Induction of liver and kidney CYP1A1/1A2 by caffeine in rat

Caffeine metabolism by hepatic microsomal P450 enzymes is well documented in experimental animals and humans. However, its induction effect on P450 enzymes has not been thoroughly studied. In a preliminary experiment, the time-dependent incubation of 1 mM caffeine with rat hepatocyte culture resulted in an increase of its own metabolic rate. The dose-dependent expression of rat hepatic and renal cytochromes (CYP) 1A1/1A2 was then investigated after per os administration of caffeine. P450 expression was monitored by using specific enzymatic activities and Northern blot analysis. Caffeine caused a dose-dependent elevation of hepatic CYP1A1/1A2 activities in microsomal preparations, which ranged from 1.7- to 6-fold for ethoxyresorufin O-deethylase and 3- to 8.9-fold for methoxy-resorufin O-demethylase according to the dose regimen of 50 and 150 mg caffeine/kg/day for 3 days, respectively. Northern blot analysis demonstrated that caffeine treatment increased liver CYP1A1 and CYP1A2 mRNA levels over the dose regimen of 50-150 mg caffeine/kg/day for 3 days, respectively. The result of this study demonstrates that caffeine increases its own metabolism in a dose-dependent manner and induces CYP1A1/1A2 expression through either transcriptional activation or mRNA stabilization.