| Abstract: | Previous observations that valproic acid (VPA) causes hepatic damage prompted us to investigate the effect of large doses of the drug (0.6, 1.2 and 1.8 mmol/kg/day) on a number of liver enzymes located on different subcellular fractions. In mitochondria, glutamate dehydrogenase, aspartate aminotransferase and ornithine carbamoyltransferase were significantly increased (1.8 mmol/kg/day). In microsomes, gamma-glutamyltransferase activity increased significantly (1.8 mmol/kg) and cytochrome P-450 content decreased significantly (1.2 and 1.8 mmol/kg). In cytosol, both aspartate and alanine aminotransferase activities were increased at all dose levels. These results indicate that VPA induces dose-dependent changes in some liver enzyme activities. |
