Behaviour of epoxide hydrolase, glutathione S-transferase, alcohol dehydrogenase, and aldehyde dehydrogenase, respectively, under the influence of carbon disulfide studies with rats in vivo and in vitro.

High concentrations of carbon disulfide in rat liver preparations do not change the activities of glutathione S-transferase, alcohol dehydrogenase, or aldehyde dehydrogenase and exert a slightly augmenting effect (not significant) on the activity of epoxide hydrolase. Carbon disulfide administered orally to rats in a high dose enhances the activity of hepatic epoxide hydrolase slightly (not significant), but has no influence on hepatic glutathione S-transferase in the cytosol and in microsomes. The results obtained in vitro and in vivo permit the assumption that occupational CS2-exposure does not appreciably inhibit the activities of epoxide hydrolase and glutathione S-transferase. The in-vitro findings with alcohol dehydrogenase and aldehyde dehydrogenase support the view held in the literature that the alcohol intolerance observed after occupational CS2-exposure ("Antabuse syndrome"-like reaction) is due to an inhibition of aldehyde dehydrogenase by CS2-metabolites of the thiocarbamate type.