Effect of lindane on hepatic and brain cytochrome P450s and influence of P450 modulation in lindane induced neurotoxicity

Oral administration of lindane (2.5, 5, 10 and 15 mg/kg, body weight) for 5 days was found to produce a dose-dependent increase in the activity of P450 dependent 7-ethoxyresorufin-O-deethylase (EROD), 7-pentoxyresorufin-O-dealkylase (PROD) and N-nitrosodimethylamine demethylase (NDMA-d) in rat brain and liver. A significant increase in the hepatic and brain P450 monooxygenases was also observed when the duration of exposure of low dose (2.5 mg/kg) of lindane was increased from 5 days to 15 or 21 days. As observed with different doses, the magnitude of induction in the activity of P450 monooxygenases was several fold higher in liver microsomes when compared with the brain. Western blotting studies have indicated that the increase in the P450 enzymes could be due to the increase in the expression of P450 1A1/1A2, 2B1/2B2 and 2E1 isoenzymes. In vitro studies using organic inhibitors specific for individual P450 isoenzymes and antibody inhibition experiments have further demonstrated that the increase in the activity of PROD, EROD and NDMA-d are due to the increase in the levels of P450 2B1/2B2, 1A1/1A2 and 2E1 isoenzymes, respectively. Induction studies have further shown that while pretreatment of 3-methylcholanthrene (MC), an inducer of P4501A1/1A2, did not produce any significant effect in the incidence of lindane induced convulsions, pretreatment with phenobarbital (PB), an inducer of P450 2B1/2B2 or ethanol, an inducer of P450 2E1 catalysed reactions, significantly increased the incidence of lindane induced convulsions. Similarly, when the P450-mediated metabolism of lindane was blocked by cobalt chloride incidence of convulsions was increased in animals treated with lindane indicating that lindane per se or its metabolites formed by PB or ethanol inducible P450 isoenzymes are involved in its neurobehavioral toxicity.