TY - JOUR T1 - REGULATION OF <em>CYP1A1</em> GENE EXPRESSION BY THE ANTIOXIDANT <em>TERT-</em>BUTYLHYDROQUINONE JF - Drug Metabolism and Disposition JO - Drug Metab Dispos SP - 1096 LP - 1101 DO - 10.1124/dmd.106.009662 VL - 34 IS - 7 AU - Thomas D. Schreiber AU - Christoph Köhle AU - Felicitas Buckler AU - Stefan Schmohl AU - Albert Braeuning AU - Alexander Schmiechen AU - Michael Schwarz AU - Peter A. Münzel Y1 - 2006/07/01 UR - http://dmd.aspetjournals.org/content/34/7/1096.abstract N2 - CYP1A1, a major phase I enzyme, plays an important role in the metabolism of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons and in the chemical activation of xenobiotics to carcinogenic derivatives. The phenolic antioxidant tert-butylhydroquinone (tBHQ), often used as a food preservative, is generally considered to act only as a mono-functional inducer of phase II enzymes, thereby exerting chemo-protection. However, we recently observed that tBHQ elevated the activity of an aryl hydrocarbon receptor (AhR) response element (DRE)-driven luciferase reporter in human colon carcinoma cells (Caco-2). Therefore, we studied the effects of tBHQ on the activity of a DRE-driven reporter, CYP1A1 mRNA expression, and CYP1A enzyme activity in Caco-2 cells and human HepG2 hepatoma cells. We found tBHQ caused induction of reporter activity and CYP1A1 expression and activity in Caco-2 and HepG2 cells. Moreover, tBHQ combined with 2,3,7,8-tetrachlorodibenzo-p-dioxin (TCDD) increased reporter activity and mRNA expression in Caco-2 cells in an additive manner. By contrast, tBHQ decreased TCDD-mediated induction of reporter activity and CYP1A1 mRNA expression in HepG2 cells. Resveratrol, an AhR antagonist, repressed the induction of CYP1A1 by tBHQ. Cotransfection of HepG2 cells with a dominant negative AhR nuclear translocator mutant abolished the tBHQ-induced CYP1A1 reporter activity. These findings indicate that CYP1A1 may be induced by the antioxidant tBHQ via an AhR-dependent mechanism. The American Society for Pharmacology and Experimental Therapeutics ER -