3-Methoxy-4-aminoazobenzene, a selective inducer for a high spin form of cytochrome P-448 in rat liver microsomes.

Treatment of Sprague Dawley rats with 3-methoxy-4-aminoazobenzene (3-MeO-AAB) resulted in striking increase of the activity of hepatic microsomal cytochrome P-450s which could efficiently catalyze the mutagenic activation of hepatocarcinogenic aromatic amines such as a tryptophan-pyrolysate component, Trp P-2, and a glutamic acid-pyrolysate component, Glu P-1. The 3-MeO-AAB-induced cytochrome P-450 (3-MeO-AAB-P-450) was examined for the molecular character by immuno-Western blotting using monoclonal antibody to 3-methylcholanthrene-induced cytochrome P-448 (P-448H; m.w. 54,000).