Effects of Oral Administration of Rose Bengal on Organ Weight, Liver Components and RNA Synthesis in Rats

Abstract

Two groups of five rats were treated daily by gavage for 30 days, one with water (control) and one with Rose Bengal (300mg/kg of body weight/day) in water. The effects of this treatment on organ weight, liver components and RNA synthesis were studied. The administration of the dye to young adult male rats had no influence on growth rate, but caused a significant decrease in relative liver weight. The treatment with the dye had no effect on ³H-UTP incorporation into RNA or on RNA content in liver nuclei. However, the protein content in liver nuclei was significantly lower than in those from control rats. Furthermore, decreased lipid and glycogen contents in liver were observed. These results suggest that repeated oral administration of Rose Bengal might affect some metabolic system other than RNA synthesis.