Pyrazoles as effectors of ethanol oxidizing enzymes and inducers of cytochrome P450.

The effectiveness of pyrazoles acting as inhibitors of alcohol dehydrogenase in vitro or of ethanol metabolism by intact, isolated hepatocytes is influenced both by the hydrophobicity of the pyrazole and by the electronic properties of the substituents at the 4-position of the pyrazole ring. In contrast, the binding of pyrazoles to cytochrome P450 in vitro and the induction of P450(s) in cultured hepatocytes are dependent only on hydrophobicity. The high correlation between the binding of pyrazoles in vitro and their ability to induce P450(s) in cultured liver cells suggests as a working hypothesis that the pyrazole:P450 complex has a role in the induction process.