chloroform hepatotoxicity by betaine correlated well with the reduction in hepatic GSH levels. Both hepatic and plasma GSH levels were elevated in mice 24 hr following the betaine treatment. The results suggest that betaine affects induction of the chloroform hepatotoxicity by modulating the availability of hepatic GSH, which appears to be associated with its role in the transsulfuration pathway in the liver.