2,3,7,8-Tetrachlorodibenzo-p-dioxin (TCDD) effects on hepatic microsomal cytochrome P-448-mediated enzyme activities.

The effects of 2,3,7,8-tetrachlorodibenzo-p-dioxin (TCDD) on hepatic microsomal mixed function oxidase (MFO) enzyme systems were examined in female rats. Although TCDD had little effect on NADPH-cytochrome c reductase activity and cytochrome P-450 content, the activities of the cytochrome P-448-mediated enzymes benzoα]pyrene hydroxylase, ethoxyresorufin O-deethylase, and biphenyl 2-hydroxylase were greatly increased. Three months after a single oral dose of 2 μg/kg TCDD, the cytochrome P-450 content and benzoα]pyrene hydroxylase and ethoxyresorufin O-deethylase activities were still significantly increased. In addition, the microsomal metabolism of the novel substrate 4,4′-dimethylbiphenyl was greatly increased by TCDD pretreatment. Low dose studies revealed that the ED50 of TCDD induction of benzoα]pyrene hydroxylase was 0.63 μg/kg and the lowest dose of TCDD which caused a significant increase in enzyme activity was 0.002 μg/kg. Studies in which 1,6-³H]TCDD was used to determine the extent of hepatic uptake of orally administered TCDD at the lowest effective dose of 0.002 μg/kg lead to the estimate that only 65 molecules of TCDD per hepatocyte were required to produce a measurable increase in benzoα]pyrene hydroxylation. These results attest to the specificity and persistence of TCDD in the induction of cytochrome P-448-mediated enzyme activities in rat liver. The small number of molecules required to induce benzoα]pyrene hydroxylase suggests that TCDD is among the most potent MFO-inducing agents yet demonstrated in mammalian liver.