Abstract

Short-chain saturated halocarbons, including isoflurane and the chlorofluorocarbon substitute HCFC-123, can strongly potentiate the cytochrome P450-dependent oxidation of gaseous haloethenes, such as 2-chloro-1,1-difluoroethene (CDE) and vinyl chloride, in vivo and in vitro. P450 isozyme specificity in this effect is suggested by the fact that the interaction is pronounced in microsomes from rats treated with phenobarbital, but does not occur in microsomes of isoniazid- or beta-naphthoflavone-treated animals. We examined the effect of isoflurane on CDE defluorination in liver microsomes from 10 human organ donors to determine whether saturated halocarbon/haloethene interactions also occur in humans and, if so, to determine the cytochromes P450 involved. Three of the samples exhibited isoflurane-stimulated increases (24, 32, and 41%) in CDE defluorination; isoflurane either inhibited or had no effect on CDE metabolism in the other seven samples. Two samples in which isoflurane potentiated CDE metabolism to the greatest rates had higher coumarin 7-hydroxylase (indicative of CYP2A6), 7-ethoxycoumarin O-deethylase (CYP2B6), and nifedipine oxidase (CYP3A4) activities than the other eight samples. However, all 10 subjects had similar rates of phenacetin O-deethylation (CYP1A2) and chlorzoxazone 6-hydroxylation (CYP2E1). In microsomes from cells transfected with cDNAs coding for individual human P450s, CDE metabolism by CYP2B6 was stimulated (216%) by isoflurane, whereas isoflurane did not stimulate CDE metabolism by human CYP2A6, CYP3A4, CYP2D6, or CYP2E1. Isoflurane highly increased CDE defluorination in purified rat CYP2B1 (470%).(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)