Lack of effect of a purified diet on carbon tetrachloride or oxygen toxicity

The study was designed to examine the effect of feeding a purified versus a cereal-based closed formula (control) diet on toxicity to carbon tetrachloride or oxygen. Twenty-eight-day-old male ICR mie were fed a purified or cereal-based closed formula diet for 14 or 84 days. After treatment with carbon tetrachloride or exposure to a 100% oxygen atmosphere, survival time and percentage survival were the same for mice fed either diet. In both dietary groups, carbon tetrachloride injection caused a similar decrease in hepatic nonprotein sulfhydryl compounds and glucose-6-phosphatase activity. It was concluded that, unlike previous findings with the herbicide paraquat, toxicity to carbon tetrachloride or oxygen is not increased by feeding a purified diet compared to a closed formula diet. The results provided further evidence to suggest that a free radical-lipid peroxidation process may not be the primary mechanism of the toxic effects of paraquat.