In the environmental sensitivity-related illnesses (SRIs), multiple chemical sensitivity (MCS), chronic fatigue syndrome (FCS), and fibromyalgia (FM), the search for genetic polymorphisms of phase I/II xenobiotic-metabolizing enzymes as suitable diagnostic biomarkers produced so far inconclusive results, due to patient heterogeneity, geographic/ethnic differences in genetic backgrounds, and dif...

Chemically induced rat liver nodules and cancers characteristically demonstrate a limited capacity to activate xenobiotics to reactive species mainly because of decreased amounts of cytochrome P-450. These lesions also show enhancement of xenobiotic detoxication by such mechanisms as enzymic conjugation or reduction of cytotoxic species. We recently demonstrated a similar pattern of metabolic a...

The nonsteroidal antiestrogen tamoxifen is widely used in breast cancer treatment and is currently under evaluation as a chemopreventive agent for individuals at high risk of contracting the disease. The effects of tamoxifen administration on the expression of xenobiotic metabolizing enzymes in F344 rat liver have been investigated. Tamoxifen administra tion for 7 days produced a dose-dependent...

Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) are ubiquitous environmental carcinogens and metabolized by a variety of xenobiotic-metabolizing enzymes such as cytochrome P450 (P450 or CYP), epoxide hydrolase, glutathione transferase, UDP-glucuronosyltransferase, sulfotransferase, NAD(P)H quinone oxidoreductase 1, and aldo-keto reductase. These enzymes mainly participate in the conversion of PAHs to m...

Mutagen sensitivity, measuring the extent of chromosome damage induced by an in vitro treatment of peripheral lymphocytes with bleomycin, has been associated with an increased risk of various human cancers. Sensitivity to bleomycin appears to have high heritability and is usually considered to reflect individual capacity to repair DNA lesions. Another potential contributor to variation in bleom...

Breast cancer is the major cause of cancer death in women worldwide. High penetrance genes account for only 5% of cases, whereas polymorphic low penetrance genes acting in concert with lifestyle/environmental risk factors are likely to account for a much higher proportion. Genotoxic compounds implicated in human breast carcinogenesis include endogenous compounds, estrogens, and dietary or envir...

Rat tracheal epithelial (RTE) cells were cultured on membrane support with and without retinoic acid (RA). In early (6-day-old) cultures, the epithelium is a monolayer or bilayer of undifferentiated cells and secretes little mucuslike product either in the absence or presence of RA. In late (12- to 15-day-old) cultures, the epithelium differentiates as a mucociliary epithelium in the presence o...

Introduction: Adequate screening methods are not available for early stage ovarian cancer detection. We hypothesised that correlating the levels of phase I and phase II biotransformation enzymes involved in estrogen metabolism and correlating it with cell proliferation and apoptosis evasion would provide key hallmark traits for ovarian malignancy. The aim of the study was to evaluate the expres...

Geraniol is a natural monoterpene showing anti-inflammatory, antioxidant, neuroprotective and anticancer effects. No pharmacokinetic and bioavailability data on geraniol are currently available. We therefore performed a systematic study to identify the permeation properties of geraniol across intestinal cells, and its pharmacokinetics and bioavailability after intravenous and oral administratio...

Breast cancer is the major cause of cancer death in women worldwide. High penetrance genes account for only 5% of cases, whereas polymorphic low penetrance genes acting in concert with lifestyle/environmental risk factors are likely to account for a much higher proportion. Genotoxic compounds implicated in human breast carcinogenesis include endogenous compounds, estrogens, and dietary or envir...