THE EFFECT OF ENVIRONMENTAL LIGHT EXPOSURE ON DRUG-INDUCED PORPHYRIA IN THE RAT

Abstract— The porphyrinogenic drug, 3,5-diethoxycarbonyl 1,4-dihydrocollidine (DDC) when administered orally to rats evoked large increases in hepatic δ-aminolevulinic acid synthetase (ALAS) activity and hepatic protoporphyrin levels. These increases varied markedly according to light exposure patterns of the animals. DDC-treated animals continuously exposed for one week to fluorescent Blacklight lamps (Westinghouse FS-40) demonstrated a greater than two-fold increase in hepatic ALAS and a greater than threefold increase in liver protoporphyrin levels as compared to DDC-treated animals exposed to ambient light-dark cycling. Furthermore, the skin of porphyric animals continuously exposed to light showed larger increases in porphyrin content as compared to rats exposed to ambient light. These studies indicate that light exposure patterns can profoundly alter the activity of the hepatic heme pathway in the rat and suggest that light exposure could play a role in the production of drug-induced porphyria in man.