Induction of cytochrome P450 1B1 in lung, liver and kidney of rats exposed to diesel exhaust.

We have shown previously that diesel exhaust particle (DEP) extracts (DEPE) and 1-nitropyrene were genotoxically activated by human cytochrome P450 1B1 in SOS/umu assay. In this study, the in vivo induction of P450 family 1 enzymes in rats by exposure to diesel exhaust was investigated with regard to mRNA levels, P450 enzyme content, drug oxidation activities in the microsomes and umu gene expression of typical P450 substrates and DEPE itself catalyzed by the microsomes. Male Fischer 344 rats (4 weeks old) were exposed to 0.3 and 3.0 mg/m(3) DEP for 12 h per day for 4 weeks; the former dose corresponded to the typical daily airborne particle concentration. The levels of mRNA of rat P450 1B1 and P450 1A1 in the lung and liver were significantly increased 1.1-1.4-fold by exposure to 0.3 mg/m(3) DEP. Diesel exhaust particle extracts induced umu gene expression in Salmonella typhimurium TA1535/pSK1002 in the absence of a functional P450 system and were further activated by human recombinant P450 1B1. Using an O-acetyltransferase overexpressing Salmonella strain, genotoxic activation of P450 1B1 marker chemicals (1-nitropyrene, 1-aminopyrene and DEPE) by lung, liver and kidney microsomes was increased 1.7-4.2-, 1.4-1.5- and 1.0-1.3-fold, respectively, by exposure to 0.3 mg/m(3) DEP. Activation of 3-amino-1,4-dimethyl-5H-pyrido [4,3-b]indole (Trp-P-1; marker for P450 1A1) by lung microsomes and the P450 1A2 content in liver microsomes were slightly increased by exposure to 3.0 mg/m(3) DEP. This is the first report to suggest that typical daily contaminant levels (0.3 mg particle/m(3)) of diesel exhaust can induce P450 1B1 in rats and that the induced P450 1B1 may catalyze the genotoxic activation of DEP.