A highly sensitive fluorometric assay for the determination of monooxygenase activity in liver microsomes is described. The assay is based on the use of 3-chloro-7-methoxy-4-methylcoumarin which is demethylated to 3-chloro-7-hydroxy-4-methylcoumarin. The rate of formation of 3-chloro-7-hydroxy-4-methylcoumarin was recorded as an increase of fluorescence (λA = 380 nm, λF = 480 nm ) with time. When 3-chloro-7-methoxy-4-methylcoumarin was incubated in the presence of MgCl2and NADPH with rat liver microsomes, a continuous increase of the fluorescence could be measured. The reaction proceeded linearly for about 10 min and at least up to a concentration of 0.1 mg/ml of microsomal protein. Besides 3-chloro-7-hydroxy-4-methylcoumarin a hydroxylated derivative of the substrate was formed as a second metabolite during the incubation. Using an excitation wavelength of 480 nm and a fluorescence/em ission w avelength of 480 nm, the fluorescence of this substance (λA = 338 nm, λF = 422 nm ) amounted only to about 1% of the fluorescence of the main product. The use of 3-chloro-7-methoxy-4-methylcoumarin as substrate enables the fluorometric determination of the O-dealkylation activity of a cytochrom e P450-dependent monooxygenase system in rat liver which is inducible by phenobarbital but not by 3-methylcholanthrene.
