Differences in the biochemical properties of aldrin epoxidase, a cytochrome P-450-dependent monooxygenase, in various tissues.

Aldrin epoxidase, a cytochrome P-450-dependent monooxygenase, was studied in the lung and kidney of male rats. The sensitivity of the liver enzyme activity to different chemicals in vitro was influenced by the treatment of the animals with phenobarbital or methylcholanthrene. These results confirm that more than one form of cytochrome P-450 supports aldrin epoxidase in the liver. The lung and kidney aldrin epoxidase activity was not modified by the administration of chemical inducers to the rats. In vitro, the lung and kidney aldrin epoxidase activities were activated by tetrahydrofurane and progesterone, respectively. The results obtained from the lung and kidney indicate that one single species of cytochrome P-450, associated with aldrin epoxidase, exists in these organs, but it may be a different type, or regulated in a different manner in these tissues.

Dose-response relationship of rat aryl hydrocarbon hydroxylase and epoxide hydratase induction.

This paper summarizes our recent results supporting the hypothesis that different regulation mechanisms are involved in the control of AHH and EH activity and that the AHH induction in the extrahepatic tissues might also be affected by liver specific inducers. In the rat, lung and kidney AHH is highly sensitive to the inducers present in cigarette smoke and cigarette smoke condensate, the EH activity not being affected by the same agents. Phenobarbital is also able to potentiate the inducing action of low doses of benzo(a)pyrene on the lung AHH activity. In primary rat liver cells in culture, AHH and EH can be selectively induced. Low doses of benz(a)anthracene preferentially enhance the AHH activity while trans-stilbene oxide and various antioxidants modify only the EH activity. Phenobarbital, which also induces the AHH activity in cell culture, produces a more than additive effect when added to the culture medium in a mixture with benz(a)anthracene. Trans-stilbene oxide prevents the AHH induction by phenobarbital and not by benz(a)anthracene. Our results suggest that, in addition to its own induction capacity, phenobarbital is also able to potentiate the action of chemicals belonging to a different class of inducers.