EFFECTS OF HORMINONE ON LIVER MIXED-FUNCTION MONO-OXYGENASES AND GLUTATHIONE ENZYME-ACTIVITIES OF WISTAR RAT

The present study reports on the effects of horminone on serum alanine aminotransferase (ALT) and aspartate aminotransferase (AST) levels, o n hepatic cytochrome P450 (P450) and cytochrome b(5) (cyt b(5)) conten ts and on the activities of NADPH-cytochrome P450 reductase (NR), mixe d function mono-oxygenases (MFO), glutathione-S-transferase (GST) and glutathione reductase (GR) of Wistar male rat. Horminone is a diterpen oid quinone (7,12-dihydroxyabiet-8,12-diene-11,14-dione) present in se veral species of the Labiatae family and used as medicinal plants in f olk medicine, In this study, horminone was administered by the intrape ritoneal route (i.p.) at a concentration of 1 or 10 mg/kg to each grou p of six mice, using water as a vehicle. On the one hand, results show ed that horminone increased serum ALT and AST levels and cyt b(5) cont ent and induced the activities of ethylmorphine N-demethylase (EMD). O n the other hand, horminone decreased P450 content and inhibited the a ctivities of 7-ethoxyresorufin O-deethylase (ERD), 7-ethoxycoumarin O- deethylase (ECD), aniline 4-hydroxylase (AH) and NR. Based on these re sults, the possibility of toxic effects occurring after administration of plant extracts containing horminone must be considered. (C) 1997 E lsevier Science Ireland Ltd.