Biochemical and morphological studies of ammonium perfluorooctanoate-induced hepatomegaly and peroxisome proliferation.

Ammonium perfluorooctanoate (APFO) is known to induce a striking hepatomegaly in rats. The purpose of these studies was to determine the causes of the hepatomegaly and compare the effect to other liver-enlarging compounds. Since the total hepatic DNA content was similar in control and APFO-treated rats, the hepatomegaly represented a hypertrophic rather than a hyperplastic response. The cytochrome P-450 content and activity of benzphetamine N-demethylase increased in the livers of APFO-treated rats, indicating the proliferation of the smooth endoplasmic reticulum. In contrast to the membrane-bound enzymes, the soluble enzymes glutathione S-transferase and UDPglucuronyltransferase were unaffected by APFO treatment. The activity of carnitine acetyltransferase was disproportionately increased relative to carnitine palmitoyltransferase in the livers of APFO vs that in control rats, confirming the predominant proliferation of peroxisomes vs that of mitochondria. Morphological studies confirmed the proliferation of the endoplasmic reticulum, mitochondria, and peroxisomes in the livers of APFO-treated rats. In contrast to many other peroxisome proliferating agents, APFO did not possess hypolipidemic activity.