Evaluation of the induction of hepatic drug-metabolizing enzymes in the rat and mouse treated with temazepam using trimethadione as the indicator.

In the present paper we report the effect of high doses of temazepam on drug-metabolism induction in rat and mouse. Temazepam induced a dose-dependent and reversible increase of hepatic microsomal drug-metabolizing enzymes in the rat, dose-correlated increase of dimethadione/trimethadione ratios in plasma of the rat, and dose-related shortening of hexobarbital-induced sleeping time in the mouse. In this study trimethadione is considered a good indicator for estimating the state of hepatic enzyme induction.