Attempts to demonstrate short-term metabolic effects of vinyl chloride in normal rat liver

The present study examines whether VCM or one of its metabolites, chloracetaldehyde, has a short-term effect on cell metabolism. ATP, ADP, and AMP levels were measured in regenerating rat liver after 4 and 16 hours. No change in the levels of these nucleotides was evident after i.v. injection of VCM immediately after partial hepatectomy. A second technique, that of measuring transmembrane potentials with microelectrodes, was applied both to cells in rat liver slices and pulmonary alveolar macrophages. The addition of VCM and chloracetaldehyde with the electrodes in position in rat liver slices had no significant effect on transmembrane potentials. The same was true for a series of measurements on macrophages before and after addition of the test chemicals. It therefore appears that VCM does not alter general cell metabolism but could act on a specific intracellular target.