Effect of polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) administration on phospholipid biosynthesis in rat liver

The effect of PCBs or phenobarbital on the biosynthesis of phospholipids in hepatic endoplasmic reticulum of rats was studied by the intraperitoneal injection of [³²P]orthophosphate, [Me?¹⁴ C]choline or [2?³H]glycerol. Significant increases in liver microsomal phospholipid content after the administration of either PCBs or phenobarbital indicated the actual proliferation of endoplasmic reticulum membranes. The rate of both [³²P] and [¹⁴C] incorporations into microsomal choline-containing phospholipids, such as phosphatidylcholine, sphingomyelin and lysophosphatidylcholine, was reduced to one fifth by PCBs administration compared with control animals. The incorporation of [³²P]orthophosphate into phosphatidylethanolamine or other phospholipid classes was less or not affected, respectively, by PCBs administration. The specific inhibitory effect of PCBs on the incorporation into cholinecontaining phospholipids was not observed when [2?³-H]glycerol was used as a precursor. Phenobarbital administration, however, increased significantly the rate of [³²P] incorporation into liver phospholipids, especially phosphatidylcholine. It is suggested that the increase in microsomal phospholipid content by PCBs administration is not due to the stimulation of synthesis but to the inhibition of the catabolism of membrane phospholipids and that the increase in content caused by phenobarbital is due at least in part, to the stimulation of synthesis. The possible site(s) of PCBs-induced inhibition of phospholipid biosynthesis in rat liver is discussed.     

Influence of alpha-naphthylisothiocyanate (ANIT) on microsomal cytochrome P-450, protein and phospholipid content in rat liver

In rats suffering from ANIT induced cholestasis plasma and microsomal phospholipid content was measured using lipid extraction, thin-layer chromatography and phosphorus determination. Microsomal protein and cytochrome P-450 content were also measured. Plasma phospholipids were found to be increased without similar changes within the liver. In ANIT-treated animals the hepatic microsomal protein content was increased whereas the microsomal phospholipid and eytochrome P-450 content remained unchanged.     

Covalent binding of benzo[a]pyrene to rat liver cytosolic proteins and its effect on the binding to microsomal proteins

Benzo[a]pyrene will bind covalently to rat liver cytosolic proteins when incubated with microsomes and NADPH. The binding is most extensive when microsomes from 3-methylcholanthrene-treated rather than phenobarbital-treated or control rats are used. The binding to cytosolic proteins increases when incubations are performed with increasing concentrations of cytosol. At the same time the covalent binding of benzo[a]pyrene to microsomal proteins decreases. Two cytosolic polypeptides are the main targets for benzo[a]pyrene. These have the same mobility in polyacrylamide gels as the subunits of purified glutathione S-transferase B. These subunits also react covalently with benzo[a]pyrene when the transferase is incubated with microsomes and NADPH.     

Effect of microsomal preparations and induction on cytochrome P-450-dependent monooxygenases in fetal and neonatal rat liver.

A study of the sedimentation behavior of fetal and neonatal rat liver microsomes allowed a better recovery of a less contaminated microsomal fraction, especially by the use of an EDTA-containing buffer. The specific cytochrome P-450 content and related catalytic activities in the 105,000 g pellet of fetal and neonatal liver were thus much higher than usually reported, while molecular activities were comparable to adult ones.The transplacental inducing effects of phenobarbital and 3-methylcholanthrene on the monooxygenase system were studied in microsomes prepared by the modified procedure and compared to results obtained in crude liver homogenate: 3-methylcholanthrene induces a net biosynthesis of cytochrome P-450 in fetal liver, whereas phenobarbital produces only a premature transformation of rough into smooth endoplasmic reticulum, which decreases the ‘contamination’ of the 105,000 g pellet by ribosomal protein. As a result, the specific cytochrome P-450 content of the microsomal fraction appears to be increased by phenobarbital, though there is no true induction of the monooxygenase system in near-term rat fetus.     

Induction of microsomal N-hydroxylation of N-2-fluorenylacetamide in rat liver.

Single or multiple injections of N-2-fluorenyl-acetamide (2-FAA) to Sprague-Dawley rats increased N-hydroxylation of 2-FAA by hepatic microsomes 3- to 12-fold without changing the content of microsomal hemoprotein (cytochrome P-450 or P₁-450) measured either by carbon monoxide difference spectra, by gel electrophoresis of microsomal preparations or by formation of the ethyl isocyanide cytochrome P₁-450 complex. Carbon monoxide inhibited N-hydroxylation of 2-FAA by hepatic microsomes of 2-FAA-treated rats. Inhibition by carbon monoxide indicated that either cytochrome P-450 or P₁-450 is the terminal oxidase in N-hydroxylation by microsomes of 2-FAA-treated rats. Unlike pretreatment of rats with phenobarbital or 3-methylcholanthrene, pretreatment with 2-FAA did not appear to induce the synthesis of microsomal hemoprotein. The activities of NADPH-cytochrome c reductase, NADPH-cytochrome P-450 reductase and of amine oxidase in microsomes of 2-FAA-treated rats were not increased and thus did not account for the stimulation of N-hydroxylation. The induction, by 2-FAA, of a heretofore unknown electron carrier associated with the hepatic mixed-function oxidase is postulated and under investigation.     

An in vitro study of hemicholinium-3 on phospholipid metabolism of Krebs II ascites cells

With [Me-¹⁴C]choline as marker and after separation of choline and phosphocholine by ion-exchange column chromatography or thin layer chromatography on alumina, it is shown that 40 μM hemicholinium-3 (HC-3) inhibits the cytosolic choline-kinase of rat liver and Krebs cells. This inhibition is competitive (Km different, Vm similar) in the first case and mixed in the second (Km and Vm different). Despite this general inhibition of the phosphocholine formation, the synthesis of phosphatidylcholine (PC) by post-nuclear supernatants of rat liver and Krebs cells is different when tested with HC-3. It is unaffected in rat liver; however, HC-3 induces a PC deficiency in Krebs cells which is time-course dependent between 15 and 120min and proportional to the drug concentrations in the interval 5–40 μM. Incorporation of AT-[γ³²P] or [2-¹⁴C]ethanolamine into phospholipids shows that the sequential methylation pathway is not detectable in Krebs cells. These results are discussed in relation to those established concerning HC-3 action on phospholipid metabolism in other tissues.     

Effect of phospholipases A2 and C on structure and phospholipids of the electroplax

Phospholipid hydrolysis after 30 min exposure to phospholipase A₂ or phospholipase C was determined in intact electroplax cells and in the separated conducting and non-conducting membranes. These enzymes, in concentrations of 0.2 and 2.0 mg per ml, caused approximately the same percentage hydrolysis of phosphatidylcholine phosphatidylethanolamine and phosphatidylserine (40–80%); in addition phospholipase C hydrolyzed sphingomyelin.Phospholipase A₂ (0.2 and 2.0 mg per ml) caused mitochondrial swelling, and a pinching off of the membrane inpocketings into clusters of small rounded vesicles external to the membrane. Lysophosphatidylcholine (2 mg per ml) caused some vesicular formation, although not nearly as numerous as with phospholipase A₂; and no mitochondrial alterations. Phospholipase C (2 mg per ml) caused some mitochondrial swelling, but no vesicle formation.Disruption by phospholipase C of hydrophilic or electrostatic interactions between phospholipids and proteins has less effect on the ultrastructural organization of the membrane than does disruption of hydrophobic interactions by phospholipase A₂. The results are discussed in relationship to the fluid mosaic model of membrane organization.     

Enhancement of phosphatidylcholine biosynthesis by angiotensin-(1-7) in the rat renal cortex

In the present paper, we investigated the effect of angiotensin-(1-7) (Ang-(1-7)) on phospholipid biosynthesis in the rat renal cortex. A significant increase in phosphatidylcholine (PC) labeling was observed when cortical slices, prelabeled with [32P]orthophosphate, were incubated for 30 min in the presence of Ang-(1-7) (1 pM to 100 nM). Neither the phospholipase C inhibitors, neomycin or db-cAMP nor the protein kinase C inhibitors, chelerythrine or H7, modified the stimulatory effect induced by 0.1 nM Ang-(1-7). The enhancement of PC biosynthesis caused by 0.1 nM Ang-(1-7) was unmodified by either losartan, an AT(1) receptor antagonist, or (1-[[4-(dimethylamino)-3-methylphenyl]methyl]-5-(diphenylacetyl)-4,5,6,7-tetrahydro-1H-imidazol[4,5-c]pyridine-6-carboxylic acid ditrifluoroacetate) (PD 123319), an AT(2) receptor antagonist, but was partially blocked by [D-Ala(7)]Ang-(1-7), an Ang-(1-7) specific antagonist. However, losartan potentiated the effect of 100 nM Ang-(1-7) on PC biosynthesis. Losartan by itself increased the de novo synthesis of PC. These results suggest that the Ang-(1-7)-mediated increase in PC biosynthesis is independent of AT(1) and AT(2) receptor activation but mediated by a specific Ang-(1-7) receptor. This mechanism is independent of phospholipase C and PKC activation.     

Long-term studies on chemically induced liver enlargement in the rat I. Transient induction of microsomal enzymes leading to liver damage and nodular hyperplasia produced by safrole and ponceau MX

Sequential biochemical and morphological observations were made on the livers of female rats fed a diet containing 0.25% safrole or 1.0% Ponceau MX for up to 85 weeks. After administration of safrole for 7 days the relative was markedly enhanced. This enzyme induction was short-lived, however, and continued administration of safrole led to inhibition of drug-metabolising activity. Despite this the liver remained enlarged and concentrations of NADPH-cytochrome c reductase, cytochrome b₅ and microsomal protein were markedly elevated. During the initial phase of enzyme induction no histochemical or morpholigical abnormalities were evident but the loss of this inductive response was associated with histochemical and ultrastructural evidence of liver damage. The enlarged liver produced by Ponceau MX was initially accompanied by moderate induction of the drug-metabolising enzymes followed by gradual reversal as treatment continued. Histochemical evidence of liver damage was encountered after only 1 week of treatment. The early cytological changes produced by both compounds were followed by the development of fatty change, cell necrosis and, ultimately, hepatic nodules.The relationship between an absence of sustained enzyme induction and the development of pathological changes in the enlarged liver is discussed     

Studies in the metabolism of carcinogenic polycyclic heteroaromatic compounds. I. The hepatic microsomal metabolism of 7-methylbenz[c]acridine

An enzyme assay for the metabolism of the carcinogenic aza-aromatic polycyclic compound 7-methylbenz[c]acridine has been developed using a modification of a radiochemical assay described for the polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon benzo[a]pyrene by DePierre et al. [J. W. DePierre, M. S. Moron, K. A. M. Johannesen and L. Ernster, Analyt. Biochem. 63, 470 (1975)]and Van Cantfort et al. [J. Van Cantfort, J. DeGraeve and J. E. Gielen, Biochem. biophys. Res. Commun. 79, 505 (1977)]. When the activities of control microsomes and microsomes of phenobarbital-, 3-methylcholanthrene-and 7-methylbenz[c]acridine-pretreated animals were compared, strong similarities were displayed toward oxidation of benzo[a]pyrene and 7-methylbenz[c]acridine. These similarities were seen in turnover numbers, Michaelis constants, and inducibility of both enzyme systems. 7-Methylbenz[c]acridine afforded a type I difference spectrum with 3-methylcholanthrene-pretreated microsomes. It is suggested that 7-methylbenz[c]acridine is oxidized by the same or a similar set of enzymes which is responsible for benzo[a]pyrene metabolism.     

Effects of inducers and inhibitors of rat liver mono-oxygenases on digitoxin metabolism

In rats, microsomal mono-oxygenases are involved in the cleavage and hydroxylation of digitoxin (dt-3).2 Previous to hydrolytic cleavage the terminal digitoxosyl has to be oxidized to the corresponding dehydro-digitoxosyl. The microsomal formation rate of 15'-dehydro-dt-3 could be enhanced 3 to 7 fold by pretreatment with pregnenolone-16α-carbonitril, spironolactone, cancrenoate and cyproterone. Phenobarbital and polychlorinated biphenyls had no effect, whereas polyaromatic hydrocarbons caused a significant decrease of both C12-β-hydroxylation and sugar oxidation. The inducing effects of the steroids were less pronounced in the formation of 9'-dehydro-dt-2 and 3'-dehydro-dt-1. For the latter, phenobarbital evoked an inducing effect by factor 1.7. The sugar chain oxidation could be inhibited by metyrapone, spironolactone, cancrenoate and digitoxigenin when added in vitro. a-Naphthoflavone was a weak inhibitor only. The results indicate that the terminal digitoxosyl oxidation is due to a specific isocytochrome P450 (or pattern of isocytochromes) inducible by some synthetic steroids.     

Hepatic microsomal p-nitroanisole O-demethylase. Effects of chlordecone or mirex induction in male and female rats

The effects of chlordecone (CD) or mirex treatment on the hepatic microsomal monooxygenase system of male and female rats were investigated, and kinetic parameters (apparent Vmax and apparent Km) for p-nitroanisole O-demethylase were studied in detail. Both pesticides elevated the levels of cytochrome P-450 in a time- and dose-dependent manner. The maximum rate of p-nitroanisole metabolism in males was increased about 100 and 50% and the apparent Km was elevated about 40- and 18-fold by CD and mirex respectively. p-Nitroanisole metabolism in females was reduced slightly by treatment with either agent, and the apparent Km was increased about 14-fold by CD but was relatively unaffected by mirex treatment.     

Selective modifications in the de novo biosynthesis of retinal phospholipids and glycerides by propranolol or phentolamine

The effects of propranolol or phentolamine on the metabolism of phospholipids, diacylglycerol, and triacylglycerol were studied in the bovine retina in vitro. Lipid labeling was followed during short-term incubation of intact bovine retinas with [U-₁₄C]glycerol and [1-¹⁴C]palmitic acid. Each of these precursors was recovered in the appropriate lipid moiety. Most of the [¹⁴C]glycerol appeared progressively in triacylglycerol (TG) through the sequence from phosphatidic acid (PA) to diacylglycerol (DG). Labeled palmitate appeared in much lower quantities than labeled glycerol in all glycerolipids except phosphatidylcholine (PC). Propranolol and phentolamine greatly enhanced the [¹⁴'C]glycerol specific activities of PA, phosphatidylinositol (PI), and phosphatidylserine (PS), whereas labeling in other glycerolipids was much lower than in controls. The labeling in TG with both precursors was found to be less than 50% of the control values; however, a late increase in DG labeling was observed. The effects of these drugs on broken cell preparations were also described, although lipid synthesis from labeled glycerol in these preparations was only 9% that of intact retinas. It appeared that an amphiphilic cationic structure was necessary to produce these drug effects; propranolol glycol, the hydrophobic moiety of propranolol, did not elicit the same effects. It is suggested that, among other changes, the drugs inhibited phosphatidate phosphohydrolase and redirected the flux predominantly toward PI. Support for the proposed multiple lipid effects elicited by these drugs was provided by the dual changes found in the labeling of DG.     

Time course of the induction of aryl hydrocarbon hydroxylase in rat liver nuclei and microsomes by phenobarbital, 3-methylcholanthrene, 2,3,7,8-tetrachloro-dibenzo-p-dioxin,dieldrin and other inducers

Aryl hydrocarbon hydroxylase (AHH) has been measured in male rat liver nuclei and microsomes after treatment of adult animals with various inducers for up to 14 days. After daily i.p. injections of 3-methylcholanthrene (MC, 20 mg/kg) the nuclear activity increased to a maximum of 600 per cent of the control activity after 4 days whereas the microsomal activity was 400 per cent of control at the same date. After 12 days, both activities equilibrated at 400 per cent. A similar time course was found after a single i.p. injection of 2,3,7,8-tetrachloro-dibenzo-p-dioxin (TCDD, 0.01 mg/kg) with an induction to 500 and 300 per cent for nuclei and microsomes, respectively, after 2 days, and to 400 per cent for both after 12 days. Phenobarbital (PB) was given continuously in the drinking water (1 g/l) and induced the microsomal activity to 200 per cent after 8 days and 170 per cent after 14 days. the nuclear activity was only slightly induced to a Constant level of 130 per cent between day 8 and 14. Dieldrin did not significantly increase the microsomal activity after daily i.p. injections (20 mg/kg), but the nuclear activity raised to 200 per cent after 3 days and levelled down to control values after 12 days. Other inducers tested were benz[a]anthracene (BA), hexachlorobenzene (HCB) and 1,1,1-trichloro-2,2-bis(p-chlorophenyl)ethane (DDT). The induction pattern with BA was similar to that of MC, a model compound for the group of cytochrome P448 inducers. the induction by HCB and DDT resembled that by PB, a typical cytochrome P450 inducer.     

Disruption of thyroid hormone homeostasis in Ugt1a-deficient Gunn rats by microsomal enzyme inducers is not due to enhanced thyroxine glucuronidation

Microsomal enzyme inducers (MEI) that increase UDP-glucuronosyltransferases (UGTs) are thought to increase glucuronidation of thyroxine (T₄), thus reducing serum T₄, and subsequently increasing thyroid stimulating hormone (TSH). Ugt1a1 and Ugt1a6 mediate T₄ glucuronidation. Therefore, this experiment determined the involvement of Ugt1a enzymes in increased T₄ glucuronidation, decreased serum T₄, and increased TSH after MEI treatment. Male Wistar and Ugt1a-deficient Wistar (Gunn) rats were fed a control diet or diet containing pregnenolone-16α-carbonitrile (PCN; 800 ppm), 3-methylcholanthrene (3-MC; 200 ppm), or Aroclor 1254 (PCB; 100 ppm) for 7 days. Serum T₄, triiodothyronine (T₃), and TSH concentrations, hepatic T₄/T₃ glucuronidation, and thyroid histology and follicular cell proliferation were investigated. PCN, 3-MC, and PCB treatments decreased serum T₄, whereas serum T₃ was maintained in both Gunn and Wistar rats (except for PCB treatment). TSH was increased in Wistar and Gunn rats after PCN (130 and 277%) or PCB treatment (72 and 60%). T₄ glucuronidation in Wistar rats was increased after PCN (298%), 3-MC (85%), and PCB (450%), but was extremely low in Gunn rats, and unchanged after MEI. T₃ glucuronidation was increased after PCN (121%) or PCB (58%) in Wistar rats, but only PCN increased T₃ glucuronidation in Gunn rats (43%). PCN treatment induced thyroid morphological changes and increased follicular cell proliferation in both strains. These data demonstrate that T₄ glucuronidation cannot be increased in Ugt1a-deficient Gunn rats. Thus, the decrease in serum T₄, increase in TSH, and increase in thyroid cell proliferation after MEI are not dependent on increased T₄ glucuronidation, and cannot be attributed to Ugt1a enzymes.     

Studies on the mechanism of alteration by propranolol and mepacrine of the metabolism of phosphoinositides and other glycerolipids in the rabbit iris muscle

We have investigated the effects and mechanism of action of propranolol and mepacrine, two drugs with local anesthetic-like properties, on phospholipid metabolism in rabbit iris and iris microsomal and soluble fractions. In the iris, propranolol, like mepacrine [A. A. Abdel-Latif and J. P. Smith, Biochim, biophys. Acta 711, 478 (1982)], stimulated the incorporation of [14C]arachidonic acid ( [14C]AA) into phosphatidic acid (PA), CDP-diacylglycerol (CDP-DG), phosphatidylinositol (PI), the polyphosphoinositides (poly PI) and DG, and it inhibited that of phosphatidylcholine (PC), phosphatidylethanolamine (PE), triacylglycerol (TG) and the prostaglandins. Similarly, mepacrine, like propranolol [A. A. Abdel-Latif and J. P. Smith, Biochem. Pharmac. 25, 1697 (1976)], altered the incorporation of [14C]oleic acid, [3H]glycerol, 32Pi and [14C]choline into glycerolipids of the iris. Time-course studies in iris muscle prelabeled with [14C]AA showed an initial decrease in the production of DG and a corresponding increase in that of PA by the drugs, followed by an increase in accumulation of DG at longer time intervals (60-90 min). The above findings are in accord with the hypothesis that these drugs redirect glycerolipid synthesis by inhibiting PA phosphohydrolase. Propranolol and mepacrine stimulated the activities of DG kinase and phosphoinositide kinases and inhibited that of DG cholinephosphotransferase. The drugs had little effect on the activity of DG acyltransferase. It is concluded that propranolol and mepacrine redirect glycerolipid metabolism in the iris by exerting multiple effects on the enzymes involved in phospholipid biosynthesis. We suggest that these drugs could exert their local anesthetic-like effects by effecting an increase in the synthesis of the acidic phospholipids (PA, PI and the poly PI) and subsequently the binding of Ca2+- to the cell plasma membrane.     

Long-term studies on chemically induced liver enlargement in the rat I. Sustained induction of microsomal enzymes with absence of liver damage on feeding phenobarbitone or butylated hydroxytoluene

As part of a study on the relationships between liver enlargement, induction of drug-metabolising enzymes and certain forms of liver damage, sequential biochemical and morphological observations were made on the livers of female rats fed diets containing 0.4% butylated hydroxytoluene (BHT) or 0.25% phenobarbitone for periods of up to 80 weeks. Both compounds increased the relative liver weight and produced marked enhancement of the activities of ethylmorphine N-demthylase, aniline 4-hydroxylase, biphenyl 4-hydroxylase and NADPH-cytochrome c reductase and the contents of cytochromes P-450 and b₅ and microsomal protein. These changes were evident after 1 week of treatment and persisted until treatment was stopped after 80 weeks. The only morphological changes observed throughout the period of treatment were centrilobular cell enlargment and hypertrophy of the smooth endoplasmic reticulum (SER). Histochemical examination revealed a centrilobular depression of glucose-6-phosphatase but there was no disturbance of the normal pericanalicular distribution of lysosomes. All changes observed with either compound were reversible on cessation of treatment at week 80.These results support the concept that liver enlargement accompanied by induction of drug-metabolising enzymes represents an adaptive response and they provide a basis for the interpretation of pathological changes developing in the enlarged liver unaccompanied by drug-metabolising enzyme induction.     

Effect of microsomal enzyme inducers on the biliary excretion of triiodothyronine (T(3)) and its metabolites.

It has been postulated that inducers of UDP-glucuronosyltransferase (UGT) decrease circulating thyroid hormone concentrations by increasing their biliary excretion. The inducers pregnenolone-16 alpha-carbonitrile (PCN), 3-methylcholanthrene (3MC), and Aroclor 1254 (PCB) are each effective at reducing serum thyroxine concentrations. However, only PCN treatment produces a marked increase in serum levels of thyroid-stimulating hormone (TSH), whereas 3MC and PCB cause little to no increase in TSH. Excessive TSH elevation is considered the primary stimulus for thyroid tumor development in rats, yet the mechanism by which enzyme induction leads to TSH elevation is not fully understood. Whereas PCN, 3MC, and PCB all increase microsomal UGT activity toward T(4), only PCN causes an increase in T(3)-UGT activity in vitro. The purpose of this study was to determine whether PCN, which increases serum TSH, causes an increase in the glucuronidation and biliary excretion of T(3) in vivo. Male rats were fed control diet or diet containing PCN (1000 ppm), 3MC (250 ppm), or PCB (100 ppm) for 7 days. Animals were then given [(125)I]-T(3), i.v., and bile was collected for 2 h. Radiolabeled metabolites in bile were analyzed by reverse-phase HPLC with gamma-detection. The biliary excretion of total radioactivity was increased up to 75% by PCN, but not by 3MC or PCB. Of the T(3) excreted into bile, approximately 75% was recovered as T(3)-glucuronide, with remaining amounts represented as T(3)-sulfate, T(2)-sulfate, T(3), and T(2). Biliary excretion of T(3)-glucuronide was increased up to 66% by PCN, while neither 3MC nor PCB altered T(3)-glucuronide excretion. These findings indicate that PCN increases the glucuronidation and biliary excretion of T(3) in vivo, and suggest that enhanced elimination of T(3) may be the mechanism responsible for the increases in serum TSH caused by PCN.     

Competitive binding to the cytosolic 2,3,7,8-tetrachlorodibenzo-p-dioxin receptor. Effects of structure on the affinities of substituted halogenated biphenyls--a QSAR analysis

The proposed mechanism of action of the toxic halogenated aromatics, typified by 2,3,7,8-tetrachlorodibenzo-p-dioxin (TCDD), involves the initial binding to a high-affinity, low-capacity, cytosolic receptor protein. Previous studies have shown that several 4'-halo-2,3,4,5-tetrachlorobiphenyls bind to the TCDD receptor and that a lateral substituent on both phenyl rings is required for activity. Using an extended series of eighteen 4'-substituted-2,3,4,5-tetrachlorobiphenyls as probes, the effects of a variable lateral substituent on receptor binding affinity and the induction of aryl hydrocarbon hydroxylase (AHH) in vivo and in rat hepatoma H-4-II E cells have been determined. For most substituents, there was an excellent correlation between the rank-order potency for receptor binding and the rank-order potency for AHH induction. Based on in vitro binding affinities (EC50 values) of the 4'-substituted tetrachlorobiphenyls, a multiparameter regression equation was formulated correlating the binding constants to physicochemical substituent parameters. For thirteen compounds out of the present series, multiple regression analysis of the binding data led to the following equation: log(1/EC50) = 1.53 sigma + 1.47 pi + 1.09HB + 4.08, r = 0.978. The results suggest that halogen substitution on both phenyl rings is not a requirement for binding and that hydrophobic (pi) and electronic (sigma) substituent constants and a variable for hydrogen bond (HB) formation are significant parameters describing relative binding avidities of this series of substituted biphenyls for the TCDD receptor.