Abstract
To evaluate an effect of pathological liver damage on the cyclohexane (CH) metabolism, rats were pretreated with 50% carbon tetrachloride $(CCl_4)$ dissolved in olive oil (0.1ml/100g body weight) 10 or 17 times intraperitoneally at intervals of every other day. To these liver damaged animals, CH (a single dose of 1.56g/kg body weight, i.p.) was administered at 48hr after the last injection of $CCl_4$. The CH metabolites; cyclohexanol (CH-ol), cyclohexane-l,2-diol (CH-l,2-diol) and cyclohexane-l,4-diol (CH-l,4-diol) and cyclohexanone (CH-one) were detected in the urine of CH treated rats. After CH treatment, the serum levels of CH-ol and CH-one were remarkably increased at 4 hr and then decreased at 8hr in normal group. Whereas in liver damaged rats, these CH metabolites were higher at 8hr than at 4hr. The excretion rate of CH metabolites trom serum into urine was more decreased in liver damaged animals than normal group, with the levels of excretion rate being lower in $CCl_4$ 17 times injected animals than 10 times injected ones. It was interesting that the urinary concentration of CH metabolites was generally more increased in liver damaged animals than normal ones, and the increasing rate was higher in $CCl_4$ 17 times injected rats than 10 times injected ones. Taken all together, it is assumed that reduced urinary excretion rate of CH metabolites in liver damaged rats might be resulted from deteriorated hepatic and renal blood flow, and an increased urinary excretion amount of CH metabolites in liver damaged rats might be caused by reduced expiration amount of the metabolites due to lung damage.