Therapeutic effect of S-allylmercaptocysteine on acetaminophen-induced liver injury in mice.

S-allylmercaptocysteine is one of the water-soluble organosulfur compounds in ethanol extracts of garlic (Allium sativum L.). We had demonstrated earlier that treatment with S-allylmercaptocysteine before acetaminophen administration protects mice against acetaminophen-induced hepatotoxicity. In this study, we examined the therapeutic effect of S-allylmercaptocysteine treatment after acetaminophen administration. A single dose of S-allylmercaptocysteine (200 mg/kg, p.o.) to mice 0.5 h after acetaminophen administration (500 mg/kg, p.o.) significantly suppressed both the increase in plasma alanine aminotransferase activity and the hepatic necrosis, and also reduced acetaminophen-induced mortality from 43% to 0%. These data indicate that S-allylmercaptocysteine is useful as an antidote for acetaminophen overdose. S-allylmercaptocysteine significantly suppressed hepatic cytochrome P450 2E1 (CYP2E1) activity and induction of inducible 70-kDa heat shock protein, a marker of acetaminophen arylation of protein. These results suggest that S-allylmercaptocysteine exerts its protective effect by inhibition of CYP2E1 activity, which leads to the suppression of acetaminophen arylation of hepatic protein.