title: Xenobiotic metabolism in rat, dog, and human precision-cut liver slices, freshly isolated hepatocytes, and vitrified precision-cut liver slices.
abstract: Human, rat, and dog phase I and phase II xenobiotic metabolism in precision-cut liver slices and freshly isolated hepatocytes was compared using a range of substrates. Carbamazepine (50 microM) and styrene (2 mM) were used as probes to study the maintenance of cytochrome P450 and epoxide hydrolase-mediated metabolism in male Sprague-Dawley rat, precision-cut liver slices and hepatocytes. Carbamazepine metabolism in both models resulted in the formation of the bioactive 10,11-epoxide (KM = 766 microM and Vmax = 2.5 pmol/min/mg protein in precision-cut slices). Epoxide formation was higher (2.4-fold) in hepatocytes than slices. Styrene was deactivated to styrene diol at a higher rate in hepatocytes (9.7-fold) than slices. The lower rate of metabolism in slices compared with hepatocytes confirms our previous observations using testosterone, 7-ethoxycoumarin, 1-chloro-2,4-dinitrobenzene and 2-(5'-chloro-2'-phosphoryloxyphenyl)-6-chloro-4-(3H)-quinazolinone in the rat. Testosterone 6 beta-hydroxylation in human liver slices was similar to cultured hepatocytes, but lower than in freshly isolated hepatocytes. 7-Ethoxycoumarin O-deethylation was higher in freshly isolated human hepatocytes, as was the ratio of glucuronide to 7-hydroxycoumarin. Testosterone hydroxylations, 7-ethoxycoumarin O-deethylation, and 1-chloro-2,4-dinitrobenzene conjugation were also lower in male beagle dog slices, compared with freshly isolated hepatocytes. Attempts at long-term preservation of dog liver slices using vitrification and storage for up to 9 days at -196 degrees C resulted in the retention of phase I and phase II metabolism, although conjugation was lower than in freshly prepared slices. Xenobiotic metabolism in short-term incubations is consistently lower in dog and rat precision-cut slices than in freshly isolated hepatocytes; whereas, in humans, this quantitative difference is partly hidden by the large interindividual variation.
authors.affiliation: Department of Medicine and Therapeutics, University of Aberdeen.
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Ekins
authors.forename: J A
authors.initials: JA
authors.lastname: Williams
authors.forename: G I
authors.initials: GI
authors.lastname: Murray
authors.forename: M D
authors.initials: MD
authors.lastname: Burke
authors.forename: N C
authors.initials: NC
authors.lastname: Marchant
authors.forename: J
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Engeset
authors.forename: G M
authors.initials: GM
authors.lastname: Hawksworth
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000818:Animals; D002220:Carbamazepine / Q000378:metabolism; D003577:Cytochrome P-450 Enzyme System / Q000378:metabolism*; D004285:Dogs; D004851:Epoxide Hydrolases / Q000378:metabolism*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D066298:In Vitro Techniques; D008099:Liver / Q000201:enzymology* / Q000378:metabolism; D008297:Male; D051381:Rats; D017207:Rats, Sprague-Dawley; D020058:Styrene; D013343:Styrenes / Q000378:metabolism; D013739:Testosterone / Q000378:metabolism; D014021:Tissue Preservation; D015262:Xenobiotics / Q000378:metabolism*
chemical_list: D013343:Styrenes; D015262:Xenobiotics; D002220:Carbamazepine; D013739:Testosterone; D020058:Styrene; D003577:Cytochrome P-450 Enzyme System; D004851:Epoxide Hydrolases