Ethanol consumption combined with smoking increases the risk of cancer
in many tissues. Such a mechanism implies the involvement of cytochro
me P450 alcohol (CYP2E1), which is regulated by numerous xenobiotics.
The combination of P450 2E1 inducers (acetone or pyridine) and 3-methy
lcholanthrene during rat treatment was shown to decrease the liver P45
0 2E1 content while it enhanced its expression in kidney. It is sugges
ted that this differential tissue response helps explain the organotro
py of nitrosamine carcinogenicity.