Summary
The effects of vegetables on the activities of various metabolizing enzymes in liver and intestine have been studied intensively, whereas studies on effects on testicular metabolizing enzymes are lacking. The present report is the first describing the effects of dietary broccoli on the activities of a number of xenobiotic metabolizing enzymes from rat testes. Groups of male Wistar rats were fed a semisynthetic diet with 10% (w/w) freeze-dried broccoli for 1 week. Different broccoli samples with varying content of glucosinolates were used. Dietary broccoli significantly increased the activities of two testicular phase II enzymes — glutathione S-transferase (1.6-fold) and UDP-glucuronosyl transferase (1.8-fold). The activities of these enzymes differed significantly depending on the conditions during cultivation of the broccoli, because of differences in the content of glucosinolates and other secondary plant metabolites. The levels of two glutathione S-transferase subunits, rGSTM2 and RGSTA, were determined using Western blotting analysis and the levels of both subunits were reduced in animals fed broccoli grown at low S-fertilizer level. Broccoli did not statistically significantly modulate the activities of the phase I enzymes, epoxide hydrolase or NAD(P)H quinone-oxidoreductase, or the phase II enzyme p-sulphotransferase, or the anti-oxidative enzymes catalase and total glutathione peroxidase in rat testes. In general, dietary broccoli affects phase I and phase II enzyme levels in rat testes much less than found in liver, however, two rat testicular phase II xenobiotic metabolizing enzymes were induced.
This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.
Similar content being viewed by others
References
Hayes J.D., Pulford D.J. (1995): The glutathione S-transferase supergene family: regulation of GST and the contribution of the isoenzymes to cancer chemoprotection and drug resistance. Crit. Rev. Biochem. Mol. Biol., 30, 445–600.
Potter J.D., Steinmetz K. (1996): Vegetables, fruit and phytoestrogens as preventive agents. IARC Sci. Publ., 139, 61–90.
Steinmetz K.A., Potter J.D. (1996): Vegetables, fruit, and cancer prevention: a review. J. Am. Diet. Assoc., 96, 1027–1039.
Kim Y.I., Mason J.B. (1996): Nutrition chemoprevention of gastrointestinal cancers: a critical review. Nutr. Rev., 54, 259–279.
Vang O., Jensen H., Autrup H. (1991): Induction of cytochrome P-450IA1, IA2, IIB1, IIB2 and IIE1 by broccoli in rat liver and colon. Chem. Biol. Interact., 78, 85–96.
Vang O., Dragsted I. (1996): Naturally occurring antitumourigens — III. Indoles. Nordic Council of Ministers, Copenhagen.
Vang O., Rasmussen B.F., Sørensen H., Clausen J., Andersen O. (1995): The effect of dietary broccoli on oxidative stress biomarkers. Clin. Chem., 41, 1910–1911.
Verhoeven D.T.H., Verhagen H., Goldbohm R.A., Van den Brandt P.A., van Poppel G. (1997): A review of mechanisms underlying anticarcinogenicity by brassica vegetables. Chem. Biol. Interact., 103, 79–129.
Izzotti A., D’Agostini F., Bagnasco M. et al. (1994): Chemoprevention of carcinogen-DNA adducts and chronic degenerative diseases. Cancer Res., 54, 1994s-1998s.
Vang O., Rasmussen B.F., Andersen O. (1997): Combined effects of complex mixtures of potentially anti-carcinogenic compounds on antioxidant enzymes and carcinogen metabolizing enzymes in the rat. Cancer Lett., 114, 283–286.
Mehrotra K., Morgenstern R., Lundqvist G., Becedas I., Ahlberg M.B., Georgellis A. (1997): Effects of peroxisome proliferators and/or hypothyroidism on xenobiotic-metabolizing enzymes in rat testis. Chem. Biol. Interact., 104, 131–145.
Shertzer H.G., Sainsbury M. (1991): Chemoprotective and hepatic enzyme induction properties of indole and indenoindole autioxidants in rats. Food Chem. Toxicol., 29, 391–400.
Liu R.M., Vasiliou V., Zhu H. et al. (1994): Regulation of [Ah] gene battery enzymes and glutathione levels by 5,10-dihydroindeno[1,2-b]indole in mouse hepatoma cell lines. Carcinogenesis, 15, 2347–2352.
Wortelboer H.M., van der Linden E.C., de Kruif C.A. et al. (1992): Effects of indole-3-carbinol on biotransformation enzymes in the rat:in vivo changes in liver and small intestinal mucosa in comparison with primary hepatocyte cultures. Food Chem. Toxicol., 30, 589–599.
van Lieshout E.M., Posner G.H., Woodard B.T., Peters W.H.M. (1998): Effects of the sulforaphane analog compound 30, indole-3-carbinol, D-limonene or relafen on glutathione S-transferases and glutathione peroxidase of the rat digestive tract. Biochim. Biophys. Acta, 1379, 325–336.
Staack R., Kingston S., Wallig M.A., Jeffery E.H. (1998): A comparison of the individual and collective effects of four glucosinolate breakdown products from Brussels sprouts on induction of detoxification enzymes. Toxicol. Appl. Pharmacol., 149, 17–23.
Wallig M.A., Kingston S., Staack R., Jefferey E.H. (1998): Induction of rat pancreatic glutathione S-transferase and quinone reductase activities by a mixture of glucosinolate breakdown derivatives found in Brussels sprouts. Food Chem. Toxicol., 36, 365–373.
Manson M.M., Hudson E.A., Ball H.W. et al. (1998): Chemoprevention of aflatoxin B1-induced carcinogenesis by indole-3-carbinol in rat liver-predicting the outcome using early biomarkers. Carcinogenesis, 19, 1829–1836.
Stresser D.M., Williams D.E., McLellan I.I., Harris T.M., Bailey G.S. (1994): Indole-3-carbinol induces a rat liver glutathione transferase subunit (Yc2) with high activity toward aflatoxin B-1 exo-epoxide — association with reduced levels of hepatic aflatoxin-DNA adductsin vivo. Drug Metab. Dispos., 22, 392–399.
Gandy J., Primiano T., Novak R.F., Kelce W.R., York J.L. (1996): Differential expression of glutathione S-transferase isoforms in compartments of the testis and segments of the epididymis of the rat. Drug Metab. Dispos., 24, 725–733.
Münzel P.A., Bruck M., Bock K.W. (1994): Tissue-specific constitutive and inducible expression of rat phenol UDP-glucuronosyltransferase. Biochem. Pharmacol., 47, 1445–1448.
Kispert A., Meyer D.J., Lalor E., Coles B., Ketterer B. (1989): Purification and characterization of a labile rat glutathione transferase of the Mu class. Biochem. J., 260, 789–793.
Hsieh C-H., Tsai S.P., Yeh H.I., Sheu T.C., Tam M.F. (1997): Mass spectrometric analysis of rat ovary and testis cytosolic glutathione S-transferases (GSTs): identification of a novel class — alpha GST, rGSTA6*, in rat testis. Biochem. J., 323, 503–510.
Yoganathan T., Oyen O., Eskild W., Jahnsen T., Hansson V. (1989): Cellular localization and age dependent changes in mRNA for glutathione S-transferase-P in rat testicular cells. Biochem. Int., 19, 667–672.
Jensson H., Guthenberg C., Alin P., Mannervik B. (1986): Rat glutathione transferase 8-8, an enzyme efficiently detoxifying 4-hydroxyalk-2-enals. FEBS Lett., 203, 207–209.
Hiratsuka A., Sebata N., Kawashima K. et al. (1990): A new class of rat glutathione S-transferase Yrs-Yrs inactivating reactive sulfate esters as metabolites of carcinogenic arylmethanols. J. Biol. Chem., 265, 11973–11981.
Shimoji M., Aniya Y. (1994): Glutathione S-transferases in rat testis microsomes: comparison with liver transferase. J. Biochem., 115, 1128–1134.
Dierickx P.J. (1982): Soluble glutathione S-transferases from rat testes: isoenzyme pattern and lack of inducibility by drug metabolizing enzyme inducers. Toxicol. Eur. Res., 4, 47–51.
DiBiasio K.W., Silva M.H., Hammock B.D., Shull L.R. (1989): Effects of hepatic inducers on testicular epoxide-metabolizing enzymes in the rat and mouse. Fundam. Appl. Toxicol., 12, 449–459.
Sheehan D., Ryle C.M., Mantle T.J. (1984): Selective induction of glutathione S-transferase D in rat testis by phenobarbital. Biochem. J., 219, 687–688.
Peltola V., Huhtaniemi I., Metsa-Ketela T., Ahotupa M. (1996): Induction of lipid peroxidation during steroidogenesis in the rat testis. Endocrinology, 137, 105–112.
Vang O., Frandsen H., Hansen K.T., Nielsen J.B., Andersen O. (1999): Modulation of drug-metabolising enzyme expression by condensation products of indole-3-ylcarbinol, an inducer in cruciferous vegetables. Pharmacol. Toxicol., 84, 59–65.
Zhang Y., Talalay P., Cho C-G., Posner G.H., Cho C.G. (1992): A major inducer of anticarcinogenic protective enzymes from broccoli: isolation and elucidation of structure. Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. USA, 89, 2399–2403.
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
Vang, O., Mehrota, K., Georgellis, A. et al. Effects of dietary broccoli on rat testicular xenobiotic metabolizing enzymes. Eur. J. Drug Metab. Pharmacokinet. 24, 353–359 (1999). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF03190044
Received:
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF03190044