Effects of induction of cytochrome P-450 enzymes on the concentration of foreign compounds and their metabolites and on the toxicological effects of these compounds.

Most foreign compounds, including nonnutrients in foods and vapors in air, undergo extensive metabolism before they are eliminated from the body. Included in this paper are discussions of the urinary clearance of various kinds of foreign compounds, the nonspecific enzymes that catalyze the formation of many metabolites of foreign compounds, the mechanisms by which the activities of these enzymes are altered, and the pharmacokinetics of the accumulation and elimination of the metabolites after single dose administration and during constant exposure of animals to foreign compounds. The formation of toxic reactive metabolites of foreign compounds and their role in toxic reactions are discussed.