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Ellagic acid (EA), a polyphenol present in berries, has been demonstrated to prevent oesophageal and colon cancer in animals. To better understand the site-specificity of these effects, we studied the accumulation and transport of [14C]EA in rat aerodigestive epithelial cells in-vivo and in cultured human cells. When [14C]EA was administered to rats by gavage, a high content of EA was found in the oesophagus and small intestine at 0.5h after oral administration and in the colon at 12h, with very low amounts in plasma and peripheral tissues. Studies in human intestinal Caco-2 and human oesophageal HET-1A cells found very limited transcellular transport (Caco-2) of EA but high accumulation (Caco-2 and HET-1A) in the cells. In more detailed studies in the Caco-2 cells, accumulation of EA displayed ATP- and Na+-dependency. Multiple interventions permitted the exclusion of a number of transporters as mediators of this uptake. A dramatically reduced transport of EA at low pH (5.5) compared with high pH (7.4) suggested an important role for the negative charge of EA. This was supported by the organic anion transport inhibitors 4,4′-diisothiocyanatostilbene-2,2′-disulfonic acid and bromosulfophthalein. The latter produced as much as 78% inhibition at the 100 μm concentration. Finally, Caco-2 cells were shown to express organic anion transporter 4 (OAT4) mRNA, as was the human large intestine. EA appears to be accumulated along the aerodigestive tract using OATlike transporters, one of which might be OAT4.

S-adenosyl-l-methionine (SAMe) is an endogenous molecule that is known to be protective against hepatotoxic injury. Although oral SAMe appears to be absorbed across the intestinal mucosa, its systemic bioavailability is low. The reason for this is unknown. Using the Caco-2 cell culture model for enterocyte absorption, we determined the mode by which SAMe is transported across this cell monolayer. We also determined the extent it is taken up by both Caco-2 cells and hepatocytes. In Caco-2 cells transport was observed in both apical to basolateral and basolateral to apical directions. The apparent permeability coefficients (Papp) appeared to be concentration independent and were similar in both directions (0.7 times 10−6 and 0.6 times 10−6 cms−1, respectively), i.e. identical to that of the paracellular transport marker mannitol (0.9 times 10−6 and 0.7 times 10−6 cms−1). This mode of transport was supported by a four-fold increase in the Papp for SAMe transport in Ca++-free buffer. Cellular uptake of SAMe was examined in both Caco-2 cells and cultured rat hepatocytes. Uptake by hepatocytes was not saturable in a concentration range of 0.001–100 μm. Accumulation by both cell types was very low, with a cell:medium ratio at equilibrium of only 0.2–0.5. This low cell accumulation supports the finding of paracellular transport as the only mode of cell membrane transport. Increased hepatocellular protection for SAMe may be accomplished by converting SAMe to a more lipid-soluble prodrug.

The objective of this study was to examine the ability of dietary polyphenols to inhibit cytochrome P450 (CYP) 1A1 expression and activity and benzo[a]pyrene (BaP) DNA binding, with the main emphasis on prevention of chemical-induced hepatic carcinogenesis. For this purpose we used Hep G2 cells, a good model of the normal human hepatocyte for CYP1A1 cell signaling. First, when these cells were exposed to a low concentration (1 microM) of BaP, DNA binding occurred, which dramatically increased after 6 h of treatment. BaP also dramatically induced CYP1A1 activity, protein expression and mRNA levels, the likely reason for the marked increase in DNA binding. Second, we screened 25 polyphenols with highly varying chemical structures for maximum ability to inhibit CYP1A1 activity in the Hep G2 cells. Highly varying responses were obtained, ranging from a 10-fold induction by some polyphenols to almost complete inhibition, in particular by 5,7-dimethoxyflavone (DMF), a flavonoid found in some tropical plants. Third, we examined the ability of DMF to inhibit DNA binding of BaP and the mechanisms involved. DMF (2-20 microM) inhibited BaP-induced DNA binding. DMF also inhibited BaP-induced CYP1A1 activity, CYP1A1 protein expression and mRNA levels. Moreover, DMF directly inhibited the catalytic activity of recombinant CYP1A1 with an IC50 of 0.8 microM. In conclusion, DMF was a highly potent inhibitor of BaP-induced DNA binding and CYP1A1 protein expression and activity in the Hep G2 cells. These properties may make DMF an effective chemoprotectant in chemical-induced liver cancer.

Resveratrol is a dietary constituent suggested to have protective effects against cancer as well as cardiovascular disease. The purpose of the study was to learn whether this agent could be absorbed in man and enter the systemic circulation. This was examined by measuring transport and metabolism of resveratrol (5–40 μM) by the human intestinal epithelial cell line Caco-2 cultured in Transwells. Transport across the Caco-2 monolayer occurred in a direction-independent manner with Papp values of ≅ 7 times 10−6 cm s−1, much higher than for the paracellular transport marker mannitol (≅ 0.4 times 10−6 cms−1), suggesting efficient absorption in-vivo. At the highest resveratrol concentration, the absorption increased, possibly due to saturation of metabolism. In sharp contrast to previous findings in the rat, the metabolism of resveratrol in Caco-2 cells involved mainly sulfation and, to a minor extent, glucuronidation. At low resveratrol concentrations, most of the sulfate conjugate was exported to the apical side, presumably by MRP2, which is well expressed in these cells. At high concentrations, there was a shift towards the basolateral side, possibly involving MRP3, which was recently shown also to be expressed in Caco-2 cells. These results indicate that absorption of resveratrol in-vivo may be high but with limited bioavailability due to efficient sulfate conjugation. Extensive accumulation of resveratrol in the Caco-2 cells, demonstrated in additional experiments, suggests enterocytes as a major target site for this cancer preventive agent.

Cooked-food mutagens formed when frying meat have been suggested to contribute to the etiology of colon, breast and prostate cancer. The most prevalent of these mutagens is 2-amino-1-methyl-6-phenylimidazo[4,5-b]pyridine (PhIP), which after absorption is bioactivated by both phase I and phase II enzymes. Although available data suggest absorption of PhIP in humans, the extent and mechanism of absorption are unknown. In the present study we examined the transport of [(3)H]PhIP through the human Caco-2 intestinal epithelial cell monolayer, a well-accepted model of human intestinal absorption. The influx, or absorption, was extensive and linear for 2 h and up to a PhIP concentration of 5 microM. Still, the basolateral to apical efflux [apparent permeability coefficient (P(app)) 54.2 +/- 0.7x10(-6) cm/s, mean +/- SEM, n = 24] was 3.6 times greater than the apical to basolateral influx (P(app) 15.1 +/- 0.6x10(-6) cm/s, n = 21, P < 0.0001). Equilibrium exchange experiments demonstrated the efflux to be a true active process. Preincubations with verapamil, an inhibitor of P-glycoprotein-mediated transport, or MK-571, an inhibitor of multidrug resistance-associated protein-mediated transport, stimulated influx and reduced efflux of PhIP, suggesting that PhIP is a substrate for both of these transporters. These findings should be considered when determining exposure to the cooked food mutagens.

Although the bioflavonoids, a large group of polyphenolic natural products, exert chemopreventive effects in cardiovascular disease and cancer, there is little information about the disposition of these dietary components in man. The objective of this study was to investigate the plasma-protein binding of the most abundant bioflavonoid, quercetin, using 14C-labelled quercetin. An ultracentrifugation assay (170 000 g for 16 h at 20°C) was shown to sediment plasma proteins. Binding of quercetin to normal plasma was extensive (99.1 ± 0.5%, mean ± s.d., n = 5). The unbound fraction varied as much as 6-fold, 0.3–1.8%, between subjects. This high binding was independent of quercetin concentration over the range 1.5–15 μM (0.5–5 μg mL−1). Human serum albumin was the primary protein responsible for the binding of quercetin in plasma (99.4 ± 0.1%). Binding by α1-acid glycoprotein (39.2 ± 0.5%) and very-low-density lipoproteins (< 0.5% of total quercetin) did not make substantial contributions to overall plasma binding. The equilibrium association constant for the binding of quercetin to serum albumin was 267 ± 33 times 103 M−1 (n=15). Thermodynamic data for the binding of quercetin to serum albumin indicated spontaneous, endothermic association. Displacement studies suggested that in man the ‘IIA’ subdomain binding site of human serum albumin was the primary binding site for quercetin. Association of quercetin with erythrocytes was significantly (P < 0.001) reduced by plasma protein binding. These data indicate poor cellular availability of quercetin because of its extensive binding to plasma proteins.

Metabolism of propranolol by the human hepatoma cell line Hep G2 was studied. Although metabolism qualitatively was similar to that in-vivo, the P450-mediated N-desisopropylation clearly predominated. Pretreatment of cells with 3-methylcholanth-rene increased the activity of this pathway 14-fold, whereas phenobarbitone had no effect. This is similar to the pathway-selective inductive response observed for cigarette smoking in-vivo. As in-vivo, secondary metabolism of N-desisopropylpropranolol was extensive. This could, however, be completely blocked by 0·1 μm clorgyline, a potent MAO type A inhibitor. As in human liver microsomes, the stereochemistry of propranolol metabolism demonstrated a preference for the R(+)-enantiomer. These observations emphasize the usefulness of the Hep G2 cell line as a model of man.