Experimental liver necrosis in rats: 1. Changes in liver, blood and spleen glutathione and ascorbic acid levels in dietetic liver necrosis

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Abstract
Investigations were made on the effect of feeding a necrogenic diet, containing 18% baker''s yeast, on the composition of liver, spleen and blood before and after development of liver necrosis. Reduced glutathione was lowered in 13 days to 1/4 the normal value; it remained unchanged until necrosis developed, when it fell to 1/10 its normal value. Owing to the variability of oxidized glutathione values, no conclusion could be reached as to any changes found in them. Significant changes occurred in the ratio of oxidized to reduced glutathione. Ascorbic acid was slightly lowered in prenecrotic livers and could not be detected in necrotic livers. The proportion of non-protein N represented by total glutathione N was lowered in prenecrotic livers to 1/3 its normal value and remained unchanged during necrosis. Supplementation of the necrogenic diet with S containing amino acids maintained the liver glutathione at its normal level, but tocopherol had no effect, although it prevented necrosis. The histological picture of the pre-necrotic liver showed changes commonly associated with low-protein diets, and was not changed by additional tocopherol in the diet. Cystine and methionine supplementation resulted in normal appearance of the liver. The reduced glutathione level in spleen was halved in rats given the necrogenic diet and did not change further during liver necrosis; it was restored to normal by supplementation with S-containing amino acids. Reduced glutathione values of blood were very variable but showed a similar trend. Ascorbic acid was normal in spleen even when absent from the necrotic liver.