Single Dose of Chloroform Induces Hepatic Dysfunction with Pro-Inflammatory Cytokines Response in Vivo

Chloroform (CH) is considered an urgent environmental pollutant that leads to critical health effects. This investigation was carried out to verify the involvement of serum cytokines in the hepatic dysfunction induced by single exposure to CH in laboratory rats. Eighteen adult male laboratory rats were separated into three groups of eight rats each. Control (CON) group included animals without any treatment, while the rest of the two groups were administrated trichloromethane at a dose of 477 mg/kg , orally then sacrificed after 1 day (CH-1) and 7day (CH-7) post-exposure. The results indicated that single-dose exposure induced liver dysfunction through significant elevation of serum activities of hepatic enzymes compared with unexposed control rats. Furthermore, chloroform intoxication caused a significant time-dependent rise in concentrations of some pro-inflammatory cytokines in serum of exposed rats. In conclusion, a single high dose of chloroform causes liver dysfunction and promotes the response of pro-inflammatory cytokines in rats.