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Oral administration of 500 mg/kg of butylated hydroxytoluene (BHT) daily for three days elevated the total glutathione (GSH) level and the activities of GSH-S-transferase for CDNB and DCNB and GSSG reductase in the rat liver. BHT-alcohol, which is a metabolite of BHT, also elevated the level or activity of these components. The induction of these components with BHT-alcohol was slightly less than that with BHT. However, BHT or BHT-alcohol in doses used had no effect on GSH peroxidase activity.

A simple radioimmunoassay method was established to determine serum levels of a steroidal anti-androgen, TSAA-291 (Oxendolone, 16 beta-ethyl-17 beta-hydroxy-4-estren-3-one) utilizing ether-extract of serum. Using an antiserum raised against TSAA-291-3-oxime-BSA conjugate in a rabbit, a standard curve was obtained in the assay range from 30 pg to 12 ng/tube. Intra- and inter-assay coefficients of variation were calculated to be 11 and 21%, respectively. Recovery rate of unlabeled TSAA-291 was 84%. Cross-reaction with endogenous steroids was less than 0.2%. TSAA-291 estimates were compared with those determined after further purification on a Celite column, or with those assayed with a gas-liquid chromatograph. The difference between these estimates was less than 16 and 25%, respectively, suggesting little contribution of the metabolites of TSAA-291 to the estimates by the radioimmunoassay. After successive treatments of male rats with TSAA-291 in an aqueous suspension in daily doses of 5, 15 and 50 mg/kg body weight for two weeks, serum TSAA-291 levels were determined by the radio immunoassay and calculated to be 22.7, 76.9 and 194.9 ng/ml, respectively.

The effect of pretreatment with BHT on the binding of 14C-BHT to lung microsomes was examined in vitro. The amount of radioactivity bound to microsomal macromolecules significantly decreased by pretreatment of rats with BHT. This decrease was accompanied by a decrement in the content of cytochrome P-450 and in BHT oxidase activity. Furthermore, the behaviour of these components was dependent upon the dose of BHT given. On the other hand, these three components were unchanged in phenobarbital-pretreated rats.