Effects of ethionine and phenobarbital on the phosphatidylcholines of rat liver.

The diglyceride species of phosphatidylcholines from livers of male rats after treatment of the animals with ethionine (1 mg/g divided among 4 doses 2 hr apart), phenobarbital (80 mg/kg each day for 3 days), or a combination of the two drugs were determined using gas chromatography. Ethionine treatment greatly elevated the diene species (significant at the 0.005 level for 34:2 and 0.001 level for 36:2). Phenobarbital treatment had no significant effect on the quantity of 34:2 but slightly increased that of 36:2 (significant at the 0.05 level). Both drugs caused relative decreases in the quantities of 38:4 (significant at the 0.001 level for ethionine and at the 0.01 level for phenobarbital). Ethionine decreased the content of 36:4 (significant at the 0.01 level) while phenobarbital treatment did not produce a significant effect on this fraction. Thus, while ethionine produced marked effects on the quantities of the various molecular species, the effects of phenobarbital were less dramatic. Combined treatment with both drugs generally produced levels of species similar to those produced by ethionine alone.