Pesticide-metabolizing enzymes.

Pesticides are known to function as substrates, inhibitors and inducers of drug-metabolizing enzymes, with the same compound frequently acting in more than one of these roles. Current studies of phase I metabolism of pesticides include cytochrome P450 (P450) and the flavin-containing monooxygenase (FMO), with particular reference to individual isozymes. In mouse liver, the level of FMO1 is gender dependent, FMO3 is gender specific, while FMO5 appears to be gender independent. The isozyme specificity of methylenedioxyphenyl synergists for induction of P450 in mouse liver involves P450s 1A1, 1A2 and 2B10, including a non-Ah receptor-dependent mechanism for 1A2 induction. The substrate specificity of mouse and human P450 and FMO isozymes is discussed.