EFFECT OF DIETARY DISULFIRAM UPON THE TISSUE DISTRIBUTION AND EXCRETION OF 1,2-DIBROMOETHANE-C-14 IN THE RAT

  • 1 January 1979
    • journal article
    • research article
    • Vol. 26  (3) , 535-545
Abstract
Dietary disulfiram enhances the toxicity of inhaled 1,2-dibromoethane in rats. To determine whether the differential toxicity noted was associated with alterations in the levels of the compound and/or its metabolites in the target organs, a comparison of the levels of 14C in selected tissues of male rats, with and without dietary disulfiram, following the oral administration of 14C-1,2-dibromoethane was made. Levels of radioactivity in the target organs of animals in the disulfiram group were significantly elevated both at 24 and 48 h following compound administration. A direct correlation existed between tissue levels and the enhancement of toxicity noted in the disulfiram-treated rats in the inhalation study. A significant elevation in the levels of radioactivity in washed liver nuclei obtained from animals receiving dietary disulfiram was also noted, suggesting a relationship between nuclear uptake and the increased incidence of liver tumors appearing in the disulfiram group in the inhalation study.