Effect of Endotoxin Tolerance on Drug Hepatotoxicity: Amelioration of Taurolithocholate Cholestasis in the Perfused Rat Liver

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Abstract
Induction of endotoxin tolerance may cause resistance not only to endotoxin itself but also to the hepatotoxic effects of other membrane-active agents. To further study this effect, we tested whether endotoxin tolerance could ameliorate the adverse effects of taurolithocholate (TLCA) which causes cholestasis by altering liver plasma membrane organization. Isolated perfused rat livers from endotoxin-tolerant rats had a lower basal bile flow than control livers. However, a bolus addition of TLCA at 3 .times. 10-5 or 5 .times. 10-5 M in the perfusate caused a marked and prolonged decrease of bile flow in controls, but only a transient and significantly less pronounced diminution of bile flow in endotoxin-tolerant livers. Likewise, TLCA caused a significantly lower alteration of hepatocyte membrane permeability, as measured by sucrose permeability studies, in endotoxin-tolerant livers than in controls. Analysis of bile acid composition of bile from endotoxin-tolerant livers demonstrated that they excreted greater amounts of total bile acids, in particular TLCA and taurocholate, than controls. These results demonstrated a protective effect of endotoxin-tolerance against TLCA toxicity which may result from an altered interaction of TLCA with liver membranes and an increased clearance of TLCA.