Search research articles

ABOUT JoVE

Overview Leadership Blog JoVE Help Center

AUTHORS

Publishing Process Editorial Board Scope & Policies Peer Review FAQ Submit

LIBRARIANS

Testimonials Subscriptions Access Resources Library Advisory Board FAQ

RESEARCH

JoVE Journal Methods Collections JoVE Encyclopedia of Experiments Archive

EDUCATION

JoVE Core JoVE Business JoVE Science Education JoVE Lab Manual Faculty Resource Center Faculty Site

Terms & Conditions of Use

Related Concept Videos

Drug Toxicity: Risk factors

Drug Toxicity: Risk factors

Adverse Drug Reactions (ADRs) are potential complications that arise during pharmacotherapy, influenced by multiple risk factors. Age plays a significant role; both neonates and the elderly are at heightened risk due to their respective immature and diminished metabolic and elimination processes. Gender also impacts ADRs, with females experiencing a 1.5 to 1.7-fold greater risk than males, which may be linked to pharmacokinetic, pharmacodynamic, and hormonal differences. Notably, neonates, the...

Drug Toxicity: Overview

Drug Toxicity: Overview

Drug toxicity quantifies the harm a compound causes to an organism, varying by dose and potentially impacting whole systems or specific organs like the liver. Toxic reactions may arise from venomous insect or spider bites, with effects ranging from mild symptoms to severe outcomes such as brain damage or death. Common forms of acute poisoning include ethanol intoxication and overdose of pain or fever medications, with substances like GHB and heroin being particularly lethal at doses close to...

Effect of Hepatic Disease on Pharmacokinetics: Pathophysiologic Assessment and Liver Function Test

Effect of Hepatic Disease on Pharmacokinetics: Pathophysiologic Assessment and Liver Function Test

In clinical practice, the direct measurement of hepatic blood flow to evaluate liver function presents significant challenges due to the intricate and specialized nature of the necessary techniques. Consequently, healthcare professionals often rely on empirical estimates derived from thorough patient examinations and liver function tests to gauge liver health. Among the tools at their disposal, the Child–Pugh and MELD scoring systems stand out for their ability to categorize and assess the...

Effect of Hepatic Disease on Pharmacokinetics: Drug Dosing and Hepatic Blood Flow

Effect of Hepatic Disease on Pharmacokinetics: Drug Dosing and Hepatic Blood Flow

Chronic liver disease significantly impacts drug metabolism due to alterations in hepatic blood flow and enzyme accessibility. This disruption affects the body's pharmacokinetics—the movement and processing of drugs within the system. Key enzymes crucial for metabolizing medications become less accessible, changing how drugs are processed and utilized. Furthermore, liver disease influences the synthesis of plasma proteins, such as albumin and globulins, which play critical roles in drug binding...

Effect of Hepatic Disease on Pharmacokinetics: Dose Adjustments Due to Hepatic Impairment

Effect of Hepatic Disease on Pharmacokinetics: Dose Adjustments Due to Hepatic Impairment

Hepatic impairment, characterized by decreased liver function, does not uniformly mandate adjustments in drug dosage. Whether dosage modifications are necessary depends on various factors related to the drug's metabolism and elimination pathways. If a drug is primarily excreted via the kidneys and bypasses significant hepatic processing, if it undergoes minimal metabolic transformation in the liver, or if it is volatile and primarily expelled through the lungs, dose adjustments may not be...

Drug Toxicity: Dose-Dependent Reactions

Drug Toxicity: Dose-Dependent Reactions

Drug toxicities can be stratified into pharmacological, pathological, or genotoxic based on their mechanisms. The incidence and severity of these toxicities generally increase with the drug's concentration in the body and exposure time.Pharmacological toxicity is evident when the therapeutic effects of drugs overshoot into adverse reactions in a predictable, dose-dependent manner. Central nervous system (CNS) depression from barbiturates is a classic example, with effects escalating from...

You might also read

Related Articles

Articles linked to this work by shared authors, journal, and citation graph.

Sort by

Same author

Clinical Characteristics of Metabolic Dysfunction Steatotic Liver Disease in Asian-American Patients with Chronic Hepatitis B.

Journal of immigrant and minority health·2026

Same author

Comparison of Kidney Allograft Outcomes in Simultaneous Liver-Kidney Versus Kidney After Liver Transplantation Since the Safety Net Era.

Clinical transplantation·2025

Same author

Metabolic Dysfunction-Associated Steatotic Liver Disease in Pregnancy.

Obstetrical & gynecological survey·2025

Same author

Febuxostat-induced hepatocellular injury.

BMJ case reports·2025

Same author

Genetic Variants of GBP4: Reduced Risks for Drug-Induced Acute Liver Failure in Non-Finnish European Population.

Liver international : official journal of the International Association for the Study of the Liver·2025

Same author

Differential Effects of Ascites and Hepatic Encephalopathy on Waitlist Mortality in Liver Transplantation by MELD 3.0.

Transplantation direct·2024

Search research articles

Related Experiment Video

Updated: Jun 16, 2026

Human Liver Microphysiological System for Assessing Drug-Induced Liver Toxicity In Vitro

Human Liver Microphysiological System for Assessing Drug-Induced Liver Toxicity In Vitro

Published on: January 31, 2022

Hepatotoxicity due to hydroxycut: a case series.

Tse-Ling Fong¹, Karl C Klontz, Alejandro Canas-Coto

¹Division of Gastrointestinal and Liver Diseases, University of Southern California, Keck School of Medicine, 1510 San Pablo Street, 2/F, Los Angeles, CA 90033, USA. tselingf@usc.edu

The American Journal of Gastroenterology

|January 28, 2010

Summary

Hydroxycut, a popular weight-loss supplement, was recalled due to severe liver injury reports. This study confirms its link to hepatotoxicity, including cases requiring liver transplantation and resulting in fatal liver failure.

More Related Videos

High Content Screening Analysis to Evaluate the Toxicological Effects of Harmful and Potentially Harmful Constituents (HPHC)

High Content Screening Analysis to Evaluate the Toxicological Effects of Harmful and Potentially Harmful Constituents (HPHC)

Published on: May 10, 2016

Related Experiment Videos

Last Updated: Jun 16, 2026

Human Liver Microphysiological System for Assessing Drug-Induced Liver Toxicity In Vitro

Human Liver Microphysiological System for Assessing Drug-Induced Liver Toxicity In Vitro

Published on: January 31, 2022

High Content Screening Analysis to Evaluate the Toxicological Effects of Harmful and Potentially Harmful Constituents (HPHC)

High Content Screening Analysis to Evaluate the Toxicological Effects of Harmful and Potentially Harmful Constituents (HPHC)

Published on: May 10, 2016

Area of Science:

Hepatology
Toxicology
Pharmacovigilance

Background:

Hydroxycut, a widely used weight-loss supplement, was voluntarily recalled in May 2009 following reports of liver damage (hepatotoxicity).
This study aimed to investigate the clinical characteristics of liver injuries associated with Hydroxycut and confirm its causal link.

Observation:

Eight patients developed liver injury after Hydroxycut use, with three requiring liver transplantation.
An additional nine cases from the FDA MedWatch database included one fatality from acute liver failure.
Common symptoms included jaundice, fatigue, nausea, vomiting, and abdominal pain, predominantly showing a hepatocellular pattern of liver injury.

Findings:

Causality assessment confirmed Hydroxycut as a definite cause of liver injury in eight cases, highly likely in five, probable in two, and possible in two.
The supplement is clearly implicated in severe hepatic toxicity, potentially leading to acute liver failure and death.

Implications:

Weight-loss supplements, including Hydroxycut, pose a significant risk of severe hepatotoxicity.
Healthcare providers should consider weight-loss supplements as a potential cause of unexplained liver injury.
This underscores the importance of rigorous post-market surveillance for dietary supplements.