Factors influencing the activity of dimethylnitrosamine demethylase in hamster, rat and chicken liver microsomes.

In vitro metabolism of dimethylnitrosamine (DMN) by liver microsomal fractions of hamster, rat and chicken revealed that the three species under certain assay conditions, were capable of metabolizing DMN at different rates (hamster greater than rat greater than chicken). The magnitude of the demethylase activity was found to be dependent on the nature of the buffer, the concentration of cytochrome P-450 (P-450) and the concentration of the substrate DMN. Enzyme activity was higher in Hepes buffer than in the phosphate buffer. Concentrations of phosphate higher than 20 mM inhibited the activity of the rat and chicken enzymes. This effect of phosphate was not a consequence of increase in ionic strength since KCl over a wide range of concentration failed to inhibit the activity.