Hemin administration to rats reduces levels of hepatic mRNAs for phenobarbitone-inducible enzymes.

The levels of hepatic mRNAs for several enzymes involved in drug metabolism were measured following administration to rats of either phenobarbitone or 2-allyl-2-isopropylacetamide. There was a substantial elevation in the mRNA levels for cytochromes P450 IIB1, IIB2, and IIIA1, epoxide hydrolase, glutathione-S-transferase Ya/Yc subunit, UDP-glucuronosyltransferase isoenzyme (UDPGTr-2), NADPH-cytochrome P450 oxidoreductase, and 5-aminolevulinate synthase. When rats were treated with hemin, together with inducing drug, there was a marked reduction in the induced levels of these mRNAs, with decreases in the range of 55-95%. Basal levels of these mRNAs in the noninduced rat liver were also lowered by hemin administration. Nuclear run-on transcriptional experiments showed that hemin administration substantially lowered both the basal and drug-induced transcriptional activities of the genes for cytochrome P450IIB1/IIB2 and 5-aminolevulinate synthase. In contrast, the mRNA for heme oxygenase was elevated by hemin treatment, whereas the mRNA levels of beta-actin, albumin, and ornithine transcarbamylase, used as controls, were not affected. Treatment of rats with clofibrate resulted in increased levels of mRNA for cytochrome IVA1 and, in addition, those for cytochromes P450IIB1 and P450IIB2. Hemin administration repressed the induction of mRNA levels for cytochromes P450IIB1 and IIB2 but not that for cytochrome P450 IVA1. Additionally, the induction of P450IAI by beta-naphthoflavone was not affected by hemin. The results suggest that heme may negatively control the induction of cytochromes P450IIB1 and IIB2 and other hepatic enzymes by phenobarbitone and phenobarbitone-like drugs and perhaps play a role in regulating drug metabolism. There is, however, no evidence at present as to whether heme has a direct role in such a mechanism or whether injected hemin promotes a secondary response.