Effects of garlic oil on rat hepatic P4502E1 expression

1. The effects of garlic oil (GO) on the expression of P4502E1, glutathione S-transferase (GST) and microsomal epoxide hydrolase (mEH) were assessed by metabolic activities, immunoblot and RNA blot analyses in the rat. 2. p-Nitrophenol (PNP) hydroxylase activity decreased in the hepatic microsomes isolated from rats treated with GO at 200 mg/kg b.w. by 10-30% as compared with control. Pyrazine-inducible P4502E1 expression was decreased by approximately 40% following concomitant treatment of animals with GO at the dose of 200 mg/kg from day 1 to 3 post-treatment, as evidenced by PNP hydroxylase activity. The rates of aniline hydroxylase and NDMA demethylase activities in GO-treated animals were consistent with those of PNP hydroxylase activity. Treatment of animals with 500 mg/kg GO resulted in suppression of P4502E1-mediated catalytic activities, as monitored by both PNP and aniline hydroxylase activities, whereas the effects at the dose of 1000 mg/kg were identical with those at 500 mg/kg b.w. 3. Immunoblot analyses of hepatic microsomes, using an anti-P4502E1 antibody, showed that GO minimally suppressed constitutive P4502E1 expression at 24, 48 and 72 h post-treatment at the daily doses from 200 to 1000 mg/kg b.w., as compared with vehicle-treated animals. Time-dependent pyrazine induction of P4502E1, however, was substantially blocked by concomitant treatment of animals with 200 mg/kg GO to the levels of control. Treatment at the dose of 1000 mg/kg failed to further suppress P4502E1 levels. GO treatment caused no changes in the levels of P4502E1 mRNA, as assessed by slot blot analyses. 4. Cytosol produced from the GO-treated rat showed approximately 40% increases in GST conjugating activity toward 1-chloro-2,4-dinitrobenzene, whereas mEH protein levels were 1.5-2.0-fold greater than control with similar increases in the mRNA levels noted. 5. These results demonstrate that GO suppresses inducible P4502E1 expression more significantly than constitutive expression, and that GO induces GST and mEH expression to a certain extent.