Interactions of dietary methionine, lead and lindane in rats.

Abstract

The effects of dietary methionine on lead and lindane toxicities in rats were studied in two experiments. Rats were fed methionine-deficient (60% of requirement) or methionine-sufficient soy protein-based diets with lead acetate added (10,000 mg/kg Pb) and treated with a single dose of lindane (25% of LD50 or 88 mg/kg, p.o.) in both experiments. In experiment I, all rats were fed ad libitum. In experiment II, rats fed the methionine-sufficient diet were pair-fed to rats fed the methionine-deficient diet. In experiments I and II, the methionine-sufficient and the methionine-deficient rats had decreased final body weights, increased liver weights, decreased hematocrits, and no changes in glutathione S-transferase activity when compared to a control group. Lead + lindane treatments increased liver glutathione levels in the methionine-sufficient and methionine-deficient rats in both experiments. However, in experiment II (pair-feeding), the methionine-sufficient rats had a much greater level of liver glutathione than the methionine-deficient rats. The methionine status of the animals seems to be an important factor in determining the liver glutathione level of pair-fed rats treated with lead + lindane.