Abstract
We studied the effect of citrate on 3'-methyl-4-dimethylaminoazobenzene (3'-Me-DAB)-induced hepatic injury. Examination of the liver of rats receiving a 0.06% 3'-Me-DAB diet with or without simultaneous 1% citrate administration revealed that citrate did not affect the gross findings. In rats receiving a basal diet and 1% citrate solution, no change in the intracellular liver pH (pHi) and blood pH (pHe) was noted. However, in rats on the 3'-Me-DAB diet, simultaneous citrate administration mitigated the 3'-Me-DAB induced decrease of pH. In rats receiving single or continuous 3'-Me-DAB administration, citrate treatment did not recover decreased N-demethylase and azo reductase activities. Time-course examination of protein-bound dyes in the liver revealed that the peak of the amount of bound dyes appeared earlier in rats receiving simultaneous citrate administration than in rats receiving the 3'-Me-DAB diet without simultaneous citrate administration. Fractionation of liver cell sap protein showed that the amount of 3'-Me-DAB bound to each fraction was similar for rats receiving the 3'-Me-DAB diet and citrate and for rats receiving the 3'-Me-DAB diet alone.
