Kinetic characteristics of 3,4-benzpyrene hydroxylation in the liver microsomes of mice

The kinetic parameters of binding and hydroxylation of hydrophobic substrate 3,4-benzpyrene have been studied in liver microsomes of untreated and 3-methylcholanthrene treated mice. The reaction of benzpyrene-hydroxylase has been established to be described by hyperbolic curve, which characterizes the dependence of [ES] and d(P)/dt on [E0] for reactions in biphasic system. A key role of microsomal membraneous phospholipids has been revealed in competitive inhibition of 3,4-benzpyrene hydroxylation. For the adequate application of Michaelis--Menten theory for benzpyrene-hydroxylation reaction a modified method of 3,4-benzpyrene-hydroxylation in the samples with low content of protein in microsomal fraction is suggested.