The aim of this study was to investigate the possible effects of sulphite oxidase (SOX, E.C. 1.8.3.1) deficiency on xenobiotic metabolism. For this purpose, SOX deficiency was produced in rats by the administration of a low molybdenum diet with concurrent addition of 200 ppm tungsten to their drinking water. First, hepatic SOX activity in deficient groups was measured to confirm SOX deficiency. Then, aminopyrine N-demethylase, aniline 4-hydroxylase, aromatase, caffeine N-demethylase, cytochrome b5 reductase, erythromycin N-demethylase, ethoxyresorufin O-deethylase, glutathione S-transferase, N-nitrosodimethylamine N-demethylase and penthoxyresorufin O-deethylase activities were determined to follow changes in the activity of drug metabolizing enzymes in SOX-deficient rats. Our results clearly demonstrated that SOX deficiency significantly elevated A4H, caffeine N-demethylase, erythromycin N-demethylase and N-nitrosodimethylamine N-demethylase activities while decreasing ethoxyresorufin O-deethylase and aromatase activities. These alterations in drug metabolizing enzymes can contribute to the varying susceptibility and response of sulphite-sensitive individuals to different drugs and/or therapeutics used for treatments.

Pollution of the aquatic environment is a global concern owing to the devastating effects of contaminants whose levels are growing at an alarming rate, and it has become a major threat for marine organisms, as well as to humans as consumers. This study has been carried out on leaping mullet obtained from Aliaga Bay, which is located on the west coast of the Aegean Sea near Izmir and hosts the world's fifth largest shipyard, plus a broad range of industrial activities, including an oil refinery and a paper factory. The waste from these industries, combined with municipal sewer discharges, is the main cause of pollution in this region. There is no national documentation or research on the determination of pollution resulting from the industrial activities in this area. In the present study, the degree of induction of CYP4501A-associated 7-ethoxyresorufin O-deethylase (EROD) activity and immunochemical detection of CYP1A1 in the liver of leaping mullet (Lisa saliens) were used as biomarkers for the assessment of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon (PAH)-type organic pollutants in Aliaga Bay. Mullet caught from different locations of the bay had approximately 52 times more EROD activity than the feral fish sampled from a clean reference site near Foca, Izmir. The results of this study indicate that Aliaga Bay is highly contaminated with PAH-type organic pollutants.

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