Aminopyrine and biphenyl metabolism in cultured hepatocytes. Induction by alcohols.

Exposure of cultured chick embryo hepatocytes to ethanol, isobutanol, or isopentanol, the predominant alcohols present in commercial alcoholic beverages, resulted in increased metabolism of aminopyrine or biphenyl by the intact cells. The increases correlated with induction of cytochrome P-450. Hydroxylation of biphenyl at the 4-position was preferentially increased in cells pretreated with either the alcohols or propylisopropylacetamide, a barbiturate-like inducer of cytochrome P-450. In contrast, exposure of the cells to 3,4,3',4'-tetrachlorobiphenyl, a planar polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon inducer of P-450, resulted in preferential increased hydroxylation at the 2- and 3-positions of biphenyl.