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Watanabe KP, Saengtienchai A, Tanaka KD, Ikenaka Y, Ishizuka M: Comparison of warfarin sensitivity between rat and bird species. Comp Biochem Physiol C Toxicol Pharmacol. 2010 Mar 24.
Scattering coumarin derivative rodenticides in broad areas have caused primary- and secondary-poisoning incidents in non-target wild birds. In this study, we compared factors determining warfarin sensitivity between bird species and rats based on vitamin K 2,3-epoxide reductase (VKOR) kinetics, VKOR inhibition by warfarin and warfarin metabolism assays. In VKOR characterization, chickens and ostriches showed significantly lower enzymatic efficiencies than rats (one-sixth and one-third, respectively), suggesting bird species depend more on a non-VKOR vitamin K source. On the other hand, the inhibition constants (K (i)) of VKOR for warfarin were significantly different between chickens and ostriches (11.3+/-2.5muM and 0.64+/-0.39muM, respectively). Interestingly, the ostrich K (i) was similar to the values for rats (0.28+/-0.09muM). The K (i) results reveal a surprising possibility that VKOR in some bird species are easily inhibited by warfarin. Warfarin metabolism assays also showed a large inter-species difference in bird species. Chickens and ostriches showed higher metabolic activity than that of rats, while mallards and owls showed only a slight ability to metabolize warfarin. In this study, we clarified the wide inter-species difference that exists among birds in xenobiotic metabolism and sensitivity to a rodenticide. |
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