ENHANCEMENT OF DIMETHYLNITROSAMINE METABOLISM AND ACTIVATION TO A MUTAGEN FOLLOWING CHRONIC ETHANOL-CONSUMPTION

  • 1 January 1981
    • journal article
    • research article
    • Vol. 41  (1) , 120-124
Abstract
Chronic ethanol ingestion in rats results in an increase in hepatic microsomal dimethylnitrosamine (DMN) demethylase activity and in an increase in hepatic microsomal activation of [the carcinogen] DMN to a mutagen. These effects of ethanol on DMN metabolism were detectable in vitro at DMN concentrations as low as 0.3-1 mM and as high as 100 mM. This ability of ethanol to increase the rate of DMN metabolism over such a broad range of DMN concentrations is in marked contrast to the effects of other microsomal enzyme inducers, such as phenobarbital and 3-methylcholanthrene, which increase the rate of DMN metabolism only at relatively high DMN concentrations and repress its metabolism at low DMN concentrations.

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