Effect of breed upon cytochromes P450 and phase II enzyme expression in cattle liver.

Cattle represent an important source of animal-derived food-products; nonetheless, our knowledge about the expression of drug-metabolizing enzymes (DMEs) in present and other food-producing animals still remains superficial, despite the obvious toxicological consequences. Breed represents an internal factor that modulates DME expression and catalytic activity. In the present work, the effect of breed upon relevant phase I and phase II DMEs was investigated at the pretranscriptional and post-translational levels in male Charolais (CH), Piedmontese (PM) and Blonde d'Aquitaine (BA) cattle. Because specific substrates for cattle have not yet been identified, the breed effect upon specific cytochrome P450 (P450), UDP-glucuronosyltransferase (UGT), or glutathione S-transferase (GST) DMEs, in terms of catalytic activity, was determined by using human marker substrates. Among P450s, benzphetamine N-demethylase, 16beta-, 6beta-, and 2beta-testosterone hydroxylase, aniline and p-nitrophenol hydroxylase, and alpha-naphthol and p-nitrophenol UGT activities were significantly higher in CH; in contrast, lower levels of CYP1A1-, CYP1A2-, CYP2B6-, CYP2C9-, CYP2C18-, CYP3A4-, and UGT1A1-like mRNAs were noticed, with CH < PM < or = BA as a trend. CYP2B and CYP3A mRNA results were confirmed with immunoblotting, too. As regards conjugative DMEs, UGT1A6-like mRNA levels were consistent with respective catalytic activities. Both 1-chloro-2,4-dinitrobenzene and 3,4-dichloronitrobenzene GST activities were higher in BA, and these results agreed with GSTA1-, GSTM1-, and GSTP1-like mRNA amounts. Correlation analysis between catalytic activities and mRNAs showed either significant or uneven results, depending on the substrate. These findings confirm previous data obtained in laboratory species; however, further studies are required to ascribe this behavior to pretranscriptional or post-translational phenomena.

In vitro formation of metabolic-intermediate cytochrome P450 complexes in rabbit liver microsomes by tiamulin and various macrolides.

Tiamulin and a number of macrolides were evaluated as to their ability in forming metabolic-intermediate (MI) complexes with cytochrome P450 in liver microsomes from rabbits bred for meat production. Complex formation, which occurred only in preparations where the expression of P450 3A was increased as the result of rifampicin pre-treatment and with different kinetics, was in the order tiamulin > erythromycin > TAO approximately roxithromycin approximately tylosin and did not take place with tilmicosin and spiramycin. Most of the tested compounds underwent an oxidative N-dealkylation and a good relationship could be found between the rate of N-dealkylase activity in induced preparations and the aptitude in generating MI complexes. Although the results from in vitro studies should be interpreted with caution, it is suggested that the potential for in vivo drug interactions also exists in the rabbit for tiamulin and for four out of the six tested macrolides.