Skip to main content

Thank you for visiting nature.com. You are using a browser version with limited support for CSS. To obtain the best experience, we recommend you use a more up to date browser (or turn off compatibility mode in Internet Explorer). In the meantime, to ensure continued support, we are displaying the site without styles and JavaScript.

  • Letter
  • Published:

Origin of Delayed Development of Drug Metabolism in the Newborn Rat

Nature volume 223, pages 68–70 (1969)Cite this article

Abstract

IN foetuses and newborn animals, the activity of the hepatic enzymes required to metabolize and conjugate drugs is low1–4, apparently because of a defect in enzyme synthesis5, and can be markedly compensated for by treating the newborn animals with various compounds—rats with 3,4-benzpyrene4 and rabbits or mice with phenobarbitone6–8, for example. Administration of these drugs to pregnant animals also increased the activity of drug metabolizing enzymes in the maternal liver4,9, but in most cases8,10,11 exerted little effect on the foetal liver. This indicates the complexities of induced drug metabolism during pregnancy.

This is a preview of subscription content, access via your institution

Access options

Buy this article

  • Purchase on Springer Link
  • Instant access to full article PDF
Buy now

Prices may be subject to local taxes which are calculated during checkout

Similar content being viewed by others

References

  1. Jondorf, W. R., Maickel, R. P., and Brodie, B. B., Biochem. Pharmacol., 1, 352 (1958).

    Article  Google Scholar 

  2. Brown, A. K., Zuelzer, W. W., and Burnett, H. H., J. Clin. Invest., 37, 332 (1958).

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  3. Fouts, J. R., and Adamson, R. H., Science, 129, 897 (1959).

    Article  ADS  CAS  Google Scholar 

  4. Inscoe, J. K., and Axelrod, J., J. Pharmacol. Exp. Therap., 129, 128 (1960).

    CAS  Google Scholar 

  5. Burns, J. J., Conney, A. H., and Koster, R., Ann. NY Acad. Sci., 104, 881 (1963).

    Article  ADS  CAS  Google Scholar 

  6. Catz, C., and Yaffe, S. J., Amer. J. Dis. Child., 104, 516 (1962).

    Google Scholar 

  7. Hart, L. G., Adamson, R. H., Dixon, R. L., and Fouts, J. R., J. Pharmacol. Exp. Therap., 137, 103 (1962).

    CAS  Google Scholar 

  8. Fouts, J. R., and Hart, L. G., Ann. NY Acad. Sci., 123, 245 (1965).

    Article  ADS  CAS  Google Scholar 

  9. Franke, K., and Klinger, W., Acta Biol. Med. Germ., 17, 507 (1966).

    CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  10. Yaffe, S. J., Levvy, G., Matsuzawa, T., and Baliah, T., New Engl. J. Med., 275, 1461 (1966).

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  11. Goetze, T., and Goetze, E., Acta Biol. Med. Germ., 7, 476 (1961).

    CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  12. Feuer, G., Food Cosmet. Toxicol. (in the press).

  13. Uehleke, H., Arch. Pharmak. Exp. Path., 259, 66 (1967).

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  14. Feuer, G., Golberg, L., and LePelley, J. R., Food Cosmet. Toxicol., 3, 235 (1965).

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  15. Conney, A. H., and Burns, J. J., Advances in Enzyme Regulation (edit. by Weber, G.), 189 (Pergamon Press, London, 1963).

    Google Scholar 

  16. Levvy, G. A., and Storey, I. D. E., Biochem. J., 44, 295 (1949).

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  17. Gilbert, D., and Golberg, L., Food Cosmet. Toxicol., 3, 417 (1965).

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  18. Hollman, S., and Touster, O., Biochim. Biophys. Acta, 62, 341 (1962).

    Article  Google Scholar 

  19. Tomlinson, G. A., and Yaffe, S. J., Biochem. J., 99, 507 (1966).

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  20. Denef, C., and de Moor, P., Endocrinol., 83, 791 (1968).

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  21. Zander, J., in Lloyd, C. W., Recent Progress in Endocrinology of Reproduction, 255 (Academic Press, London and New York, 1959).

    Google Scholar 

  22. Diczfalusy, E., and Magnusson, A. M., Acta Endocrinol., 28, 169 (1958).

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  23. Karnofsky, D. A., Hamre, P. J., and Hysom, G., Proc. Soc. Exp. Biol. NY, 93, 641 (1952).

    Article  Google Scholar 

  24. Holt, P. G., and Oliver, I. T., Biochem. J., 108, 339 (1968).

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  25. Lin, E. C., and Knox, W. E., Biochim. Biophys. Acta, 26, 85 (1957).

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  26. Remmer, H., Arch. Exp. Pathol. Pharmakol., 237, 296 (1958).

    Google Scholar 

  27. Litwack, G., and Nemeth, A. M., Arch. Biochem. Biophys., 109, 316 (1965).

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

Download references

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Pathological Chemistry, Banting Institute, University of Toronto,

    G. FEUER & A. LISCIO

Authors
  1. G. FEUER
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  2. A. LISCIO
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Cite this article

FEUER, G., LISCIO, A. Origin of Delayed Development of Drug Metabolism in the Newborn Rat. Nature 223, 68–70 (1969). https://doi.org/10.1038/223068a0

Download citation

  • Received:

  • Revised:

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/223068a0

This article is cited by

Comments

By submitting a comment you agree to abide by our Terms and Community Guidelines. If you find something abusive or that does not comply with our terms or guidelines please flag it as inappropriate.

Search

Advanced search

Quick links

Nature Briefing

Sign up for the Nature Briefing newsletter — what matters in science, free to your inbox daily.

Get the most important science stories of the day, free in your inbox. Sign up for Nature Briefing