Quantitation of tissue- and sex-specific induction of rat GSH transferase subunits by dietary 1,2-dithiole-3-thiones

Male and female Sprague-Dawley rats were maintained for 5 days on control diet or diet containing 0.075% (w/w) 1,2-dithiole-3-thione (D3T) or 5-(2-pyrazinyl)-4-methyl-1,2-dithiole-3-thione (oltipraz). The content of GSH transferase (GST) subunits 1a, 1b, 2, 3, 4, 6, 7, 8, 10 and 11 in the soluble fraction of liver, kidney, small intestine, stomach and lung of control and D3T-fed animals was determined. Liver and kidney were similarly analysed for the oltipraz-fed animals. Significant induction of GST subunits by D3T was seen in all tissues, the most substantial being subunits 7 in male liver (∼50-fold) and subunits 1b, 3 and 10 in male and female small intestine (5- to 16-fold). Generally subunits 7, 10, 1b and 3 were most affected, while subunits 6 and 8 were hardly inducible. Oltipraz caused qualitatively similar inductions in the liver and kidney. The effect of GSH transferase induction on the hepatic capacity for GSH conjugation of aflatoxin B₁ exo-8,9-oxide is assessed.