The inhibition and potentiation of procarbazine on hepatic mixed-function oxidases in phenobarbital tolerant and nontolerant mice.

The effect of procarbazine on mixed-function oxidases was investigated in naive and pentobarbital tolerant mice. In mice receiving procarbazine, 200 mg/kg, i.p. 1 hr earlier, metabolisms of pentobarbital, aniline and ethylmorphine in vitro and cytochrome P-450 content of hepatic microsomes were significantly decreased. The drug binding of either aniline or pentobarbital to cytochrome P-450 was also decreased. However, procarbazine failed to exert this effect after the enzymes had been induced by continuous administration of pentobarbital. Interestingly, procarbazine enhanced the barbiturate induced hepatic microsomal mixed-function oxidase activities when it was administered before the implantation of pentobarbital pellet. Both cytochrome P-450 and cytochrome b5 content after pentobarbital pellet implantation were further increased by pretreatment with procarbazine. This finding was further substantiated by the increase in pentobarbital and aniline binding to cytochrome P-450. The present studies may provide another model for studying the nature of hepatic mixed-function oxidase induction process.