Effect of side-stream cigarette smoke on the hepatic cytochrome P450.

The effect of inhalation of side-stream cigarette smoke on the hepatic microsomal cytochrome P450 was investigated Rats were placed in a chamber of 0.1 m3 in volume, in which cigarettes were burned at the rate of 1, 3, or 5 cigarettes per h, 8 h/day for 5 days. Cytochrome P450 and NADPH-cytochrome c reductase showed no significant changes; however, cytochrome b5 increased significantly. On the other hand, the activity of aryl hydrocarbon hydroxylase (AHH) decreased in the rats treated with a high concentration of cigarette smoke. In order to study the changes of isoforms of cytochrome P450, western blot analyses were performed. The inductions of three kinds of isoforms, cytochromes P450IA1, IA2, and IIB1, were demonstrated immunochemically. However, there were disagreements between the results of the western blot analyses and the measurements of total cytochrome P450 content and AHH activity.