Catalyzes the oxidative metabolism of numerous xenobiotics, including mainly therapeutic drugs and insecticides that contain a soft nucleophile, most commonly nitrogen and sulfur and participates to their bioactivation (  ). Specifically catalyzes S-oxygenation of sulfur derived compounds such as thioureas-derived compounds, thioetherorganophosphates to their sulfenic acid (, ). In vitro, catalyzes S-oxygenation of the second-line antitubercular drugs thiacetazone (TAZ) and ethionamide (ETA), forming a sulfinic acid and a carbodiimide via a postulated sulfenic acid intermediate (, ). Also catalyzes S-oxygenation of the thioether-containing organophosphate insecticides, phorate and disulfoton .
Subcellular locations: Microsome membrane, Endoplasmic reticulum membrane
Expressed in lung (at protein level). Expressed predominantly in lung, and at a much lesser extent in kidney. Also expressed in fetal lung, but not in liver, kidney and brain.