BACKGROUND Although smoking is the major causal factor in the development of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), only 10-20% of chronic heavy cigarette smokers develop symptomatic COPD which suggests the presence of genetic susceptibility. This genetic susceptibility to COPD might depend on variations in enzyme activities that detoxify cigarette smoke products such as microsomal epoxi...

Azathioprine (AZA), 6-mercaptopurine (6-MP), and 6-thioguanine (6-TG) are antimetabolite drugs, widely used as immunosuppressants and anticancer agents. Despite their proven efficacy, a high incidence of toxic effects in patients during standard-dose therapy is recorded. The aim of this study is to explain, from a mechanistic point of view, the clinical evidence showing a significant role of gl...

PURPOSE Both cytochrome P4501A1 (CYP1A1) and glutathione S-transferase M1 (GSTM1) have been demonstrated to be involved in the metabolism of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs). BaP 7,8-diol 9,10-epoxide (BPDE), an ultimate metabolite of benzo(a)pyrene (BaP), attacks deoxyguanosine to form a BPDE-N2-dG adduct resulting in p53 gene mutations. Our previous report indicated that BPDE-like DNA ...

1.143 (41.6 percent) of all 2.746 patients (visitors of my practise in Hamburg) between January 2000 and December 2003 answered a validated questionnaire about chemical symptoms called “modified QEESI”. The primary aim was the measurement and documentation of the scores of the first ten items named “sensitizing capabilities of chemicals” (SCC). Then without any medical information the molecular...

On June 9, 2003, we started free genetic tests of eight polymorphisms for health checkup examinees who attended a basic course at Nagoya University Hospital. They were informed of their genotypes within four weeks after blood donation for research purposes. The genotypes were those of alcohol dehydrogenase 2 (ADH2) Arg47His, aldehyde dehydrogenase 2 (ALDH2) Glu487Lys, NAD(P)H: quinone oxidoredu...

5-O-Caffeoylquinic acid (5-CQA) is one of the major bioactive ingredients in some Chinese herbal injections. Occasional anaphylaxis has been reported for these injections during their clinical use, possibly caused by reactive metabolites of 5-CQA. This study aimed at characterizing the bioactivation pathway(s) of 5-CQA and the metabolic enzyme(s) involved. After incubating 5-CQA with GSH and NA...