In vitro activation and resultant binding of benzo[a]pyrene to DNA by microsomes from rats fed corn and menhaden oils

Dietary lipids coinduce xenobiotic metabolizing enzymes in rat liver

We examined the role of dietary lipids in regulating the activities and amounts of epoxide hydrolase, UDP-glucuronosyltransferase and glutathione S-transferase in rat liver. Male Wistar rats were fed a fat-free (FF) diet or isocaloric control diet containing 5% corn oil (CO) or 5% fish oil (FO) for 3 weeks. The activities of these enzymes were approx. 2-fold higher in rats fed the FO diet vs. the FF diet. Intermediate levels of enzyme activity were found in rats fed the CO diet. Diet-induced differences in enzyme levels were shown by immunoblotting. The highest levels of epoxide hydrolase, UDP-glucuronosyltransferase and glutathione S-transferase were detected in rats fed the FO diet. The lowest levels of these enzymes were found in rats fed the FF diet. Intermediate levels of enzyme were found in rats fed the CO diet. Thus, diet-induced differences in enzyme activities were paralleled by changes in enzyme levels. Fatty acid analysis of microsomal lipids showed that the FF diet was associated with decreased levels of n-6 fatty acids vs. the CO diet. The FO diet resulted in increased levels of n-3 fatty acids vs. the other diets.

BP metabolism and the in vivo binding to hepatic DNA of rats fed diets containing menhaden fish oil

It is well established that dietary polyunsaturated omega-6 fatty acids promote tumorigenesis and support the activity of mixed-function oxidases (MFO), which are responsible for carcinogen activation. This study was undertaken to determine if increased levels of dietary menhaden fish oil (rich in omega-3 fatty acids) would affect in vivo binding of [3H]benzo[a]pyrene (BP) to rat liver DNA. The effects of dietary menhaden oil on the activities of phase I and phase II drug-metabolizing enzymes were also studied to determine the possible relationships between the activity of these enzymes and the binding of [3H]BP metabolites to liver DNA. Following a single intraperitoneal injection of [3H]BP, more BP was bound to liver DNA recovered from rats fed diet containing 20% menhaden oil for 11 days at all time intervals tested (16, 24, 48, and 192 hours) than was bound from rats fed 0.5% menhaden oil. The increased binding of [3H]BP to liver DNA of rats fed the high level of menhaden oil may be due, in part, to increases in the MFO responsible for BP activation (as suggested by increased cytochrome P-450 level and total BP hydroxylase activity). The higher concentrations of radioactivity extracted from blood of rats fed 20% menhaden oil diet at the initial time periods (16 and 24 hours) may be a reflection of the greater capacity of the liver to metabolize BP to more water-soluble metabolites. The maximum velocity (Vmax) for ethoxycoumarin O-dealkylase, expressed as nanomoles per milligram protein or per gram liver, was increased three- to fourfold by feeding the high level of menhaden oil. The differences in these enzymatic responses suggest that certain form(s) of cytochrome P-450 are preferentially increased by feeding the omega-3 fatty acids of menhaden oil.