Metabolism of inhaled styrene in acetone-, phenobarbital- and 3-methylcholanthrene-pretreated rats: stimulation and stereochemical effects by induction of cytochromes P450IIE1, P450IIB and P450IA.

1. The effect of various cytochrome P-450 inducers, namely acetone, phenobarbital (PB) and 3-methylcholanthrene (MC), on the pharmacokinetics of styrene metabolism was studied. 2. Styrene metabolism in vivo was studied measuring phenylglyoxylic acid (PGA), the enantiomers of mandelic acid (MA), and total thioethers excreted in the urine during a 24 h period of airborne exposure to styrene at 500 cm3/m3 (2100 mg/m3). In acetone-pretreated rats, PGA and MA and thioether formation were elevated 30-50%. The R/S ratio of MA enantiomers was about two in all styrene-exposed groups except PB-pretreated rats, which showed a ratio of four. 3. Styrene metabolism in liver microsomes measured in vitro was increased by styrene 140%, acetone plus styrene by 190%, methylcholanthrene plus styrene by 180% and phenobarbital plus styrene by 250%. 4. N-Nitrosodimethylamine demethylation (NDMAD) and 7-pentoxyresorufin dealkylation (PROD) in liver microsomes were enhanced 100-150% by styrene inhalation. The metabolism of 7-ethoxyresorufin was not significantly enhanced. 5. Monoclonal antibodies to P-450 IA1, IA2, IIB1 and IIE1 were utilized to identify cytochrome P-450s by Western blot analysis. These studies showed clearly that styrene inhalation induced principally cytochrome P450IE1, whereas styrene given by gavage at a high narcotic dosage induced both P450IIE1 (NDMAD, 60%) and P450IIB (PROD, 3000%). 6. Our conclusions are that styrene metabolism in vivo in both autoinduced and induced by other foreign compounds, that cytochrome P450IIE1 induction has a major impact on styrene metabolism and that P450IIB1 induction yields an altered MA metabolite enantiomer ratio.