Carbon tetrachloride and trichloroethylene toxicities to rat hepatocytes in primary monolayer culture: its relationship to the level of cytochrome P-450.

The effects of carbon tetrachloride (CCl4) and trichloroethylene (TCE) on the synthesis and the secretion of triacylglycerols (TGs) in primary cultured rat hepatocytes were investigated in relation to the level of cellular cytochrome P-450 (P-450). Pretreatment of rats with phenobarbital (PB) and plating the hepatocytes in the presence of metyrapone attained a marked preservation of P-450 during the preparation of monolayer. CCl4 was able to cause the accumulation of cellular TG in the hepatocytes when the content of P-450 was retained at the level equivalent to that in the liver in vivo.