Comparison of pulmonary and hepatic glucuronidation and sulphation of ethanol in rat and rabbit in vitro.

1. Pulmonary and hepatic UDP-glucuronyltransferase and sulphotransferase activities in subcellular fractions from rats and rabbits were determined, comparing ethanol with known substrates for these enzymes. 2. No ethyl glucuronide formation was detected with either hepatic or pulmonary microsomal incubations. 3. Chromatographic, autoradiographic and scintillation counting analysis indicated that ethanol is sulphated by rat and rabbit pulmonary cytosol, although this activity was approx. 2-6% of that in liver. 4. Rat hepatic and pulmonary sulphotransferase activities with beta-naphthol were approx. 13 and 60 times higher than with ethanol, respectively. 5. Rabbit hepatic and pulmonary sulphotransferase activities with both substrates were higher than those in rat.