Gene/Protein Disease Symptom Drug Enzyme Compound
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Query: UMLS:C0027960 (mole)
 21,279 document(s) hit in 31,850,051 MEDLINE articles (0.00 seconds)

The chlorinated dibenzo-p-dioxins and dibenzofurans are formed as trace contaminants during the synthesis of a number of commercially important chemicals. The prototype compound of this group, 2,3,7,8-tetrachlorodibenzo-p-dioxin (TCDD), is one of the most potent low molecular weight toxins and teratogens known, and its inadvertent dispersion in the environment has caused concern about the potential hazard to human health. In studying the biochemical effects of TCDD, it was found to be extraordinarily potent as an inducer of two hepatic enzymes: 1) delta-aminolevulinic acid synthetase, the initial and rate-limiting enzyme in heme synthesis, and 2) aryl hydrocarbon hydroxylase, a cytochrome P-450-mediated microsomal monooxygenase. Among a series of halogenated dibenzo-p-dioxins there is an excellent correlation between their toxic potency and their potency as inducers of these two enzymes. The administration of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (e.g., 3-methylcholanthrene (MC)) to certain inbred strains of mice induces aryl hydrocarbon hydroxylase, while other inbred strains fail to respond; and the trait of aryl hydrocarbon responsiveness is inherited as an autosomal dominant. TCDD, about 30,000 times as potent as MC, induces all strains whether responsive or nonresponsive to MC; however, the responsive strains are more sensitive (ED 50 approximately 1 X 10(-9) mole/kg) to TCDD than are the nonresponsive strains (ED50 larger than or equal to 1 X 10(-8) mole/kg). The results suggest that the mutation in the nonresponsive strains results in a ligand binding site (an induction receptor) that has a diminished affinity for MC and TCDD. The correlation among the halogenated dibenzo-p-dioxins, between their potency as toxins and their potency as inducers of aryl hydrocarbon hydroxylase, is discussed in relationship to various proposed mechanisms of toxicity.
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PMID:2,3,7,8-Tetrachlorodibenzo-p-dioxin: environmental contaminant and molecular probe. 13 10

Sublethal doses of cadmium chloride (2.5, 5.0 and 10.0 mu mole/kg egg weight) were found to significantly alter the first two rate limiting enzymes of heme biosynthesis in chick embryos. Delta-aminolevulinic acid synthase activity was elevated by 2.05 and 2.11 fold with 5.0 and 10.0 mu moles of cadmium treatment respectively. However, this was reduced to 1.25 and 1.3 fold by the simultaneous administration of ascorbic acid. Blood delta-aminolevulinic acid dehydratase (ALA-D) activity was decreased by 48.4 and 55.0 per cent with 5.0 and 10.0 mu moles cadmium treatment respectively; in the presence of ascorbic acid only 18 and 24 per cent inhibition of ALA-D activity was observed. Further 1.39 and 2.08 fold accumulation of delta-aminolevulinic acid and 4.17 and 4.62 fold increase of blood porphyrins was observed in chick embryos treated with 5.0 and 10.0 mu moles cadmium respectively. This elevation of intermediate compounds of heme biosynthesis was effectively checked by the administration of ascorbic acid. Depletion of hepatic heme and free sulfhydryl level by cadmium were countered by the treatment of ascorbic acid. Hence, the present findings suggest the protective role of ascorbic acid against cadmium induced chemical porphyria in chick embryos.
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PMID:Regulation of cadmium induced porphyria by ascorbic acid in chick embryos. 179 97

2,3,7,8-Tetrachlorodibenzo-p-dioxin, a toxic contaminant frequently formed during the synthesis of the herbicide 2,4,5-trichlorophenoxyacetic acid, was shown to be a potent inducer of hepatic delta-aminolevulinic acid synthetase in the chick embryo. As little as 4.66 x 10(-12) mole of the contaminant per egg produces a significant increase in the activity of the enzyme. Induction of the enzyme is related to the dose of 2,3,7,8-tetrachlorodibenzo-p-dioxin and, in contrast to that produced with other drugs, is prolonged in time, with 70 percent of the maximum induced activity present 5 days after a single dose. This contaminant is implicated as the likely causative agent in an outbreak of porphyria cutanea tarda in workers in a factory where 2,4,5-trichlorophenoxyacetic acid was being synthesized.
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PMID:2,3,7,8-Tetrachlorodibenzo-p-dioxin: a potent inducer of -aminolevulinic acid synthetase. 470 42