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Reactive metabolites generated by benzo(a)pyrene(BP) monooxygenase(AHH) interact with nucleophiles in DNA and cause mutation and carcinogenesis. We studied the effect of Panax ginseng C.A. Meyer, which induce epoxide hydratase(EH) activity without concomitant induction of AHH activity, on the binding of BP metabolites to DNA in uitro in Sprague Dawley rats. DNA-BP metabolite adducts can be resolved into at least five distinct peaks by elution of a Sephadex LH-20 column with a water methanol gradieNt. These peaks are arbitrarily designated A(most polar) through I(least polar). Of the 5 peaks tentatively assigned to 7,8 biol-9,10-oxide(A),7,8·oxide(B),4,5-oxide(C), and further metabolites of 9-OH-BP(D & E), peaks A, C, D, and I were reduced to 70, 85, 80, and 30% of controls, respectively, and there was no significant change in peak B. In connection with this DNA binding study, BP metabolizing enzymes including AHH, EH, demethylase(DM) activity and cyt. P-450 contents were also investigated in order to compare the BP treated control with ginseng and BP treated test groups. The results showed that the EH activity was increased by 139% over the BP control, the Cyt. P-450 content was increased by 180% over the control value, and DM and AHH activities were also increased to some degree for the BP test group, but there was no significant effect of the ginseng treatment.
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