Abstract
We investigated the drug-metabolizing capacity of the thymus, and compared it with that of the liver. An attempt was also made to characterize the activity of different thymic P450 enzymes. Post-mitochondrial and microsomal fractions of thymus were prepared from female rats. The microsomal enzyme inducers were pregnenolone-16α-carbonitrile (PCN), phenobarbital and acetone. The aromatic hydroxylation of zoxazolamine and p-nitrophenol, N-demethylation of ethylmorphine and erythromycin, and O-depentylation of pentoxyresorufin were assayed. It was found that thymic tissue could affect drug biotransformations. PCN, phenobarbital and acetone induced metabolism of both erythromycin and p-nitrophenol in liver and thymus. However, liver resorufin depentylase was induced only by phenobarbital; no activity was detected in thymus. The thymus can metabolize xenobiotics, although to a lesser extent than the liver. Classic microsomal inducers increased the drug-metabolizing activity of the thymus, and CYP3A1 and CYP2E1 activity was identified.
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