Species differences in hepatic pulmonary and upper gastrointestinal tract biotransformation enzymes on long-term feeding of masheri--a pyrolyzed tobacco product.

The activities of several activating enzymes and that of glutathione S-transferase as well as levels of glutathione were measured in the upper alimentary tract, lung, and liver of Swiss mice, Sprague-Dawley rats, and Syrian golden hamsters treated with 10% masheri (pyrolyzed tobacco) in diet for 20 months. Significant increase in activities of phase I activating enzymes and a remarkable decrease in the phase II detoxification system in most extrahepatic tissues of the treated animals of all three species was observed. These observations suggest that the prolonged exposure to environmental xenobiotics/carcinogens affects the drug-metabolizing enzymes of the gastrointestinal tract, which may be an important factor in determining the susceptibility of different organs to carcinogen exposure.