Benzo[a]pyrene metabolism and excretion in white suckers with chronic liver diseases

Abstract

Wild white suckers (Catostomus commersoni) with diseased bile ducts excreted an oral dose of benzo[a]pyrene (BaP) into their bile as glucuronide, glutathione, and sulfo-conjugates at twice the rate (16.76 nmol/h) of an unaffected reference population (7.52 nmol/h). BaP-hydroxylase (10% higher in the diseased population), glutathione-S-transferase (similar), or uridine-5′-diphos-phoglucuronic acid transferase (50% lower) levels did not correlate with these excretion rates. Metabolite levels were 57% higher in the liver of affected suckers than those in the liver of reference suckers, which might be due to bile retention within the diseased bile ducts. The bile duct disease affecting white suckers does not appear to restrict the metabolism and excretion of BaP.