RT Journal Article SR Electronic T1 The mechanisms of cobalt chloride-induced protection against acetaminophen hepatotoxicity. JF Drug Metabolism and Disposition JO Drug Metab Dispos FD American Society for Pharmacology and Experimental Therapeutics SP 25 OP 33 VO 14 IS 1 A1 S A Roberts A1 V F Price A1 D J Jollow YR 1986 UL http://dmd.aspetjournals.org/content/14/1/25.abstract AB The mechanism by which cobalt chloride protects hamsters from acetaminophen-induced hepatotoxicity has been reexamined. In agreement with earlier studies, cobalt chloride treatment produced a 1.5-fold increase in hepatic glutathione levels and a decrease in the cytochrome P-450-dependent oxidative metabolism of acetaminophen. Cobalt chloride treatment also suppressed the sulfation while enhancing the glucuronidation of acetaminophen. The suppression of sulfation was most marked at low, non-hepatotoxic doses, whereas the enhancement of glucuronidation was greatest at higher hepatotoxic doses of acetaminophen. Collectively, the data suggest that the protective effect of cobalt chloride treatment on acetaminophen hepatotoxicity results from a combination of the suppression of the toxic pathway of cytochrome P-450 oxidation, an increase in the protective capacity of glutathione, and an enhancement of the nontoxic pathway of glucuronidation.