Triphenyl tin hepatotoxicity in rats.

Hepatic microsomal aniline hydroxylase and aminopyrine N-demethylase in vitro activities and the biliary excretion of sulfobromophthalein (BSP) were significantly reduced in rats treated with triphenyl tin (TPT) in daily doses of 1 mg/kg i.p. for 3 days. Bile flow, liver weight, serum enzyme activities, and hepatic sulfhydryl groups and thiobarbituric reactant levels were unaffected in TPT-treated animals. Moreover, TPT failed to induce any appreciable change in the biliary excretion of both the organic base procainamide ethobromide and the organic acid amaranth which is excreted into the bile in the unmetabolized form. TPT has been shown to be an effective inhibitor of rat liver glutathione-S-transferase activity. Reduced conjugation with glutathione may play a role as a factor determining the low rate of biliary BSP excretion in the TPT-treated rats.