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Long term therapeutic drug monitoring and assessment of renal function are required in renal transplant recipients on immunosuppressant therapy such as tacrolimus. Dry blood spots (DBS) have been used successfully in the clinic for many years and offers a convenient, simple and non-invasive method for repeated blood tests. We developed and performed a preliminary validation of a method for the analysis of tacrolimus and creatinine from a single DBS using liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometric (LC–MS/MS). Tacrolimus and creatinine were extracted from a 6 mm punch with a mixture of methanol/acetonitrile containing ascomycin and deuterated creatinine as internal standards. A 10 μl aliquot of the extract was analyzed directly after dilution for creatinine with normal phase high performance liquid chromatography and multiple reaction monitoring. The remainder of the extract was processed and analyzed for tacrolimus. The lower limit of quantification for tacrolimus was 1 ng/ml with accuracy of 0.34% bias and precision (CV) of 11.1%. The precision ranged from 1.33% to 7.68% and accuracy from −4.44% to 11.6% bias for the intra- and inter-day analysis. The lower limit of quantification of creatinine was 0.01 mg/dL with precision of 7.94%. Accuracy was based on recovery of additional creatinine spiked into whole blood samples and ranged from −2.45% bias at 5 mg/dL to 3.75% bias at 0.5 mg/dL. Intra- and inter-day precision was from 3.48 to 4.11%. The assay was further validated with DBS prepared from pediatric renal transplant recipients. There was excellent correlation between the levels of tacrolimus and creatinine obtained from the clinical laboratory and the DBS method developed. After additional validation, this assay may have a significant impact on compliance with medication intake as well as potentially lowering the cost associated with intravenous blood draws in clinical laboratories.

A descriptor based computational model was developed for cytochrome P450 2E1 (CYP2E1) based on inhibition constants determined for inhibition of chlorzoxazone, or 4-nitrophenol, metabolism. An empirical descriptor for type II binding was developed and tested for a series of CYP2E1 inhibitors. Inhibition constants where measured for 51 different compounds. A fast 2-dimensional predictive model was developed based on 40 compounds, and tested on 8 compounds of diverse structure. The trained model (n = 40) had an r2 value of 0.76 and an RMSE of 0.48. The correlation between the predicted and actual pKi values of the test set of compounds not included in the model gives an r2 value of 0.78. The features that described binding include heme coordination (type II binding), molecular volume, octanol/water partition coefficient, solvent accessible surface area, and the sum of the atomic polarizabilities. The heme coordination parameter assigns an integer between 0 and 6 depending on structure, and is a new descriptor, based on simple quantum chemical calculations with correction for steric effects. The type II binding parameter was found to be important in obtaining a good correlation between predicted and experimental inhibition constants increasing the r2 value from 0.38 to 0.77.

Human liver CYP2E1 is a monotopic, endoplasmic reticulum-anchored cytochrome P450 responsible for the biotransformation of clinically relevant drugs, low molecular weight xenobiotics, carcinogens, and endogenous ketones. CYP2E1 substrate complexation converts it into a stable slow-turnover species degraded largely via autophagic lysosomal degradation. Substrate decomplexation/withdrawal results in a fast turnover CYP2E1 species, putatively generated through its futile oxidative cycling, that incurs endoplasmic reticulum-associated ubiquitin-dependent proteasomal degradation (UPD). CYP2E1 thus exhibits biphasic turnover in the mammalian liver. We now show upon heterologous expression of human CYP2E1 in Saccharomyces cerevisiae that its autophagic lysosomal degradation and UPD pathways are evolutionarily conserved, even though its potential for futile catalytic cycling is low due to its sluggish catalytic activity in yeast. This suggested that other factors (i.e. post-translational modifications or “degrons”) contribute to its UPD. Indeed, in cultured human hepatocytes, CYP2E1 is detectably ubiquitinated, and this is enhanced on its mechanism-based inactivation. Studies in Ubc7p and Ubc5p genetically deficient yeast strains versus corresponding isogenic wild types identified these ubiquitin-conjugating E2 enzymes as relevant to CYP2E1 UPD. Consistent with this, in vitro functional reconstitution analyses revealed that mammalian UBC7/gp78 and UbcH5a/CHIP E2-E3 ubiquitin ligases were capable of ubiquitinating CYP2E1, a process enhanced by protein kinase (PK) A and/or PKC inclusion. Inhibition of PKA or PKC blocked intracellular CYP2E1 ubiquitination and turnover. Here, through mass spectrometric analyses, we identify some CYP2E1 phosphorylation/ubiquitination sites in spatially associated clusters. We propose that these CYP2E1 phosphorylation clusters may serve to engage each E2-E3 ubiquitination complex in vitro and intracellularly.

A phase I study of fixed-dose 5-fluorouracil (FU) and leucovorin (LCV), with excalating doses of the selective cyclooxygenase-2 (COX-2) inhibitor celecoxib, was conducted in 16 patients with advanced colorectal adenocarcinoma. At doses typically used to treat arthritis patients (100-200 mg po BID), celecoxib did not increase toxicities expected from the chemotherapy alone. 5-FU and leucovorin did not affect COX-2 inhibition by celecoxib. Preliminary data suggest it is safe to combine celecoxib with standard chemotherapeutic agents, in treatment of patients with colorectal cancer.

Studies have shown that mammalian cytochromes p450 participate in the metabolism of terpenes, yet their role in the biotransformation of farnesol, an endogenous 15-carbon isoprenol, is unknown. In this report, [(14)C]-farnesol was transformed to more polar metabolites by NADPH-supplemented mammalian microsomes. In experiments with microsomes isolated from acetone-treated animals, the production of one polar metabolite was induced, suggesting catalysis by CYP2E1. The metabolite was identified as (2E, 6E, 10E)-12-hydroxyfarnesol. In studies with purified CYP2E1, 12-hydroxyfarnesol was obtained as the major product of farnesol metabolism. Among a series of available human p450 enzymes, only CYP2C19 also produced 12-hydroxyfarnesol. However, in individual human microsomes, CYP2E1 was calculated to contribute up to 62% toward total 12-hydroxyfarnesol production, suggesting CYP2E1 as the major catalyst. Mammalian cells expressing CYP2E1 demonstrated further farnesol metabolism to alpha,omega-prenyl dicarboxylic acids. Since such acids were identified in animal urine, the data suggest that CYP2E1 could be an important regulator of farnesol homeostasis in vivo. In addition, CYP2E1-dependent 12-hydroxyfarnesol formation was inhibited by pharmacological alcohol levels. Given that farnesol is a signaling molecule implicated in the regulation of tissue and cell processes, the biological activity of ethanol may be mediated in part by interaction with CYP2E1-dependent farnesol metabolism.

Cytochrome P450 (CYP) 2E1 is induced by ethanol and is postulated to be a source of reactive oxygen species during alcoholic liver disease. However, there was no difference in liver pathology and radical formation between wild-type and CYP2E1 knockout mice fed ethanol. Other CYP isoforms may contribute these effects if CYP2E1 is inhibited or absent. The purpose of this study was, therefore, to determine if blocking most of the P450 isoforms with 1-aminobenzotriazole (ABT; 100 mg/kg i.g.), has any effect on liver damage and oxidative stress due to alcohol in rats and mice. Male C57BL/6 mice and Wistar rats were fed either high-fat control or ethanol-containing enteral diet for 4 weeks. ABT had a significant inhibitory effect on many P450 isoforms independent of concomitant alcohol administration. However, ABT did not protect against liver damage due to alcohol in either species. Indices of oxidative stress and inflammation were also similar in livers from vehicle-treated and ABT-treated animals fed ethanol. In summary, suppression of P450 activity with ABT had no apparent effect on oxidative stress caused by alcohol in both rats and mice. These data support the hypothesis that oxidative stress and liver damage can occur independently of CYP activities in both rats and mice during early alcohol-induced liver injury.

Spherical harmonic error analysis fully relies on the validity of the a priori observational and stochastic models. In this paper we validate error analysis results of the gradiometer mission GOCE by a full-fledged spherical harmonic coefficient recovery. Both methods (least squares error analysis and full recovery) are based on a semi-analytical approach. The results compare very well in spectral and spatial domains. Thus, it is demonstrated that, besides being fast, the least squares error analysis is a reliable premission error assessment tool.

Administration of bacterial lipopolysaccharide (LPS) to laboratory animals and cultured macrophages induces tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-alpha), a pro-inflammatory cytokine. Pretreatment with Ginkgo biloba extract (EGb 761) inhibited the in vivo production of TNF-alpha (measured by ELISA) after challenge with LPS. To begin to understand the mechanism of this inhibition, we evaluated the in vitro effects of EGb 761 and its flavonoid component, quercetin, on LPS-treated RAW 264.7 macrophages. Pretreatment with EGb 761 or quercetin concentration-dependently inhibited TNF-alpha release, as measured by the L929 fibroblast assay. Northern blotting demonstrated that quercetin inhibited LPS-induced TNF-alpha mRNA, but did not alter its half-life. Activation of mitogen-activated protein kinases (MAPKs) and the redox-sensitive transcription factors, nuclear factor-kappaB (NF-kappaB) and activator protein 1 (AP-1), are key events in the signal transduction pathways mediating TNF-alpha induction. Phosphorylation of extracellular signal-related kinases 1 and 2 (ERK 1/2), p38 MAPK, and Jun N-terminal kinase/stress-activated protein kinase (JNK/SAPK), members of the MAPK family, was analyzed by western blotting. Our results suggest that quercetin is unique in its ability to inhibit TNF-alpha transcription by inhibiting the phosphorylation and activation of JNK/SAPK and, therefore, suppressing AP-1-DNA binding [assessed by electrophoretic mobility shift analysis (EMSA)]. Results from western analysis, EMSA, and transient transfections suggest that EGb 761 diminishes LPS-induced NF-kappaB but has no effect on LPS-induced TNF-alpha transcription. Both EGb 761 and quercetin inhibited ERK1/2 phosphorylation and p38 MAPK activity, which are important in the post-transcriptional regulation of TNF-alpha mRNA.

Bullfrogs (Rana catesbeiana) anesthetized with a large dose of thiopental (42.8 mg/kg) retained movement responses to nociceptor stimuli despite an average plasma drug level of 51 mg/l, of which 63% was bound to plasma proteins. This concentration, when corrected to include only unbound and uncharged drug, was 2-fold greater than those reported to abolish nociceptor response (NR) during surgical anesthesia in man. The median anesthetic dose (AD50) for loss of the righting reflex was 11.2 mg/kg by s.c. injection into the abdominal lymph sac; however, at 54.0 mg/kg, all frogs retained NRs, although otherwise deeply anesthetized. The ratio of NR-blocking dose to light AD was thus >4.8, as compared to

Till the present day the recovery of the lunar gravity field from satellite tracking data depends in a crucial way on the level and method of regularisation. With Earth-based tracking only, the spatial data coverage is limited to only slightly more than 50% and the inverse problem remains severely ill-posed. The development of global gravity models suitable for precise orbit modeling as well as geophysical studies therefore requires a significant level of regularisation, limiting the solution power over the far-side where no gravity information is available. Unconstrained solutions, within the framework of global harmonic base functions, are only possible for very low degrees (

1,3-Butadiene (BD) is a gas used widely in the rubber and plastics industry as an intermediate in production processes and has been detected in automobile exhaust and cigarette smoke. BD requires metabolic activation to exert toxicity and has been shown to be carcinogenic in rodents. IARC has classified BD as a group 2A (probably carcinogenic to humans) carcinogen. The initial oxidation of BD to butadiene monoxide (BMO) occurs primarily via cytochrome P450 2E1 and two stereoisomers of BMO (R and S) can be formed. (R) and (S)-BMO are metabolized differently and demonstrate markedly different toxicities in isolated rat hepatocytes. This work examined the generation of (R) and (S)-BMO from BD by cytochrome P450 2E1 from rabbit, rat and human. BMO level was measured by GC-MS analysis and enantiomeric composition was determined by GC-FID. The greatest rate of formation of BMO from BD was obtained with rabbit cytochrome P4502E1 followed by human and then by rat. Enantiomeric distribution of R and S-BMO produced by the three species demonstrated no significant differences.

The determination of the earth's gravity field from satellite gravity gradiometry is an inverse or ill-posed problem requiring regularization. In geodesy the regularization is usually done by adding a priori information, Kaula's rule for example. This can be interpreted as constraining the signal. In the present study satellite gravity gradiometry measurements are considered so one could also imagine to constrain the second derivatives of the gravity potential. The aim here is to compare the regularization by constraining the signal itself to regularization by constraining the second derivatives. This is done for several gradiometric mission scenarios. The comparison is based on the mean square error of the solutions, which is the sum of the propagated error and the, often neglected, regularization error. The total error of the solutions is computed and the errors are propagated to geoid heights as well. The main conclusions are that the signal constraint is more satisfactory than the second derivative constraint, that the regularization error is not negligible and that additional measurements or other solution methods are needed.

The role of cytochrome P450 metabolism of fatty acids and lipid peroxidation in the alterations of the fatty acid composition of the liver and liver pathology was investigated. The CYP2E1 inhibitors partially prevented CYP2E1 induction by ethanol and completely blocked lipid peroxidation. However, the liver pathology induced by ethanol was only partially prevented as was the decrease in arachidonic acid in total liver lipid, triglycerides and cholesterol esters. This means that liver peroxidation induced by ethanol can not completely account for the liver pathology or the decrease in arachidonic acid caused by ethanol. Lauric acid omega-1 hydroxidation by the liver microsomes in vitro was increased by ethanol and partially blocked by CYP2E1 inhibitors. However, although ethanol feeding increased the total hydroxidation and epoxidation of arachidonic acid, these were not inhibited by CYP2E1 inhibitors. Thus the ethanol-induced arachidonic acid depletion is not likely due to CYP2E1 metabolism of arachidonic acid, since the severity of liver pathology correlated negatively with the decrease in arachidonic acid in the ethanol-fed rats. The increase in its metabolism by microsomes and decrease in synthesis may be an important mechanism of ethanol-induced liver injury.

Incubation of Vicia sativa microsomes, containing cytochrome P450-dependent lauric acid omega-hydroxylase (omega-LAH), with [1-(14)C]11-dodecynoic acid (11-DDYA) generates a major metabolite characterized as 1,12-dodecandioic acid. In addition to time- and concentration-dependent inactivation of lauric acid and 11-DDYA oxidation, irreversible binding of 11-DDYA (200 pmol of 11-DDYA bound/mg of microsomal protein) at a saturating concentration of 11-DDYA was observed. SDS-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis analysis showed that 30% of the label was associated with several protein bands of about 53 kDa. The presence of beta-mercaptoethanol in the incubate reduces 1,12-dodecandioic acid formation and leads to a polar metabolite resulting from the interaction of oxidized 11-DDYA with the nucleophile. Although the alkylation of proteins was reduced, the lauric acid omega-hydroxylase activity was not restored, suggesting an active site-directed inactivation mechanism. Similar results were obtained when reconstituted mixtures of cytochrome P450 from family CYP4A from rabbit liver were incubated with 11-DDYA. In contrast, both 11- and 10-DDYA resulted in covalent labeling of the cytochrome P450 2B4 protein and irreversible inhibition of activity. These results demonstrate that acetylenic analogues of substrate are efficient mechanism-based inhibitors and that a correlation between the position of the acetylenic bond in the inhibitor and the regiochemistry of cytochromes P450 oxygenation is essential for enzyme inactivation.

The 2-phenylindole system has proved to be a versatile structure for the design of potent antiestrogens, especially when functional groups have been introduced into the alkyl side chain in position 1. In analogy to steroidal structures such as ICI 164,384 a number of 2-phenylindoles with carbamoylalkyl and aminoalkyl side chains were synthesized. They bind to the calf uterine estrogen receptor with relative binding affinities between 2.1 and 21 (estradiol = 100). The antiestrogenic effect of these compounds was demonstrated by the inhibition of transcriptional activity which was measured in a new luciferase assay with the EREwtc luc as reporter plasmid. The derivative with a methyl-n-propyldodecanamide side chain (4h) antagonized the effect of estradiol (10(-9) M) completely at concentrations of 10(-7) M and higher. As a sensitive model for quantification of estrogenic and antiestrogenic effects in vitro we used HeLa-cells cotransfected both with the reporter plasmid and estrogen receptor expression vectors HEG0 and HE0. In cells transfected with these vectors transcriptional activity was strongly dependent on side chain structure. With mutated receptors we were able to show that this activity was mainly due to TAF-1 whereas TAF-2 remained silent. When we studied the effect of some of the new compounds in vivo using the mouse uterine weight assay, we observed a correlation between transcriptional activity in transfected HeLa cells and estrogenic effects in mice. Two of the 1-carbamoylalkyl-2-phenylindoles (4f, 4h) proved to be "pure" antiestrogens both in vitro and in vivo. In estrogen-sensitive MCF-7 breast cancer cells, they strongly inhibit cellular growth. Some of the IC50-values were close to 10(-8) M.

When reconstituted with cytochrome b5 and NADPH cytochrome P450 oxidoreductase, cytochrome P450 2E1 metabolized lauric, stearic, oleic, linoleic, linolenic, and arachidonic acid to multiple metabolites. Two major metabolites, accounting for 78% of the total metabolism, were produced with arachidonic acid. The Vmax for total metabolite formation from arachidonic acid was 5 nmol/min/nmol P450 with an apparent Km of 62 microM. Gas chromatography-mass spectrometry analysis identified the two major metabolites as monohydroxylated eicosatetraenoic acids (HETEs). The major HETE was 19-hydroxyeicosatetraenoic acid (19-HETE) and comprised 46% of the total metabolite produced. The second metabolite was the omega-2 hydroxylated metabolite (18-HETE) and comprised 32% of the total product formed. Chiral analysis demonstrated that 19-HETE was 70% 19(S)-HETE and 30% 19(R)-HETE. In contrast, 18-HETE was essentially 100% R isomer. Approximately 18% of the total metabolite produced from arachidonic acid coeluted with epoxyeicosatrienoic acid (EET) standards. The EET metabolites were 56.4% 14,15-EET and 43.6% as a mixture of 11,12-EET and 8,9-EET. 5,6-EET was not detected. Anti-P450 2E1 IgG inhibited arachidonic acid metabolism by renal and hepatic microsomes prepared from acetone-treated rabbits. With renal cortex microsomes, the formation of 18-HETE and 19-HETE was inhibited 67 and 25%, respectively, by the antibody. Liver microsomal formation of 18-HETE was inhibited by 87% and 19-HETE by 70%. Thus, under conditions where cytochrome P450 2E1 is induced, the enzyme could contribute significantly to the formation of the omega-1 and omega-2 hydroxylated metabolites of arachidonic acid.

A rabbit cytochrome P450 which catalyzes the epoxidation of arachidonic acid to two of the four possible regioisomeric epoxyeicosatrienoic acid metabolites was purified from renal cortex. A small amount of the unresolved omega/omega-1 hydroxylated eicosatetraenoic acid products were also produced. The enzyme had a specific content of 8.4 nmol of P450/mg of protein and exhibited a single band on sodium dodecyl sulfate-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis after silver staining. Sequencing revealed a single NH2-terminal amino acid sequence with the first 20 residues identical to rabbit cytochrome P450 2C2. We suggest this enzyme be termed P450 2CAA (for arachidonic acid) until the complete sequence and substrate selectivity are established. Purified P450 2CAA was in the low spin state as evidenced by an absorption maximum at 415 nm; the reduced-carbonyl complex exhibited a maximum at 451 nm. The specific activity for metabolism of 7 microM arachidonic acid was 1.1 nmol of product formed/min/nmol of P450. About 75% of the metabolites were two of the four possible epoxyeicosatrienoic acids identified as the 11,12- and 14,15-epoxyeicosatrienoic acids by coelution with synthetic and commercial standards on reversed and normal-phase high pressure liquid chromatographic separations. The ratio of the 11,12- to 14,15-epoxyeicosatrienoic acids was 1.5:1. The purified enzyme exhibited no significant activity toward 7-ethoxyresorufin or progesterone, but demethylated aminopyrine and benzphetamine. Other fatty acids were also substrates for the enzyme. Oleic, linoleic, and lauric acids, all at about 10 microM, were metabolized at rates of 0.32, 0.72, and 0.73 nmol/min/nmol of P450, respectively. Monoclonal antibody that cross-reacts with P450 2C2 inhibited 63% of the microsomal epoxidation activity from renal cortex microsomes from phenobarbital-treated rabbits. The production of the epoxide metabolites of arachidonic acid suggests that P450 2CAA may have a significant role in arachidonic acid-mediated intra- and intercellular signalling pathways.

A new isozyme of cytochrome P-450 has been purified to electrophoretic homogeneity from hepatic microsomes of rabbits treated chronically with ethanol. Several criteria indicate that the ethanol-inducible cytochrome, which has a minimal molecular weight of 51,000 and is designated form 3a on the basis of its relative electrophoretic mobility, is distinct from the known isozymes of P-450. As judged spectrally, the new isozyme is high spin in the oxidized state, as is form 4, but differs in that the spin state is unperturbed by nonionic detergents. The absolute spectrum of the ferrous carbonyl complex of form 3a is red shifted as compared to that of forms 2, 3b, 3c, 4, and 6 and exhibits a maximum at 452 nm. The amino acid composition of form 3a is different from that of the other isozymes, and both the NH2- and COOH-terminal sequences are distinct; form 3a has an NH2-terminal alanine and a carboxyl-terminal leucine residue. Peptide mapping by sodium dodecyl sulfate-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis following treatment with papain, chymotrypsin, or Staphylococcus aureus V8 protease and by high performance liquid chromatography following trypsinolysis indicates that form 3a is a unique gene product. This cytochrome displays the highest activity of all of the rabbit isozymes in the oxidation of ethanol to acetaldehyde and the p-hydroxylation of aniline when reconstituted with NADPH-cytochrome P-450 reductase and phospholipid in the presence of NADPH and oxygen.

The ethanol-induced rabbit liver microsomal cytochrome P-450, P-450LM3a, has been shown previously to efficiently catalyze the demethylation of N-nitrosodimethylamine (NDMA) with a Km of 2.9 mM. Since the predominant Km in hepatic microsomes from ethanol-treated rabbits is 0.07 mM, the role of P-450LM3a in the activation of this carcinogen has been uncertain. In the present study, antibodies to P-450LM3a were shown to almost completely inhibit NDMA demethylation by the purified P-450 in a reconstituted system as well as the low-Km activity of liver microsomes from control or ethanol-treated rabbits. In contrast, the antibody did not inhibit the high-Km NDMA demethylase activity in the microsomes. These results indicate that P-450LM3a is the major P-450 responsible for the low-Km NDMA demethylase activity. In addition, evidence is provided for the existence of a cytochrome immunochemically similar to P-450LM3a in liver microsomes from rats, mice, and guinea pigs that effectively catalyzes the demethylation of NDMA.

Liver microsomes from rabbits treated chronically with ethanol were solubilized and fractionated to yield a new isozyme of cytochrome P-450 in a homogeneous state. This cytochrome, designated as isozyme 3a on the basis of its relative electrophoretic mobility, is distinct from the known isozymes as judged by its spectral properties, minimal molecular weight, amino acid composition, and NH 2 - and COOH-terminal amino acid sequences. In addition, peptide mapping by high performance liquid chromatography following trypsinolysis indicates that form 3a is a unique gene product. This cytochrome has unusually high activity in the oxidation of ethanol and other alcohols to aldehydes and in the p -hydroxylation of aniline as compared with the other isozymes of P-450. The ethanol-oxidizing activity of isozyme 3a, which requires the presence of NADPH and NADPH-cytochrome P-450 reductase and is stimulated by the presence of phosphatidylcholine, is not due to contamination by catalase or an NAD + -or NADP + -dependent alcohol dehydrogenase.

A new isozyme of cytochrome P-450, designated from 3a on the basis of its relative electrophoretic mobility, has been purified to homogeneity from liver microsomes of rabbits treated chronically with ethanol. This cytochrome has the highest activity of the known rabbit P-450 isozymes in the oxidation of ethanol to acetaldehyde. In view of the reports of others that the hepatotoxicity of acetaminophen is increased in ethanol-treated animals and the human alcoholic, we have determined the activity of the six available P-450 isozymes in the activation of the drug to give an intermediate which forms a conjugate with reduced glutathione. Isozyme 3a, 4, and 6, the three major forms of cytochrome P-450 present in liver microsomes from rabbits chronically treated with ethanol, exhibited the highest activities in the reconstituted enzyme system, whereas isozymes 3b and 3c were 10- to 20-fold less effective and phenobarbital-inducible isozyme 2 was essentially inactive, even in the presence of cytochrome b5. The results obtained thus indicate that induction by ethanol of P-450 isozyme 3a may contribute to the toxicity of acetaminophen but that other cytochromes also play a significant role.

The effect of flavone and 7,8-benzoflavone on the metabolism of benzo[a]pyrene to fluorescent phenols by five cytochrome P-450 isozymes obtained from rabbit liver microsomes was determined. Benzo[a]pyrene metabolism was stimulated more than 5-fold by the addition of 600 microM flavone to a reconstituted monooxygenase system consisting of NADPH, cytochrome P-450 reductase, dilauroylphosphatidylcholine, and cytochrome P-450LM3c or cytochrome P-450LM4. In contrast, an inhibitory effect of flavone on benzo[a]pyrene metabolism was observed when cytochrome P-450LM2, cytochrome P-450LM3b, or cytochrome P-450LM6 was used in the reconstituted system. 7,8-Benzoflavone (50-100 microM) stimulated benzo[a]pyrene metabolism by the reconstituted monooxygenase system about 10-fold when cytochrome P-450LM3c was used, but benzo[a]pyrene hydroxylation was strongly inhibited when 7,8-benzoflavone was added to the cytochrome P-450LM6-dependent system. Smaller effects of 7,8-benzoflavone were observed on the metabolism of benzo[a]pyrene by the cytochrome P-450LM2-, cytochrome P-450LM3b-, and cytochrome P-450LM4-dependent monooxygenase systems. These results demonstrate that the activating and inhibiting effects of flavone and 7,8-benzoflavone on benzo[a]pyrene metabolism depend on the type of cytochrome P-450 used in the reconstituted monooxygenase system.

The form of liver microsomal cytochrome P-450 induced by chronic administration of ethanol to rabbits, designated as P-450ALC or P-450 isozyme 3a, has been purified to homogeneity as judged by several criteria, including NH2- and COOH-terminal amino acid sequence determination. The reconstituted alcohol-P-450 oxygenase (APO) system containing P-450ALC and NADPH-cytochrome P-450 reductase catalyzes the oxidation of a variety of primary and secondary alcohols to aldehydes and ketones, including methanol, ethanol, n-propanol, n-butanol, 2-butanol, n-pentanol, and cyclohexanol. Other purified P-450 cytochromes, including isozymes 2, 3b, 3c, 4, and 6, are much less active than P-450ALC in the oxidation of alcohols. That P-450ALC functions in ethanol oxidation in liver microsomal membranes as well as in the reconstituted system was shown by immunochemical experiments involving inhibition by sheep anti-P-450ALC antibodies. We conclude that P-450ALC is the predominant ethanol-oxidizing cytochrome present after induction by chronic alcohol administration and that the other P-450 cytochromes have low but significant activity in both control and ethanol-induced animals.

Rabbit liver microsomal cytochrome P-450 catalyzes the dealkylation of a variety of substrates when organic hydroperoxides, peracids, or peroxyesters are substituted for NADPH and O2. The peroxide-supported demethylation of p-nitroanisole by rabbit liver microsomes exhibited normal Michaelis-Menten kinetics with respect to both substrates. The Vmax values for the hydroperoxide-dependent reactions were dependent on the identity of the hydroperoxide and with several of the peroxides they were significantly greater than those obtained with NADPH and O2. The pH profiles for the hydroperoxide-supported demethylations were similar to the profile for the NADPH-supported reaction and exhibited optima from 7.0 to 7.6, depending on the identity of the organic oxidant. The kinetic mechanism of the t-butyl hydroperoxide-supported demethylation of p-nitroanisole was determined. Plots of reciprocal velocity versus the reciprocal concentration of either substrate at several different fixed concentrations of the other substrate converged to common points of intersection on the negative side of the ordinate and above the abscissa, suggesting a sequential mechanism involving the formation of a ternary complex between cytochrome P-450, p-nitroanisole, and t-butyl hydroperoxide followed by one or more reactions and the subsequent release of the products. Potassium cyanide was a competitive inhibitor with respect to t-butyl hydroperoxide and uncompetitive with respect to p-nitroanisole. t-Butyl alcohol, a product of the t-butyl hydroperoxide-supported reaction, was a noncompetitive inhibitor with respect to both substrates. These results, which indicate that the reaction proceeds via an Ordered Bi Bi mechanism in which p-nitroanisole binds to the enzyme prior to the binding of t-butyl hydroperoxide, are discussed in relationship to the peroxidase-type mechanism which has been suggested for the action of cytochrome P-450.

In this study, using a combination of immunological and enzymatic characterizations, we compared the forms of cytochrome P-450 induced by ethanol and glutethimide in primary cultures of chicken embryo hepatocytes. Recently we purified a cytochrome P-450 of 50K molecular weight from chicken embryo liver using glutethimide as a prototypic inducer. Antibodies to both this chicken cytochrome P-450 and to rabbit cytochrome P-450 form 3a from the IIE subfamily detected microsomal proteins of 50K induced by either ethanol or glutethimide in cultured chick embryo hepatocytes, indicating the antigenic homology of these subfamilies of cytochromes P-450 among different animal species. However, the antibody to glutethimide-induced chick cytochrome P-450 of 50K inhibited p -nitrophenol hydroxylase and benzphetamine demethylase activities 85–90% in microsomes from both ethanol- and glutethimide-treated cells, indicating similar epitopes whose integrity is required for catalytic activity. In contrast, antibodies to rabbit cytochrome P-450 form 3a had little to no effect on these same microsomal activities. Both ethanol and glutethimide induced microsomal p -nitrophenol and aniline hydroxylase activities in cultured chick embryo hepatocytes. In microsomes from ethanol-treated cells, the turnover of p -nitrophenol per cytochrome P-450 was 2-fold greater than that induced by glutethimide treatment, suggesting that ethanol is inducing a form of cytochrome P-450 that has greater catalytic activity with this substrate than glutethimide-induced forms. Thus, in cultured chick embryo hepatocytes, ethanol may induce cytochromes P-450 from both the IIB and IIE subfamilies.

The peroxidase-supported N-demethylations catalyzed by chloroperoxidase, a heme protein isolated from Caldariomyces fumago, have been investigated as models for cytochrome P-450-catalyzed N-dealkylations. The turnover number for the ethyl hydrogen peroxide-supported dealkylation of N,N-dimethylaniline by chloroperoxidase (1476) was much greater than that for cytochrome P-450-catalyzed dealkylations. The dealkylations of N,N-dimethylaniline by chloroperoxidase yielded N-methylaniline and formaldehyde in equimolar amounts with no other products detectable by high pressure liquid chromatography analysis of the reaction mixture. Ethyl hydrogen peroxidase could be replaced by other hydroperoxides, peroxides, or peracids. Chloride ions stimulated the reaction at low pH. The dealkylation reaction exhibited normal Michaelis-Menten saturation kinetics with respect to N,N-dimethylaniline (Km = 0.08 mM) and ethyl hydrogen peroxide (Km = 0.8 mM) at low substrate concentrations. However, substrate inhibition occurred at higher concentrations of N,N-dimethylaniline. The chloroperoxidase-catalyzed demethylations were inhibited by inhibitors of cytochrome P-450 such as azide or n-propyl gallate, but not by metyrapone, SKF-525A, or piperonyl butoxide. Although tiron and DL-epinephrine, trapping agents for the superoxide anion, inhibited the demethylation reactions, superoxide dismutase had no effect. There was no significant inhibition by alpha-phenyl-t-butyl-nitrone or 5,5-dimethyl-pyrroline-N-oxide, which react with free radicals. Diphenylfuran and DL-histidine, which react with singlet oxygen, did not inhibit the reaction. Substitution of D2O for H2O resulted in a marked inhibition with a solvent isotope effect (VH/VD) of 3.6. Chloroperoxidase did not catalyze the demethylation of N,N-dimethylaniline-N-oxide, indicating that the reaction does not proceed via an N-oxide intermediate.

In this report, the identity of the cytochrome P450 isozyme(s) catalyzing the hydroxylation of benzene and the major hydroxylated metabolite of benzene, phenol, was investigated using rabbit hepatic microsomes and six purified isozymes of hepatic P450. Microsomes from acetone-treated rabbits showed about a 5-fold induction of benzene hydroxylation to phenol and hydroquinone. This increase correlated with the increase in form 3a determined immunochemically (about 7-fold). Antibody to isozyme 3a inhibited greater than 90% of the benzene and phenol hydroxylase activity of hepatic microsomes from acetone-treated rabbits. At high benzene concentrations (2 mM) in the presence of cytochrome b5, form 3a was 1.3 times more active than form 2 and 7- to 10-fold more active than forms 3b, 3c, 4, and 6. At lower benzene concentrations (about 0.3 mM) form 3a was 5-fold more active than form 2. Furthermore, form 3a was the only isozyme to produce significant quantities of hydroquinone as did microsomes from acetone-treated rabbits. When phenol was used as the substrate, hydroquinone was the only product detected, and acetone treatment induced its formation 4- to 5-fold. Purified form 3a was 20- to 30-fold more active than the next most active isozyme, form 6, depending on the presence or absence of cytochrome b5. These results suggest that isozyme 3a (P450IIE1) is a low-Km benzene hydroxylase and the principal phenol hydroxylase in rabbit hepatic microsomes. As a result, the induction of isozyme 3a could potentiate the toxicity of benzene by catalyzing an increase in the formation of both phenol and hydroquinone.

Incubation of prostaglandin E1 (PGE1) with liver microsomes from control rabbits and from rabbits treated with ethanol or imidazole yielded 18-, 19-, and 20-hydroxy metabolites, representing hydroxylation at omega-2, omega-1, and omega carbons, respectively. The current investigation demonstrates that rabbit liver P-450 isozyme 6 effectively catalyzes the omega-1 and omega-2 hydroxylation of PGE1 and PGE2. Additionally, a small amount of product with chromatographic characteristics of the corresponding 20-hydroxy metabolite has been detected. The incorporation of cytochrome b5 into the reconstituted system did not enhance the rate of PGE1 hydroxylation and had no effect on the ratio of products formed. The Km value for the omega-1 and omega-2 hydroxylation of PGE1 with P-450 isozyme 6 from imidazole-treated rabbits was approximately 140 microM; the Vmax's (nmol product min-1 nmol P-450-1) were 2.1 and 1.1 for the omega-1 and omega-2 hydroxylations, respectively. These rates represent the highest activities by hepatic P-450 isozymes for hydroxylation of PGs, and suggest that isozyme 6 is responsible for the omega-2 hydroxylation of PGEs observed in rabbit liver microsomes.

Nine distinct monoclonal antibodies raised against purified rat liver cytochrome P -450c react with six different epitopes on the antigen, and one of these epitopes is shared by cytochrome P -450d. None of these monoclonal antibodies recognize seven other purified rat liver isozymes (cytochromes P -450a, b, and e–i) or other proteins in the cytochrome P -450 region of “Western blots” of liver microsomes. Each of the monoclonal antibodies was used to probe “Western blots” of liver microsomes from untreated, or 3-methylcholanthrene-, or isosafrole-treated animals to determine if laboratory animals other than rats possess isozymes immunochemically related to cytochromes P -450 and P -450d. Two protein-staining bands immunorelated to cytochromes P -450c and P -450d were observed in all animals treated with 3-methylcholanthrene (rabbit, hamster, guinea pig, and C57BL/6J mouse) except the DBA/2J mouse, where no polypeptide immunorelated to cytochrome P -450c was detected. The conservation of the number of rat cytochrome P -450c epitopes among these species varied from as few as two (guinea pig) to as many as five epitopes (C57BL/6J mouse and rabbit). The relative mobility in sodium dodecyl sulfate-gels of polypeptides immunorelated to cytochromes P -450c and P -450d was similar in all species examined except the guinea pig, where the polypeptide related to cytochrome P -450c had a smaller M r than cytochrome P -450d. With the use of both monoclonal and polyclonal antibodies, we were able to establish that purified rabbit cytochromes P -450 LM 4 and P -450 LM 6 are immunorelated to rat cytochromes P -450d and P -450c, respectively.

SUMMARY: Isosafrole serves as an excellent inducing agent in rabbits for Wq, the same isozyme as that which is induced by 3-methylcholanthrene and 5,6-benzoflavone. Since the isosafrole adduct formed with isozyme 4 is unstable, the uncomplexed cytochrome may be purified in very good yield (over 30%, based on total P-450) from liver microsomes of animals given this agent. Isosafrole forms adducts with both isozyme 2 (the phenobarbital-inducible form of P-450) and isozyme 4 in the reconstituted system containing NADPHcytochrome P-450 reductase, phosphatidylcholine, and NADPH under aerobic conditions, but with the latter cytochrome the reaction has a lower Km and maximal rate. The addition of synergists to insecticides has a sparing action, so that lower doses of the insecticide then have the same effect (11. Many synergists were found to exhibit substrate binding spectra upon addition to hepatic microsomes (21, and it was proposed that the methylenedioxyphenyl synergists may act by affecting the integrity of the electron transfer chains involved in mixed function oxidation reactions (3). Philpot and Hodgson (4) reported that an ethyl isocyanide-like difference spectrum with absorption maxima at 455 and 428 nm was produced by the addition of piperonyl butoxide and a reduced pyridine nucleotide to mouse liver microsomes, and Franklin (5) demonstrated that various methylenedioxyphenyl compounds (piperonyl butoxide, methylenedioxybenzene, safrole, and isosafrole) are metabolized by rat liver microsomes in the presence of oxygen and NADPH (but not NADH) to give products which exhibit an isocyanide-like absorption spectrum with the reduced cytochrome P-450. Safrole and isosafrole cause the induction of a unique hepatic microsomal hemoprotein in the rat (6) which is present as a stable complex (7); this form of cytochrome P-450 has been purified to electrophoretic homogeneity as the isosafrole metabolite complex (8,9). The dissociation of the complex by added substrates to generate free cytochrome P-450 has been described (10,111, and a linear relationship has been observed between the amount of complex decomposed and the ability of the

This laboratory has recently reported that, in a reconstituted enzyme system containing alcohol-induced isozyme 3a of liver microsomal cytochrome P-450, the sum of acetaldehyde generated by the monooxygenation of ethanol and of hydrogen peroxide produced by the NADPH oxidase activity is inadequate to account for the O2 and NADPH consumed. Studies on the stoichiometry have revealed the occurrence of an additional reaction involving an overall 4-electron transfer to molecular oxygen which is presumed to yield water: O2 + 2 NADPH + 2H+—-2 H2O + 2 NADP+. The occurrence of a peroxidase reaction in which free H2O2 is reduced to water by NADPH was ruled out. When the 4-electron oxidase activity is taken into account, measurements of NADPH oxidation and O2 consumption are in accord with the amounts of products formed in the presence of various P-450 isozymes, either in the absence or presence of typical substrates, including those which undergo hydroxylation, N- or O-demethylation, or oxidation of hydroxymethyl to aldehyde groups. Of the substrates examined, some had no effect on the oxidase reaction yielding hydrogen peroxide or the 4-electron oxidase reaction, some were inhibitory, and some were stimulatory, but the same substrate did not necessarily have the same effect on the two reactions.

Antibodies to cytochrome P -450 isozyme 3a, the ethanol-inducible isozyme in rabbit liver, were used to determine the role of this enzyme in the microsomal oxidation of alcohols and the p -hydroxylation of aniline. P -450 isozymes, 2, 3b, 3c, 4, and 6 did not crossreact with anti-3a IgG as judged by Ouchterlony double diffusion, and radioimmunoassays indicated a crossreactivity of less than 1%. Greater than 90% of the activity of purified form 3a toward aniline, ethanol, n -butanol, and n -pentanol was inhibited by the antibody in the reconstituted system. The catalytic activity of liver microsomes from control or ethanol-treated rabbits was unaffected by the addition of either desferrioxamine (up to 1.0 m m ) or EDTA (0.1 m m ), suggesting that reactions involving the production of hydroxyl radicals from H 2 O 2 and any contaminating iron in the system did not make a significant contribution to the microsomal activity. The addition of anti-3a IgG to hepatic microsomes from ethanol-treated rabbits inhibited the metabolism of ethanol, n -butanol, n -pentanol, and aniline by about 75, 70, 80, and 60%, respectively, while the inhibition of the activity of microsomes from control animals was only about one-half as great. The rate of microsomal H 2 O 2 formation was inhibited to a lesser extent than the formation of acetaldehyde, thus suggesting that the antibody was acting to prevent the direct oxidation of ethanol by form 3a. Under conditions where purified NADPH-cytochrome P -450 reductase-catalyzed substrate oxidations was minimal, the P -450 isozymes other than 3a had low but significant activity toward the four substrates examined. The residual activity at maximal concentrations of the antibody most likely represents the sum of the activities of P -450 isozymes other than 3a present in the microsomal preparations. The results thus indicate that the enhanced monooxygenase activity of liver microsomes from ethanol-treated animals represents catalysis by P -450 isozyme 3a.

Treatment of rabbits with 1% (v/v) acetone for 1 week resulted in the appearance in blood serum of 88 +/- 14 14 nmol/ml 1-hydroxyacetone (acetol) and 70 +/- 9 nmol/ml 1,2-propanediol. Untreated rabbits had no detectable 1,2-propanediol or acetol. Hepatic microsomes from control, ethanol-, and acetone-treated rabbits catalyzed the hydroxylation of acetone at rates of 0.32 +/- 0.01, 2.01 +/- 0.43, and 3.64 +/- 0.23 nmol/min/mg of protein, respectively. The same microsomal preparations catalyzed the hydroxylation of acetol at rates of 0.33 +/- 0.04, 0.94 +/- 0.20, and 1.08 +/- 0.12 nmol/min/ mg of microsomal protein, respectively. Isozyme 3a purified from acetone- or ethanol-treated rabbits was identical as judged by comparison of the high performance liquid chromatographic profiles of tryptic digests of the two proteins. Antibody to isozyme 3a inhibited greater than 90% of the acetone monooxygenase activity from untreated, acetone-, or ethanol-treated rabbits. In contrast, the antibody only inhibited 30% of the acetol monooxygenase activity of microsomes from untreated rabbits. The inhibition was increased to about 70% after acetone or ethanol treatment. Although the activities were inhibited to different extents, a comparison of the rates attributable to isozyme 3a from antibody inhibition experiments indicated that both activities were induced to a similar extent by ethanol. Similarly, acetone also increased both activities to the same extent but was more effective than ethanol. In a reconstituted system, isozyme 3a was the only isozyme of six forms from rabbit liver to exhibit acetone monooxygenase activity. Isozyme 3a was the most active enzyme in the hydroxylation of acetol, but isozymes 2, 3b, and 4 also were able to catalyze the reaction. Antibody to isozyme 3a also inhibited greater than 90% of the acetone hydroxylase activity and 70% of the acetol hydroxylase activity of microsomes from acetone-treated rats. Two proteins were immunochemically stained on Western blots of microsomes from untreated and acetone-treated rats, one of which was increased by acetone treatment. These results suggest that isozyme 3a in rabbit and an immunochemically homologous enzyme in rat are responsible for acetone and acetol hydroxylation, the initial steps in the proposed gluconeogenic pathways for acetone.

Isozyme 3a of rabbit hepatic cytochrome P-450, also termed P-450ALC, was previously isolated and characterized and was shown to be induced 3- to 5-fold by exposure to ethanol. In the present study, antibody against rabbit P-450ALC was used to identify a homologous protein in alcohol dehydrogenase-negative (ADH-) and -positive (ADH+) deermice, Peromyscus maniculatus. The antibody reacts with a single protein having an apparent molecular weight of 52,000 on immunoblots of hepatic microsomes from untreated and ethanol-treated deermice from both strains. The level of the homologous protein was about 2-fold greater in microsomes from naive ADH- than from naive ADH+ animals. Ethanol treatment induced the protein about 3-fold in the ADH+ strain and about 4-fold in the ADH- strain. The antibody to rabbit P-450ALC inhibited the microsomal metabolism of ethanol and aniline. The homologous protein, termed deermouse P-450ALC, catalyzed from 70 to 80% of the oxidation of ethanol and about 90% of the hydroxylation of aniline by microsomes from both strains after ethanol treatment. The antibody-inhibited portion of the microsomal activities, which are attributable to the P-450ALC homolog, increased about 3-fold upon ethanol treatment in the ADH+ strain and about 4-fold in the ADH- strain, in excellent agreement with the results from immunoblots. The total microsomal P-450 content and the rate of ethanol oxidation were induced 1.4-fold and 2.2-fold, respectively, by ethanol in the ADH+ strain and 1.9-fold and 3.3-fold, respectively, in the ADH- strain. Thus, the total microsomal P-450 content and ethanol oxidation underestimate the induction of the P-450ALC homolog in both strains. A comparison of the rates of microsomal ethanol oxidation in vitro with rates of ethanol elimination in vivo indicates that deermouse P-450ALC could account optimally for 3 and 8% of total ethanol elimination in naive ADH+ and ADH- strains, respectively. After chronic ethanol treatment, P-450ALC could account maximally for 8% of the total ethanol elimination in the ADH+ strain and 22% in the ADH- strain. Further, cytochrome P-450ALC appears to be responsible for about one-half of the increase in the rate of ethanol elimination in vivo after chronic treatment with ethanol. These results indicate that the contribution of P-450ALC to ethanol oxidation in the deermouse is relatively small. Desferrioxamine had no effect on rates of ethanol uptake by perfused livers from ADH-negative deermice, indicating that ethanol oxidation by a hydroxyl radical-mediated mechanism was not involved in ethanol metabolism in this mutant.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 400 WORDS)

This laboratory has recently reported the isolation of an ethanol-inducible form of rabbit liver microsomal cytochrome P-450, designated isozyme 3a. In view of the reports of others that the hepatotoxicity of acetaminophen is increased in ethanol-treated animals and the human alcoholic, we have determined the activity of the six available P-450 isozymes in the activation of the drug to give an intermediate which forms a conjugate with reduced glutathione. Isozymes 3a, 4, and 6, all of which are present in significant amounts in the liver microsomes from rabbits chronically administered ethanol, exhibited the highest activities in the reconstituted enzyme system, whereas isozymes 3b and 3c were 10- to 20-fold less effective, and phenobarbital-inducible isozyme 2 was essentially inactive, even in the presence of cytochrome b5. The results obtained thus indicate that induction by ethanol of P-450 isozyme 3a (or a homologous enzyme in other species) may contribute to the toxicity of acetaminophen but that other cytochromes also play a significant role.

Cytochrome P-450 isozyme 3a, isolated from hepatic microsomes of rabbits treated chronically with ethanol, was found to have a unique substrate specificity when compared with isozymes 2, 3b, 3c, and 4. Form 3a has unusually high activity in the p-hydroxylation of aniline and in the oxidation of alcohols to aldehydes. These properties are reflected in the increased activities of these substrates in microsomes from ethanol-treated rabbits as compared to microsomes from untreated animals or those administered phenobarbital or 5,6-benzoflavone. The ethanol-oxidizing activity of isozyme 3a, which requires the presence of NADPH and NADPH cytochrome P-450 reductase and is stimulated by the presence of phospholipid, was shown not to be due to contaminating catalase or an NAD- or NADP-dependent alcohol dehydrogenase. Isozyme 3a catalyzes the oxidation of methanol, 1-propanol, and 1-butanol as well as ethanol; the relationships between the apparent Km values for these alcohols and their octanol-water partition coefficients is in accord with the known hydrophobic nature of the P-450 binding site. Whereas typical substrates of isozyme 2 are known to be metabolized with the stoichiometry predicted of a monooxygenase reaction, with isozyme 3a the sum of acetaldehyde formed from ethanol and of hydrogen peroxide generated is inadequate to account for the NADPH and oxygen consumed. Free hydroxyl radicals appear to mediate the slow oxidation of ethanol in the presence of the reductase alone but not the faster rate catalyzed by P-450 isozyme 3a. The results obtained, however, do not rule out the involvement of hydroxyl radical equivalent generated and bound at the active site of the cytochrome.