Effect of Dietary Protein Levels on the Toxicity and Metabolism of Heptachlor

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Abstract
The purpose of this study was to show the effects of dietary protein levels on the toxicity and metabolism of heptachlor. Male weanling rats fed either a 5, 20 or 40% casein diet for 10 days were given heptachlor (a chlorinated hydrocarbon insecticide) intraperitoneally for LD50 determinations. Rats receiving the 5% casein diets exhibited a threefold tolerance to heptachlor, compared with their pair-fed mates, due to their inability to form the toxic metabolite, heptachlor epoxide. The epoxide itself was more toxic than heptachlor when administered intraperitoneally, and its toxicity was not influenced by the dietary regimen of the rats. Metabolism studies revealed that rats fed the 20 and 40% casein diets produced more of the epoxide at a faster rate than those fed the 5% casein diet. Thus, populations on low protein diets may fare better than their well-fed counterparts when exposed to heptachlor and possibly other enzymatically activated toxicants.