Fasting accelerates the in vivo metabolism of carbon tetrachloride in rats

Exposure of fed and fasted rats to CC1(4) vapor (114 ppm) for 6 h in a closed system increased serum enzyme activities (GOT, GPT, SDH) only in fasted animals. The in vivo metabolism of CC1(4), studied in the same system, was accelerated by fasting; the half-life of the elimination phase being reduced by approx. 33%. The enhanced susceptibility to CC1(4) induced by fasting seemed to be due to the accelerated bioactivation of CC1(4) to the toxic trichloromethyl free radical.