The inhibition of bacterial bioluminescence by xenobiotics.

The effect of various xenobiotic substrates of microsomal cytochrome P-450, including dimethylaniline, ethylmorphine, hexabarbital and aminopyrine, on the bioluminescence of the bacteria Vibrio fischeri and the bacterial luciferase mixed-function oxidase system is described. These compounds are effective inhibitors of the luminescence reaction. The inhibition provided evidence for the competitive nature of the interactions between xenobiotics and an aliphatic aldehyde, which is a substrate of bacterial luciferase, at the binding site for cytochrome P-450. The bioluminescence method is suitable for the analysis of metabolism and detoxication of various xenobiotics.