PT - JOURNAL ARTICLE AU - A. M. GUARINO AU - T. E. GRAM AU - P. L. GIGON AU - F. E. GREENE AU - J. R. GILLETTE TI - Changes in Michaelis and Spectral Constants for Aniline in Hepatic Microsomes from Phenobarbital-Treated Rats DP - 1969 Mar 01 TA - Molecular Pharmacology PG - 131--136 VI - 5 IP - 2 4099 - http://molpharm.aspetjournals.org/content/5/2/131.short 4100 - http://molpharm.aspetjournals.org/content/5/2/131.full SO - Mol Pharmacol1969 Mar 01; 5 AB - Recent work has suggested that the rate of hepatic microsomal drug metabolism may be correlated with either the cytochrome P-450 content or the magnitude of the spectral change caused by the addition of substrates to microsomal suspensions. Accordingly, the relationships between these factors were investigated in 0.9% NaCl- and phenobarbital-treated intact, sham-operated, and partially hepatectomized rats. In intact animals phenobarbital produced a 3-4-fold increase in both microsomal aniline hydroxylase activity and cytochrome P-450 content, whereas in sham-operated or partially hepatectomized rats it produced a 4-fold increase in cytochrome P-450 content but only doubled aniline hydroxylase activity. Although phenobarbital treatment doubled the binding constants (K[unknown]) for aniline in all groups, it increased the maximum absorbance change (Amax) produced by the additione of aniline to microsomes about 7-fold in unoperated animals but only about 4-fold in the operated groups. It was found that the Michaelis constant (Km) and binding constant (K[unknown]) for aniline differ by a factor of 10 in microsomal preparations from intact animals. Phenobarbital treatment was found to elicit significant increases in both K[unknown], and Km for aniline. These changes in Km and K[unknown], imply that induction by phenobarbital may be associated with qualitative as well as quantitative changes in the hepatic microsomal aniline hydroxylase.