Profile of drug metabolizing enzymes in the nuclear and microsomal fractions from rat liver nodules and normal liver.

The activities of UDP-glucuronyl transferase, DT-diaphorase, epoxide hydrolase, aryl hydrocarbon hydroxylase, gamma-glutamyl transferase and NADPH-cytochrome c reductase were measured in the nuclear and microsomal fractions from normal rat liver and rat liver nodules. Nodules were produced by intermittent feeding of Wistar rats with a standard diet supplemented with 0.05% (w/w) 2-acetylaminofluorene. The nuclear and microsomal fractions were isolated by differential centrifugation. The activities of UDP-glucuronyl transferase, DT-diaphorase, epoxide hydrolase and gamma-glutamyl transferase were significantly increased in the nuclear and microsomal fractions obtained from nodules as compared with normal liver. Aryl hydrocarbon hydroxylase activity was decreased in the microsomal fraction from the pathological tissue but not in the nuclear fraction. NADPH-cytochrome c reductase activity was similar in nodular and normal liver tissue. The nuclear/microsomal ratio for phase I reactions in xenobiotic metabolism was increased over normal more than two fold. Thus the nuclear and microsomal systems for drug metabolism are both changed in liver nodules. The relative enhancement of nuclear activating reactions is remarkable in the light of the increased risk for malignant transformation exhibited by nodular cells.