ABSTRACT
<p><b>OBJECTIVE</b>To establish a HepG2 cell line stably expressing the human cytochrome P450 1A2 and to study its metabolic activity.</p><p><b>METHODS</b>The human wild-type CYP1A2 cDNA was subcloned into a mammalian expression vector pREP9. A transgenic cell line was established by transfecting the recombinant plasmid of pREP9-CYP1A2 to HepG2 cells. The expression of CYP1A2 mRNA was validated by RT PCR. The metabolic activation of HepG2 CYP1A2 cells on aflatoxin B1 (AFB1) was assayed by cytotoxicity test.</p><p><b>RESULT</b>The HepG2-CYP1A2 cells expressed CYP1A2 mRNA and could increase the cytotoxicity to AFB1 in comparison with that of wild type HepG2 cells.</p><p><b>CONCLUSION</b>The established HepG2-CYP1A2 can express the mRNA and has the metabolic activity to AFB1. The cell line may be useful for testing the toxicity and metabolism of xenobiotics, which might possibly be activated or metabolized by CYP1A2.</p>