Significance of Induction Phenomena

A number of foreign compounds induce the proliferation of the hepatic smooth endoplasmatic reticulum and thereby increase the activity of monooxygenases that metabolize drugs and other foreign compound. With reference to the safety of food additives some antioxidants have been examined by various authors for their inducing capacity, in doses well above those ingested with treated food and above the stipulated accepted daily intake (ADI). Thus feeding of rats with the very high dose of 500 mg/kg body weight of butylated hydroxtoluene (BHT) resulted in an increase in its own oxidative metabolism. Also in monkeys BHT produces an inductive increase of microsomal enzyme activity, cytochrome P 45…