Increased Microsomal Metabolism of n-Hexane in Rat Kidney and Liver After Inhalation of Isopropanol

Abstract
Inhalation of 200, 2,000, and 8,000 ppm isopropanol for 2 weeks enhanced the in vitro metabolism of n-hexane in microsomal preparations. The formation of the preneurotoxic metabolite 2-hexanol increased 9, 80, and 198%, respectively, in the kidney and 9, 22, and 132% in the liver. The concentration of cytochrome P-450 was also increased in a dose-dependent way with increases of 14, 40, and 43%, respectively, in the kidney and 6, 12, and 18% in the liver. The present investigation demonstrates similar effects of isopropanol after inhalation on kidney and liver microsomal enzymes. In both organs isopropanol was shown to potentiate the formation of neurotoxic metabolites from n-hexane. However, cytochrome P-450 appears to be more easily induced in kidney than in liver.