Nicotinamide-adenine dinucleotides in acute liver injury induced by ethionine, and a comparison with the effects of salicylate

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Abstract
The effects of single doses of ethionine or sodium salicylate on the nicotinamide-adenine dinucleotide content of [NAD] rat liver were studied. There was no significant change in the sum of NAD+NADH2 [reduced nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide] during the early period (0-2 hr.) of the liver injury induced by ethionine but there was a decrease in this value of approx. 30% by 4 hr. after administration. Ethionine had no significant effect on the NADP [nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide phosphate]+ NADPH2 [reduced nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide phosphate] during the first 2 hr. period after administration. The sum then decreased to a value approx. 70% of the control by 3 hr. after dosing but showed a partial recovery at the 4 hr. period before decreasing again in larger stages of the poisoning. Salicylate produced a very rapid decrease in the NADP+NADPH2 in the liver after intraperitoneal injection. After 1 hr. the decrease was approx. 30% of the initial value; the sum slowly returned towards the normal range during the following 4 hr. A high parenteral dose of salicylate was found to cause only a small depression in the concentration of ATP in rat liver in contrast with the rapid depletion produced by ethionine. These results are discussed in terms of the liver disturbances produced by ethionine and salicylate.