Abstract
Effects of repeated physical exercise on the carbon tetrachloride ($CCl_4$) hepatotoxicity were examined in adult female rats. Rats were introduced into a cylindrical rotating cage and forced to exercise for 1 hr each day, 6days/week, for 5 consecutive weeks at a speed starting from 10m/min, increased by 1m/min per day until the speed reached 27m/min. Significantly less body weight gain was observed in the exercise group suggesting that physical fitness had been induced in these animals. Eighteen hours following termination of the last exercise bout rats were treated with $CCl_4$(2 mmol/kg.ip). The $CCl_4$-induced heptotoxicity was significantly potentiated in the repeated exercise group compared to the resting sedentary animals as determined by changes in serum sorbitol dehydrogenase (SDH), glutamic oxaloacetic transaminase(GOT), glutamic pyruvic transaminase (GPT), and glucose-6-phosphatase(G-6-Pase) activities when measured 24hrs following the $CCl_4$ treatment. Hepatic drug metabolizing activity was determined in order to elucidate the underlying mechanism of potentiating action of the $CCl_4$ hepatotoxicity induced by repeated physical exercise. Repeated exercise increased the hepatic microsomal cytochrome P-450 contents and aminopyrine N-demethylase activity. The results suggest that the potentiation of $CCl_4$ hepatotoxicity by repeated exercise is associated with induction of the mixed function oxidase (MFO) enzyme system mediating the metabolism of $CCl_4$ to its active metabolite(s).