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Updated: May 30, 2026

Measuring Rates of Herbicide Metabolism in Dicot Weeds with an Excised Leaf Assay
Published on: September 7, 2015
Human cytochrome P450 3A4 is involved in the biotransformation of the herbicide 2,4-dichlorophenoxyacetic acid
Z Mehmood1, M P Williamson, D E Kelly
1Krebs Institute for Biomolecular Research, Department of Molecular Biology and Biotechnology, University of Sheffield, Sheffield S10 2TN, UK.
Abstract:
2,4-Dichlorophenoxyacetic acid (2,4-D) is one of the most frequently used herbicides and is an environmental pollutant. Evidence exists that 2,4-D exposure results in an increased risk for certain malignant disorders such as nasal carcinoma and soft tissue sarcoma in humans and animals. The involvement of cytochrome P450 3A4 (CYP3A4), the major form of monooxygenase enzyme in human liver, in the metabolism of 2,4-D was studied using microsomal fractions and whole cells of Saccharomyces cerevisiae expressing cytochrome P450 3A4. 2,4-Dichlorophenol (2,4-DCP) was identified as the only product of metabolism by TLC followed by NMR and IR spectroscopy and a turnover of 0.13 nmol 2,4-DCP/min/nmol P450 was observed.
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