Lack of influence of butylated hydroxytoluene on modification of lung microsome mediated aflatoxin B1-DNA binding: role of pulmonary glutathione S-transferase.

Phenolic antioxidants such as butylated hydroxyanisole (BHA) and butylated hydroxytoluene (BHT) are known to inhibit tumor formation due to several chemical carcinogens including aflatoxin B1 (AFB1). Metabolic activation of AFB1 by lung microsomes and possible modification by dietary BHA was reported in an earlier communication (Allameh et al. (1988) Cancer Lett., 40, 49). Here we report the effect of dietary BHA at a high dose (0.75% for 15 days) and a low dose (0.06% for 180 days) on the activation and inactivation of AFB1 by subcellular preparations of lung. BHT at high dose alone induced hepatic cytosolic glutathione (GSH) S-transferases activity while the pulmonary enzyme was unaffected by BHT feeding. This observation was substantiated when the addition of lung cytosol from control and BHT-treated rats showed similar inhibition (50%) in the microsome mediated AFB1-DNA binding. Thus BHT appears to have little influence on the pulmonary metabolism of AFB1.