Metabolic fate of the new anti-ulcer drug enprostil in animals. 4th communication: effect on hepatic drug metabolizing enzyme system in rats.

Effects of multiple oral administration of enprostil ((+/-)-11 alpha,15 alpha-dihydroxy-9-oxo-16-phenoxy-17,18,19,20-tetranorprosta- 4,5,13(t)-trienoic acid methyl ester, TA 84135) (20 micrograms/kg/d) and its solvent propylene carbonate (PC, 100 microliters/kg/d) on body weight gain, liver weight, hepatic drug metabolizing enzyme system and hexobarbital sleeping time were investigated in male rats during a 14-day period. Cytochrome P-450 content (as compared to the untreated control) and cytochrome b5 content (as compared to PC treated group) were slightly, but significantly, reduced in the group given a single oral dose of enprostil. However, these slight reductions were not augmented significantly by repeated administrations of enprostil. Slight but significant increase in microsomal protein content was observed in the group given 14 oral doses of enprostil and PC. Enprostil did not affect the other indicators used to evaluate the status of the hepatic drug metabolizing enzyme system. Additionally, single or multiple oral doses of enprostil or PC showed no effect on the hexobarbital-induced sleeping time. It therefore may be safely concluded that multiple oral administration, both of enprostil and of PC, has very little effect on drug metabolizing enzyme inducing or inhibiting activity in rats.