Metabolism and Binding of Aromatic Hydrocarbons in the Lung

Abstract

Experimental bronchiolar necrosis was elicited in mice and rats by a single intraperitoneal dose of bromobenzene or other aromatic hydrocarbon. the lesion was associated with the binding of a bromobenzene metabolite to bronchiolar epithelial cells. Pulmonary microsomal enzymes converted bromobenzene to a metabolite that became bound to microsomal proteins in vitro. These studies indicated that so-called drug metabolizing enzymes in the lung might be important determinants in the pathogenesis of bromobenzene-induced bronchiolar necrosis. It is possible that the activities of similar pulmonary enzymes could play a significant role in the pathogenesis of other pulmonary lesions related to foreign compounds.