Hepatobiliary dysfunction occurs commonly in infants on prolonged parenteral nutrition alimentation; however, the underlying mechanisms causing liver injury are poorly understood. We postulated that oxidant stress played a significant role in parenteral nutrition-induced liver abnormalities and tested this hypothesis in a rat model. Weanling male rats received 8 days of total parenteral nutrition (TPN) through a central venous catheter (TPN group), pair feeding of rat chow and placement of a central venous catheter (sham group), or ad libitum feedings of rat chow (control group). After 8 days of TPN, serum alanine aminotransferase and cholylglycine levels were elevated, hepatocellular steatosis was present, hepatic mitochondria had dilated intracristal spaces, and lipid peroxidation of mitochondria was increased compared with sham and control groups. Hepatic glutathione levels decreased to 16% of control values after 5 days of TPN; this was followed by mitochondrial lipid peroxidation and elevated serum cholylglycine levels after 8 days of TPN. Sham and control rats showed no evidence of mitochondrial lipid peroxidation or liver injury after 8 days. Removal of metabisulfate from TPN solutions and addition of cysteine HCl or choline had no major effect on these findings. Bacterial translocation was not increased in TPN rats. These data suggest that glutathione depletion and oxidant stress are important factors in the pathogenesis of TPN-induced liver abnormalities in the weanling rats.