Antioxidant and Antimutagenic Metabolites in Animals with Opposite Sensitivity to Tuberculosis Mycobacteria and Mutagenic Xenobiotics.

Different sensitivity of guinea pigs and rats to Mycobacterium tuberculosis and membranotropic mutagenic xenobiotics is associated with differences in the metabolism of amino acid precursors of phospholipids. In turn, specific features of phospholipid metabolism are determined by differences in the level of sulfur-containing regulatory metabolites (methionine, taurine, and glutathione) in tissues. Taurine and methionine increase organism's resistance to Mycobacterium tuberculosis (typical of rats), glutathione and its constituent amino acids improve resistance to the mutagenic effects of xenobiotics (typical of guinea pigs). These metabolites can be used for strengthening of natural resistance to tuberculosis and mutagenic and carcinogenic xenobiotics.