Role of cytochrome P-450 and related enzymes in the pulmonary metabolism of xenobiotics.

The lung metabolizes a wide variety of xenobiotics and, in the process, forms products that may be more or less toxic than the parent compound. The consequence of metabolism, activation or detoxication, is a function of the nature of the substrate and of the characteristics and concentrations of the enzymes involved. As a result, the biotransformation of xenobiotics can lead to their excretion or to the formation of reactive products that produce deleterious effects by binding covalently to tissue macromolecules. Among the enzymes that metabolize xenobiotics, those associated with the cytochrome P-450-dependent monooxygenase system are probably the most important. The route by which a given substrate is metabolized in a tissue or cell is, to a great extent, determined by the types and concentrations of cytochrome P-450 isozymes present. We are just beginning to understand the distribution of these enzymes in lung and to appreciate the species and cellular differences that exist.