Toxic effects of butylated hydroxytoluene on rats.

A study involving 96 weanling rats of both sexes was conducted to evaluate the effects of the antioxidant butylated hydroxytoluene on the plasma and liver lipid components. Comparative observations in the dietary content of butylated hydroxytoluene in ad libitum and underfed rats. A sex difference in the effects of butylated hydroxytoluene was noted. Butylated hydroxytoluene had a greater deleterious effect on the growth of the male than of the female rat, especially at the 0.5% dietary level (P less than 0.01). At this level, it also increased the relative weight of the liver (P less than 0.01) but had little effect on brain, heart and kidney in both sexes. The enlarged liver showed a marked elevation in the concentration of total lipids and of both total and esterified cholesterol. There were striking increases in the plasma total and esterified cholesterol and phospholipid levels in the butylated hydroxytoluene treated animals buy the triglycerides remained unaffected. The results obtained were more manifest in animals with restricted dietary intake. The changes observed in the lipid components occurred in parallel with the increasing amounts of the antioxidant in the diet. The effect of butylated hydroxytoluene on lipid metabolism is discussed.