BACKGROUND The liver is the central organ for xenobiotic metabolism (XM) and is regulated by nuclear receptors such as CAR and PXR, which control the metabolism of drugs. Here we report that gut microbiota influences liver gene expression and alters xenobiotic metabolism in animals exposed to barbiturates. PRINCIPAL FINDINGS By comparing hepatic gene expression on microarrays from germfree (G...

Prediction of xenobiotic fate in fish is important for the regulatory assessment of chemicals under current legislation. Trout hepatocyte spheroids are a promising in vitro model for this assessment. In this investigation, the gene expression and function for xenobiotic metabolism and cellular efflux were characterised. Using fluorescence, transport and real time PCR analysis, the expression an...

Rhodococcus sp. WB1 is a polychlorinated biphenyl degrader which was isolated from contaminated soil in Zhejiang, China. Here, we present the complete genome sequence. The analysis of this genome indicated that a biphenyl-degrading gene cluster and several xenobiotic metabolism pathways are harbored.

Xenobiotics are defined as foreign compounds which are absorbed either intentionally or accidentally by animals or plants, and which lead to some physiological modifications. Thus, this term concerns a very wide range of chemical compound classes, including e.g. drugs, food additives, environmental contaminants or pesticides, each of which often requires the development of specific analytical s...

To commemorate the 50th anniversary of the Society of Toxicology, this special edition article reviews the history and current scope of xenobiotic metabolism and transport, with special emphasis on the discoveries and impact of selected "xenobiotic receptors." This overall research realm has witnessed dynamic development in the past 50 years, and several of the key milestone events that mark th...

Xenobiotic metabolism, which includes drug metabolism, has become a major pharmacological science with particular relevance to biology, therapeutics and toxicology. Drug metabolism is also of great importance inmedicinal chemistry because it influences in qualitative, quantitative, and kinetic terms the deactivation, activation, detoxification, and toxification of the vast majority of drugs. As...