Comparison of hydrolytic and conjugative biotransformation pathways in horse, cattle, pig, broiler chick, rabbit and rat liver subcellullar fractions.
- Comparative Study
- Journal Article
Summary
This study explores how the livers of various animals, both major and minor species intended for meat production, process foreign substances. The research highlights distinct patterns in the way these animals’ liver enzymes deal with outside chemicals and substances, potentially impacting our understanding of how different species’ bodies react to drugs and toxins.
Research Objectives and Methods
- The main aim of the research was to gain understanding of the basic activities of liver enzymes that metabolize xenobiotics in different species.
- The study involved determining and comparing microsomal carboxylesterases and conjugating enzyme activities in liver preparations from horses, cattle, pigs, rabbits, and broiler chicks, with rats used as a reference species.
Results and Findings
- Observations showed horses and broiler chicks have lower liver enzyme activity towards indophenyl or p-nitrophenyl acetate than cattle or pig liver subfractions.
- The glucuronidation rate, a crucial biological process in the body that facilitates the excretion of toxic substances and drugs, was highest in pigs and rabbits, followed by horses, cattle and broiler chicks. This determines how each species’ body would handle excretion of toxins.
- The acetylation capacity, which is another crucial process in drug metabolism, was highest in rabbits, 3 to 11 times higher than in any other species tested. However, measurable activities were also detected in horse and cattle liver fractions.
- The activity of cytosolic glutathione S-transferase (GST), an enzyme that plays a significant role in detoxification by catalysing the conjugation of many substances, was found to be higher in rabbits, horses, and pigs than in rats, chicken, and cattle.
- The team also found varying activity levels towards other tested GST substrates (3,4-dichloronitrobenzene, ethacrinic acid, and 1,2-epoxybutane), possibly due to the species-specific expression of different GST classes. In this aspect, the detoxifying ability of horses was seen to be higher or similar to other food-producing species.
In conclusion, the research provides invaluable insight into the species-specific metabolic activity levels towards xenobiotics. It helps to cement our understanding of the biological processes in different species and how their bodies process foreign substances, potentially impacting drug efficacy or toxicity across diverse species.
Cite This Article
Publication
Researcher Affiliations
- Department of Animal Pathology, Division of Pharmacology and Toxicology, University of Turin, Via Leonardo da Vinci 44, I-10095, Grugliasco.
MeSH Terms
- Acetyltransferases / metabolism
- Animals
- Biotransformation / physiology
- Liver / enzymology
- Microsomes, Liver / enzymology
- Species Specificity
- Substrate Specificity
- Xenobiotics / metabolism
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