1. We have compared the response to griseofulvin of rats and mice and, in mice, the effect of griseofulvin itself with that of two of its analogues. The severity of protoporphyria shows a correlation with the accumulation of both types of N-alkylated porphyrins previously described after treatment with this drug, namely N-methylproptoporphyrin and the N-griseofulvin protoporphyrin adduct. 2. Both N-alkylporphyrins are chiral, are labelled from 5-amino[4-14C]laevulinate, and their liver accumulation can be inhibited by pretreatment with a suicide substrate of cytochrome P-450, which also prevents porphyria. 3. These findings suggest that cytochrome P-450 is involved in the mechanism of griseofulvin-induced protoporphyria by generating N-methylprotoporphyrin. The N-griseofulvin protoporphyrin adduct may also originate from cytochrome P-450, but more work is necessary to elucidate whether it acts as the precursor for N-methyl protoporphyrin.

griseofulvin-derived, alkylated protoporphyrins, N-methyl protoporphyrin