THE RESPONSES OF HEPATIC MONOOXYGENASES OF GUINEA-PIG TO CADMIUM AND NICKEL

When Cd (3.58 mg CdCl2 . H2O/kg, ip) was administered to male guinea p igs 72 h prior to sacrifice, the metal significantly inhibited the ani line 4-hydroxylase (AH) (16%), ethylmorphone N-demethylase (EMND) (26% ), and aminopyrine N-demethylase (AMND) (18%) activities and cytochrom e P-450 (12%) and cytochrome b5 (10%) levels. Cd did not alter the hep atic microsomal heme level. Cd, however, significantly increased the h epatic microsomal p-nitroanisole O-demethylase (p-NAOD) (53%) activity . When Ni (59.5 mg NiCl2 . 6H2O/kg, sc) was administered to the guinea pigs 16 h prior to sacrifice, the metal significantly depressed AH (4 9%), p-NAOD (66%), EMND (47%), and AMND (37%) activities, and cytochro me P-450 (15%), cytochrome b5 (24%), and microsomal heme (28%) levels. For the combined treatment, animals received the single dose of Ni 56 h after the single dose of Cd and then were killed 16 h later. In the se animals, significant inhibitions were noted in AH (51%), EMND (47%) , and AMND (30%) activities, and cytochrome P-450 (15%), cytochrome b5 (26%), and microsomal heme (30%) compared to those of controls. In th e case of p-NAOD activity, the influence was in favor of Ni, i.e., the inhibition was about 61% by the combined treatment. These results rev eal that: 1. The response of all substrates of hepatic monooxygenases to Cd are not the same, possibly indicating differential regulation of cytochrome P-450 isozymes by Cd; 2. The inhibitory effect of Ni on he patic monooxygenases is more profound than that of Cd; and 3. The comb ination of Cd and Ni does not have a synergistic effect of hepatic mon ooxygenases of the guinea pig.