Demonstration of mRNA for five species of cytochrome P450 in human bone marrow, bone marrow‐derived macrophages and human haemopoietic cell lines

The expression of mRNA for five cytochrome P450s (CYP1A1, 2A6/7, 2D6, 2E1 and 3A4) was studied in human bone marrow, bone-marrow-derived macrophages and blood monocyte-derived macrophages. Reverse transcriptase polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) detected expression of all five CYPs in each of these cell populations. All five CYPs were also expressed in the haemopoietic cell lines HL-60 and HEL and in Epstein-Barr virus (EBV)-transformed B-lymphoblastoid cell lines. The data suggest that bone marrow macrophages and probably other bone marrow cell types are capable of metabolizing xenobiotics. This metabolic potential may play a role in the bone marrow damage induced by some drugs and chemicals.