Of the microsomal P450 cytochromes, the ethanol-inducible isoform, P450 2E1, is believed to be predominant in leading to oxidative damage, including the generation of radical species that contribute to lipid peroxidation, and in the reductive j8-scission of lipid hydroperoxides to give hydrocarbons and aldehydes. In the present study, the sensitivity of a series of P450s to trans-4-hydroxy-2-nonenal (HNE), a known toxic product of membrane lipid peroxidation, was determined. After incubation of a purified cytochrome with HNE, the other components of the reconstituted system (NADPH-cytochrome P450 reductase, phosphatidylcholine, and NADPH) were added, and the rate of oxygenation of 1-phenylethanol to yield acetophenone was assayed. Inactivation occurs in a time-dependent and HNE concentrationdependent manner, with P450s 2E1 and lAl being the most sensitive, followed by isoforms 1A2, 3A6, and 2B4. At droperoxides to hydrocarbons and aldehydic acids-for example, the conversion of 13-hydroperoxy-9,11-octadecadienoic acid to pentane and 13-oxo-9,11-tridecadienoic acid-and the 2E1 cytochrome is one of the most active microsomal isoforms in this respect (4).The formation of reactive aldehydes, including alkenals, 2-alkenals, and 4-hydroxyalkenals, has been proposed to account for the cytotoxicity of lipid peroxidation products (5). trans-4-Hydroxy-2-nonenal (HNE), a major product that is particularly damaging, exhibits toxicity to cells (6), lyses erythrocytes (7), and inhibits DNA and protein synthesis (8, 9). HNE reacts with protein sulfhydryl groups to form thioethers (8, 10), with primary amino groups, and with histidine imidazole groups (11). Szweda et at (12) have described the inactivation of purified bacterial glucose-6-phosphate dehydrogenase by HNE accompanied by reaction with a lysine residue to give a stable secondary amine derivative, and more recently the formation of cross-linked protein less susceptible to proteolysis by the multicatalytic protease has been observed (13). In addition, Uchida and Stadtman have found that HNE inactivates purified rabbit muscle glyceraldehyde-3-phosphate dehydrogenase and at concentrations lower than 0.5 mM reacts primarily with cysteine and lysine residues (14).Since the first target of the toxic products of lipid peroxidation would be expected to be membranous enzymes, such as P450, we have undertaken a study of the sensitivity of hepatic microsomal P450 cytochromes to HNE. The present paper shows that the purified isozymes differ in the effect of HNE at various concentrations, with all of the cytochromes having decreased activity and with P450 2E1 being among the most strongly inactivated. Thus, the isoform that is particularly active in generating oxygen radicals that could initiate lipid peroxidation and in catalyzing the reductive cleavage of lipid hydroperoxides appears to be negatively regulated in the process. The observed inhibition of the various purified P450s and of P450 in microsomal membranes is of sufficient magnitude that it could cause significa...