F. P. Guengerich

Activation and detoxication of aflatoxin B1

Aflatoxin B1 (AFB1) is a potent hepatocarcinogen in experimental animals and a hazard to human health in several parts of the world. Implementation of rational intervention plans requires understanding of aspects of the roles of individual chemical steps involved in its disposition. AFB1 is activated to AFB1 exo-8,9-epoxide primarily by cytochrome P450 (P450) enzymes, particularly P450 3A4. However, P450 3A4 and other P450s also oxidize AFB1 to less dangerous products. The exo-epoxide is unstable in H2O (t1/2 1 s at 25 degreesC, k=0.6 s-1) and the diol product undergoes base-catalyzed rearrangement to a dialdehyde that reacts with protein lysine residues. AFB1 exo-8, 9-epoxide reacts with DNA to give adducts in high yield (>98%). This interaction is characterized by a Kd of approximately 1.4 mM, intercalation between base pairs, and rapid reaction with the guanyl N7 atom (k approximately 40 s-1). A proton field on the periphery of DNA is postulated to catalyze hydrolysis and also conjugation. Rat and especially human epoxide hydrolase show very little rate acceleration of hydrolysis of AFB1 exo- or endo-8,9-epoxide. However, glutathione transferases (GSTs) can catalyze AFB1 exo-8,9-epoxide conjugation. Kinetic analysis indicates a range of ratios of kcat/Kd varying from 10 to 1700 s-1 M-1, with the polymorphic GST M1-1 having the highest activity of the human GSTs. Studies with human hepatocytes indicate a major role for GST M1-1 in AFB1 conjugation and that the model chemoprotective agent oltipraz can act by both inducing GSTs and inhibiting P450s.

Characterization of human cytochrome P450 enzymes.

Many biochemical approaches have been applied to the human cytochrome P450 enzymes, and more than 20 different gene products have been characterized with regard to their properties and catalytic specificities. The complement of the various cytochrome P450 enzymes in a given individual varies markedly, and dramatic differences may be seen in drug metabolism, pharmacological response, and susceptibility to toxic effects. An understanding of the nature of the individual cytochrome P450 enzymes and their regulation should be useful in determining the most suitable animal models, ascertaining risk from chemicals, and in avoiding undesirable drug interactions.—Guengerich, F, P. Characterization of human cytochrome P450 enzymes. FASEB J. 6: 745‐748; 1992.

Selectivity of polycyclic inhibitors for human cytochrome P450s 1A1, 1A2, and 1B1.

Human cytochrome P450s 1A1, 1A2, and 1B1 are known to have overlapping substrate specificities. All are regulated in part by the Ah locus; P450 1A2 is expressed essentially only in liver, but P450s 1A1 and 1B1 are both expressed in many extrahepatic tissues. Twenty-five polycyclic hydrocarbons, many containing acetylenic side chains, were examined as inhibitors of the three enzymes using 7-ethoxyresorufin O-deethylation as the enzyme assay in all cases. Several compounds were inhibitory at low nanomolar concentrations. 1-(1-Propynyl)pyrene and 2-(1-propynyl)phenanthrene nearly completely inhibited P450 1A1 at concentrations at which no P450 1B1 inhibition was observed. 2-Ethynylpyrene and alpha-naphthoflavone (7, 8-benzoflavone) nearly completely inhibited P450 1B1 at concentrations at which no P450 1A1 inhibition was noted. All four of the above compounds also inhibited P450 1A2. Several polycyclic hydrocarbons devoid of acetylenic groups were also inhibitory with respect to all three P450s. Some of the acetylenic compounds examined showed enhanced inhibition following preincubation with the P450s in the presence of cofactors NADPH and O2. However, of seven compounds (five acetylenes) tested with P450 1B1, only two [2-ethynylpyrene and 4-(1-propynyl)biphenyl] showed such evidence for mechanism-based inactivation. We conclude that (i) several polycyclic hydrocarbons and their oxidation products are very inhibitory with respect to human P450s 1A1, 1A2, and 1B1; (ii) of these inhibitors only some are mechanism-based inactivators; and (iii) some of the inhibitors are potentially useful for distinguishing between human P450s 1A1 and 1B1.

Lack of Electron Transfer from Cytochrome b5 in Stimulation of Catalytic Activities of Cytochrome P450 3A4 CHARACTERIZATION OF A RECONSTITUTED CYTOCHROME P450 3A4/NADPH-CYTOCHROME P450 REDUCTASE SYSTEM AND STUDIES WITH APO-CYTOCHROME b5

Many catalytic activities of cytochrome P450 (P450) 3A4, the major human liver P450 enzyme, require cytochrome b5 (b5) for optimal rates. The stimulatory effect of b5 on P450 reactions has generally been thought to be due to transfer of electrons from ferrous b5 to the ferrous P450-O2-substrate complex. We found that apo-b5, devoid of heme, could substitute for b5 in stimulating two prototypic activities, testosterone 6β hydroxylation and nifedipine oxidation. The stimulatory effect was not seen with albumin, hemoglobin, catalase, or cytochrome c. Apo-b5 could not substitute for b5 in a testosterone 6β hydroxylation system composed of NADH-b5 reductase and P450 3A4. Rates of electron transfer from NADPH-P450 reductase to ferric P450 3A4 were too slow (<2 min−1) to support testosterone 6β hydroxylation (∼14 min−1) unless b5 or apo-b5 was present, when rates of ∼700 min−1 were measured. The oxidation-reduction potential (Em,7) of the ferric/ferrous couple of P450 3A4 was unchanged (∼−310 mV) under different conditions in which the kinetics of reduction were altered by the addition of substrate and/or apo-b5. Rapid reduction of P450 3A4 required substrate and a preformed complex of P450 3A4, NADPH-P450 reductase, and b5; the rates of binding of the proteins to each other were 2-3 orders of magnitude less than reduction rates. We conclude that b5 can facilitate some P450 3A4-catalyzed oxidations by complexing with P450 3A4 and enhancing its reduction by NADPH-P450 reductase, without directly transferring electrons to P450.

Purification and characterization of microsomal cytochrome P-450s

1. Eight different forms of cytochrome P-450 have been purified to electrophoretic homogeneity. Electrophoretic, spectral and catalytic properties of these cytochrome P-450s are presented and comparison is made with preparations presented elsewhere in the literature. 2. The levels of these forms of cytochrome P-450 present in liver microsomes of rats treated with various compounds have now been quantified. Several forms of cytochrome P-450 are induced, in a more or less coordinate manner, while levels of other cytochrome P-450s are lowered, during administration of commonly used inducing agents. 3. The role of cytochrome P-450 purification and characterization studies in the understanding of the total field is discussed, along with directions in which future research is needed.

Mechanisms of cytochrome P-450 catalysis.

Cytochrome P‐450 (P‐450) enzymes catalyze the oxidation of a wide variety of substrates. Although a large number of P‐450s have been characterized in different species and tissues, the mechanisms of catalysis of oxygenation may be understood in terms of a few basic principles. The chemistry is dominated by the ability of a high‐valent formal (FeO)3+ species to carry out one‐electron oxidations through the abstraction of hydrogen atoms, abstraction of electrons in n or π Orbitals, or the addition to π bonds. A series of radical recombination reactions then completes the oxidation process. The protein structures are postulated to provide the axial thiolate ligand to the heme, to control the juxtaposition of the substrate (and therefore the regioand stereoselectivity of oxidation), to alter the effective oxidation potential of the (FeO)3+ complex, and possibly to participate in specific acid/base catalysis in the oxidation of some substrates.—Guengerich, F. P.; Macdonald, T. L. Mechanisms of cytochrome P‐450 catalysis. FASEB J. 4: 2453‐2459; 1990.

In vitro metabolism of methylene chloride in human and animal tissues: Use in physiologically based pharmacokinetic models

Physiologically based pharmacokinetic (PB-PK) models describe the dynamic behavior of chemicals and their metabolites in individual tissues of living animals. Because PB-PK models contain specific parameters related to the physiological and biochemical properties of different species as well as the physical chemical characteristics of individual chemicals, they are useful tools for performing high dose/low dose, dose route, and interspecies extrapolations in hazard evaluations. An example of such extrapolation has been presented by M. E. Andersen, H. J. Clewell III, M. L. Gargas, F. A. Smith, and R. H. Reitz (Toxicol. Appl. Pharmacol. 87, 185-205, 1987), who employed a PB-PK model for methylene chloride (CH2Cl2) to estimate the chronic toxicity of this material. However, one limitation of this PB-PK model was that the metabolic rate constants for the glutathione-S-transferase (GST) pathway in humans were estimated by allometric scaling rather than from experimental data. In this paper we report studies designed to estimate the in vivo rates of metabolism of CH2Cl2 from in vitro incubations of lung and liver tissues from B6C3F1 mice, F344 rats, Syrian Golden hamsters, and humans. A procedure for calculating in vivo metabolic rate constants from the in vitro studies is presented. This procedure was validated by making extrapolations with mixed function oxidase enzymes (MFO) acting on CH2Cl2, where both in vitro and in vivo rates of metabolism are known. The in vitro rate constants for the two enzyme systems are consistent with the hypothesis presented by Andersen et al. that metabolism of CH2Cl2 occurs in vivo by two competing pathways: a high-affinity saturable pathway (identified as MFO) and a low-affinity first-order pathway (identified as GST). The metabolic rate constants for GST obtained from these studies are also consistent with the hypothesis of Andersen et al. that production of large quantities of glutathione/CH2Cl2 conjugates in vivo may increase the frequency with which lung and liver tumors develop in some species of animals (e.g., B6C3F1 mouse). When in vivo studies in humans are unavailable, in vitro enzyme assays provide a reasonable method for estimating metabolic rate constants.

Ethnic-related differences in coumarin 7-hydroxylation activities catalyzed by cytochrome P4502A6 in liver microsomes of Japanese and Caucasian populations

1. Interethnic differences in cytochrome P4502A6 (CYP2A6) levels and coumarin 7-hydroxylation activities were determined in liver microsomes of 30 Japanese and 30 Caucasians. 2. Although CYP2A6 levels and coumarin 7-hydroxylation activities varied very significantly in the 60 human samples examined, both CYP2A6 levels and coumarin 7hydroxylation activities were found to be higher in Caucasian than Japanese population. 3. Interestingly, eight of the 30 Japanese examined showed very low or undetectable levels of coumarin 7-hydroxylation activities as well as of CYP2A6 in liver microsomes. All of the Caucasians, however, had significant CYP2A6 levels and variable 7-hydroxylation activities. 4. Kinetic analvsis of coumarin 7-hydroxylation activities in liver microsomes of various human samples suggested that although there were 260-fold differences in Vmaxs in 10 human samples examined, the Kms were very similar (2.1 + or - 107 mu M); a value consistent with that obtained (1.2 mu M) with purified CYP2A6 in reconstituted system. 5. The results suggest that CYP2A6 is actually involved in the 7-hydroxylation of coumarin in human liver microsomes, and that interethnic differences in coumarin 7-hydroxylation activities in Japanese and Caucasian population may be ascribed to the differences in expression of CYP2A6 protein.

Monoclonal antibodies to phenobarbital-induced rat liver cytochrome P-450

Somatic cell hybrids were made between mouse myeloma cells and spleen cells derived from BALB/c female mice immunized with purified phenobarbital-induced rat liver cytochrome P-450 (PB-P-450). Hybridomas were selected in HAT medium, and the monoclonal antibodies (MAbs) produced were screened for binding to the PB-P-450 by radioimmunoassay, for immunoprecipitation of the PB-P-450, and for inhibition of PB-P-450-catalyzed enzyme activity. In two experiments, MAbs of the IgM and IgG1 were produced that bound and, in certain cases, precipitated PB-P-450. None of these MAbs, however, inhibited the PB-P-450-dependent aryl hydrocarbon hydroxylase (AHH) activity. In two other experiments, MAbs to PB-P-450 were produced that bound, precipitated and, in several cases, strongly or completely inhibited the AHH and 7-ethoxycoumarin deethylase (ECD) activities PB-P-450. These MAbs showed no activity toward the purified 3-methylcholanthrene-induced cytochrome P-450 (MC-P-450), beta-naphthoflavone-induced cytochrome P-450 (BNF-P-450) or pregnenolone 16-alpha-carbonitrile-induced cytochrome P-450 (PCN-P-450) in respect to RIA determined binding, immunoprecipitation, or inhibition of AHH activity. One of the monoclonal antibodies, MAb 2-66-3, inhibited the AHH activity of liver microsomes from PB-treated rats by 43% but did not inhibit the AHH activity of liver microsomes from control, BNF-, or MC-treated rats. The MAb 2-66-3 also inhibited ECD in microsomes from PB-treated rats by 22%. The MAb 2-66-3 showed high cross-reactivity for binding, immuno-precipitation and inhibition of enzyme activity of PB-induced cytochrome P-450 from rabbit liver (PB-P-450LM2). Two other MAbs, 4-7-1 and 4-29-5, completely inhibited the AHH of the purified PB-P-450. MAbs to different cytochromes P-450 will be of extraordinary usefulness for a variety of studies including phenotyping of individuals, species, and tissues and for the genetic analysis of P-450s as well as for the direct assay, purification, and structure determination of various cytochromes P-450.

Evidence for a 1-electron oxidation mechanism in N-dealkylation of N,N-dialkylanilines by cytochrome P450 2B1. Kinetic hydrogen isotope effects, linear free energy relationships, comparisons with horseradish peroxidase, and studies with oxygen surrogates.

Many enzymes catalyze N-dealkylations of alkylamines, including cytochrome P450 (P450) and peroxidase enzymes. Peroxidases, exemplified by horseradish peroxidase (HRP), are generally accepted to catalyze N-dealkylations via 1-electron transfer processes. Several lines of evidence also support a 1-electron mechanism for many P450 reactions, although this view has been questioned in light of reported trends for kinetic hydrogen isotope effects for N-demethylation with a series of 4-substituted N,N-dimethylanilines. No continuous trend for an increase of isotope effects with the electronic parameters of para-substitution was seen for the P450 2B1-catalyzed reactions in this study. The larger value seen with the 4-nitro derivative is consistent with a shift in mechanism due to either a reversible electron transfer step preceding deprotonation or to a hydrogen atom abstraction mechanism. With HRP, the trend is to lower isotope effects with para electron-withdrawing substituents, due to an apparent shift in rate-limiting steps. Biomimetic model high-valent porphyrins showed reduction rates with variously 4-substituted N,N-dialkylanilines that were consistent with a positively charged intermediate; such relationships were not seen for anisole O-demethylation with P450 2B1. In contrast to the case with the NADPH-supported P450 reactions, high deuterium isotope effects (∼7) were seen in the N-dealkylations supported by the oxygen surrogate iodosylbenzene. With iodosylbenzene, colored aminium radicals were observed in the oxidations of aminopyrine, N,N-dimethyl-4-aminothioanisole, and 4-methoxy-N,N-dimethylaniline. With the latter compound, a substantial intermolecular deuterium isotope effect was observed for N-demethylation. In the N-dealkylation of N-ethyl,N-methylaniline by P450 2B1 (NADPH-supported), the ratio of N-demethylation to N-deethylation was 16. Although it is probably possible for P450s to catalyze amine N-dealkylations via hydrogen atom abstraction when such a course is electronically or sterically favored, we interpret the evidence to favor a 1-electron pathway with N,N-dialkylamines with P450 2B1 as well as HRP and several biomimetic models.