Influence of methionine on toxicity of fluoride in the liver of rats.

Oxidative stress is a common mechanism by which chemical toxicity can occur in the liver. The aim of the studies conducted has been to determine what influence the administration of methionine during intoxication with sodium fluoride may have upon the selected enzymes of the antioxidative system in rat liver. The experiment was carried out on Wistar FL rats (adult females) that, for 35 days, were administered distilled water, NaF, or NaF with methionine (doses: 10 mg NaF/kg bw/day, 10 mg Met/kg bw/day). The influence of administered NaF and Met was examined by analyzing the activity of the antioxidative enzymes: superoxide dismutase, catalase, glutathione peroxidase, glutathione reductase, and glutathione transferase in the liver. The results suggest that fluoride reduces the efficiency of the enzymatic antioxidative system in the liver. Administration of methionine during intoxication with sodium fluoride does not have an advantageous influence upon the activity of superoxide dismutase, catalase, reductase, and glutathione transferase in the liver. The slight increase of the activity of glutathione peroxidase after administration of methionine may indicate its protective influence upon that enzyme.