Effect of chlorophenols on porphyrin metabolism in rats and chick embryo

• Published in: International journal of biochemistry Vol. 12; no. 5; pp. 1039 - 1044
• Main Authors: De Calmanovici, Rosa Wainstok, De Viale, Leonor C.San Martin
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: England Elsevier B.V 1980
• Subjects: 5-Aminolevulinate Synthetase - metabolism; Aminolevulinic Acid - urine; Animals; Chick Embryo; Chlorophenols - pharmacology; Female; Intestinal Mucosa - metabolism; Intestines - drug effects; Kidney - drug effects; Kidney - metabolism; Liver - drug effects; Liver - metabolism; Pentachlorophenol - pharmacology; Porphobilinogen - urine; Porphyrins - metabolism; Rats; Species Specificity; Spleen - drug effects; Spleen - metabolism
• ISSN: 0020-711X
• DOI: 10.1016/0020-711X(80)90208-6

1. 1. Studies were carried out in order to clarify if pentachlorophenol (PCP), one of the hexachlorobenzene (HCB) metabolites, produces disturbances similar to that of HCB in the porphyrin metabolism. PCP could be the drug through which the porphyrinogenic action of HCB is mediated. 2. 2. The action of technical and purified PCP on (a) the urinary excretion of ALA, PBG and porphyrins, (b) porphyrin accumulation in several tissues, (c) the activity of hepatic ALA-synthetase and Uro'gen decarboxylase has been studied in rats. The effect of purified drug on the porphyrin content and activity of the first enzyme was also investigated in chick embryos. 3. 3. The results obtained with technical PCP indicate that it produces: (a) marked increases in the excretion levels: porphyrins ⪢ PBG ⪢ ALA, the excretion peaks being at approx 15–16 weeks of treatment; (b) porphyrin accumulation in spleen, kidney and liver, in this order and being very marked in the latter at 970 μg/g; (c) increased ALA-synthetase (2.5 times) and a remarkable decrease (98%) in the porphyrinogen carboxy-lyase. 4. 4. Purified PCP does not significantly modify the parameters studied in rats. However, it does raise the levels of porphyrins and the activity of ALA-synthetase in the liver of 17-day-old chick embryo. 5. 5. The results obtained would indicate that in rats, only technical PCP is able to produce a definite and similar porphyria to that of HCB, while the purified drug does not. So, PCP alone does not seem to play an important role in the production mechanism of HCB porphyria.