Ethane formation of isolated rat hepatocytes due to carbon tetrachloride.

Isolated rat hepatocytes incubated aerobically formed measurable amounts of ethane, a parameter for lipid peroxidation. This ethane formation increased several-fold due to carbon tetrachloride (CCl4) depending on its concentration. Cell damage as measured by trypan blue uptake and lactate dehydrogenase release poorly correlated with ethane formation. Ethane was not metabolized, whereas malondialdehyde (MDA), when added to isolated hepatocytes, decreased very rapidly. The results indicate that rather than MDA is a reliable parameter for lipid peroxidation occurring in isolated hepatocytes, and that a simple relationship between CCl4-induced lipid peroxidation and cell damage is not existing in isolated hepatocytes.