Ornithine decarboxylase induction and polyamine biosynthesis by phorone (diisopropylidene acetone), a glutathione depletor, in rats.

The administration of Phorone (diisopropylidene acetone, 250 mg/kg, ip.), a glutathione (GSH) depletor, markedly induced (400-fold of the control at 12 hr) ornithine decarboxylase (ODC) in the liver of rats. Parallel to ODC induction there was a marked increase in hepatic putrescine content. Phorone also produced an increase in spermidine content and a decrease in spermine content. The effects of phorone on ODC and putrescine content occurred dose-dependently with more than a 1000-fold increase in ODC activity over the controls at a dose of 500 mg/kg. Pretreatment of rats with buthionine sulfoximine, a GSH depletor by inhibition of biosynthesis, failed to inhibit phorone-mediated induction of ODC. In contrast, pretreatment with GSH, but not post-treatment, blocked the induction of ODC by phorone.