The effect of quantity and quality of dietary protein on drug metabolism

Dietary protein deficiency is known to modify the response to the pharmacotoxicological activities of drugs and foreign compounds, due in part to altered rates of metabolism. Prediction of whether in vivo susceptibilities to foreign compounds are increased or decreased in protein deficient animals has been said to be related to the relative toxicites of the metabolic products. We have shown that weanling rats fed semipurified casein diets for 15 days show a 75% depression of hepatic microsomal mixed function oxidase activities. About one-fourth of this decrease is due to a retardation of the normal rate of liver cell proliferation and less microsomal protein; the remaining three-fourths is due to a reduction of the specific enzyme activity. This latter decrease is closely correlated with similar decreases in cytochrome P-450 and cytochrome c reductase activities and cytochrome P-450 contents. Although protein deficiency affects the relative contents of phosphatidylcholine and cytochrome P-450, this does not result in modifications of the Km for metabolism, as is seen with phenobarbital administration in the various dietary groups. The depression of mixed function oxidase enzyme activities caused by feeding the protein deficient diet for 15 days can be restored to normal by feeding the 20% casein diets for an additional 30 days in the case of aniline hydroxylase but only partially in the case of ethylmorphine N-demethylase. The complexities of determining the role of metabolism as a modulator of protein deficiency effects on foreign compound toxicity are discussed.