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Administration of nickel (50 μ moles Ni/kg as NiCl2•6H2O, subcutaneously) to partially hepatectomized rats at 8, 16, 24 and 72 hrs revealed that it did not produce any change in the levels of hepatic or renal glutathione at any time interval when compared with saline treated hepatectomized rats. Remarkable changes were however observed in glutathione-S-transferase and phosphoglucomutase at 16 and 24 hrs in liver while only at 8 hrs in kidney. The effect of various doses of nickel (50, 100 and 150 μ mole Ni/kg) at 16 hrs revealed that 100 μ moles nickel produced maximum enhancement in the levels of all these parameters in liver while in kidney practically no change was observed.

The chelating drugs namely ethylenediamine tetraacetic acid (EDTA), 1,2,cyclohexylenediamine tetraacetic acid (CDTA), hydroxyethylenediamine triacetic acid (HEDTA) diethylenetriamine pentaacetic acid (DTPA), and triethylenetetraamine hexaacetic acid (TTHA), were examined for the mobilization of nickel from body organs of sham operated and partially hepatectomized rats in early nickel poisoning. These chelating drugs successfully reduced the body burden of nickel from both the nickel treated experimental groups. EDTA was relatively more effective in reducing the hepatic content of nickel while CDTA and HEDTA were more effective in reducing its renal content. These drugs also reduced nickel burden in heart and lung to variable degrees. The over all efficacy of the chelating drugs are in the order: EDTA > CDTA > HEDTA > TTHA > DTPA