Nobumitsu Hanioka

Determination of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons in food samples by automated on-line in-tube solid-phase microextraction coupled with high-performance liquid chromatography-fluorescence detection.

A simple and sensitive automated method, consisting of in-tube solid-phase microextraction (SPME) coupled with high-performance liquid chromatography-fluorescence detection (HPLC-FLD), was developed for the determination of 15 polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) in food samples. PAHs were separated within 15 min by HPLC using a Zorbax Eclipse PAH column with a water/acetonitrile gradient elution program as the mobile phase. The optimum in-tube SPME conditions were 20 draw/eject cycles of 40 microL of sample using a CP-Sil 19CB capillary column as an extraction device. Low- and high-molecular weight PAHs were extracted effectively onto the capillary coating from 5% and 30% methanol solutions, respectively. The extracted PAHs were readily desorbed from the capillary by passage of the mobile phase, and no carryover was observed. Using the in-tube SPME HPLC-FLD method, good linearity of the calibration curve (r>0.9972) was obtained in the concentration range of 0.05-2.0 ng/mL, and the detection limits (S/N=3) of PAHs were 0.32-4.63 pg/mL. The in-tube SPME method showed 18-47 fold higher sensitivity than the direct injection method. The intra-day and inter-day precision (relative standard deviations) for a 1 ng/mL PAH mixture were below 5.1% and 7.6% (n=5), respectively. This method was applied successfully to the analysis of tea products and dried food samples without interference peaks, and the recoveries of PAHs spiked into the tea samples were >70%. Low-molecular weight PAHs such as naphthalene and pyrene were detected in many foods, and carcinogenic benzo[a]pyrene, at relatively high concentrations, was also detected in some black tea samples. This method was also utilized to assess the release of PAHs from tea leaves into the liquor.

Determination of aflatoxins in food samples by automated on-line in-tube solid-phase microextraction coupled with liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry.

A simple and sensitive automated method for determination of aflatoxins (B1, B2, G1, and G2) in nuts, cereals, dried fruits, and spices was developed consisting of in-tube solid-phase microextraction (SPME) coupled with liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry (LC-MS). Aflatoxins were separated within 8 min by high-performance liquid chromatography using a Zorbax Eclipse XDB-C8 column with methanol/acetonitrile (60/40, v/v): 5mM ammonium formate (45:55) as the mobile phase. Electrospray ionization conditions in the positive ion mode were optimized for MS detection of aflatoxins. The pseudo-molecular ions [M+H](+) were used to detect aflatoxins in selected ion monitoring (SIM) mode. The optimum in-tube SPME conditions were 25draw/eject cycles of 40 microL of sample using a Supel-Q PLOT capillary column as an extraction device. The extracted aflatoxins were readily desorbed from the capillary by passage of the mobile phase, and no carryover was observed. Using the in-tube SPME LC-MS with SIM method, good linearity of the calibration curve (r>0.9994) was obtained in the concentration range of 0.05-2.0 ng/mL using aflatoxin M1 as an internal standard, and the detection limits (S/N=3) of aflatoxins were 2.1-2.8 pg/mL. The in-tube SPME method showed >23-fold higher sensitivity than the direct injection method (10 microL injection volume). The within-day and between-day precision (relative standard deviations) at the concentration of 1 ng/mL aflatoxin mixture were below 3.3% and 7.7% (n=5), respectively. This method was applied successfully to analysis of food samples without interference peaks. The recoveries of aflatoxins spiked into nuts and cereals were >80%, and the relative standard deviations were <11.2%. Aflatoxins were detected at <10 ng/g in several commercial food samples.

Human UDP-glucuronosyltransferase isoforms involved in bisphenol A glucuronidation.

Bisphenol A (BPA) is one of a number of potential endocrine disruptors which may affect normal hormonal function. In this study, human UDP-glucuronosyltransferase (UGT) isoforms involved in BPA glucuronidation were studied by kinetic analyses using human liver microsomes and recombinant human UGTs expressed in insect cells (UGT1A1, UGT1A3, UGT1A4, UGT1A6, UGT1A9, UGT2B4, UGT2B7, UGT2B15 and UGT2B17). BPA glucuronidation was catalyzed by UGT1A1, UGT1A3, UGT1A9, UGT2B4, UGT2B7 and UGT2B15 as well as by human liver microsomes. Among these UGTs, UGT2B15 showed the highest activity of BPA glucuronidation at low- (1.0 microM) and high- (20 microM) substrate concentrations. Kinetic analyses of BPA glucuronidation were performed by constructing Michaelis-Menten and Eadie-Hofstee plots. The kinetic profile of BPA glucuronidation by pooled human liver microsomes and UGT2B15 was monophasic, the K(m) and V(max) values were 6.39 microM and 4250 pmol min(-1)mg(-1)protein for pooled human liver microsomes, and 8.68 microM and 873 pmol min(-1)mg(-1)protein for UGT2B15, respectively. The K(m) values for BPA glucuronidation by pooled human liver microsomes and UGT2B15 were similar. These findings demonstrate that BPA is mainly glucuronidated by UGT2B15 in human liver microsomes, and suggest that this UGT isoform plays important roles in the detoxification and elimination of BPA.

Functional analysis of three CYP1A2 variants found in a Japanese population.

Human cytochrome P450 1A2 (CYP1A2) catalyzes the metabolism of many important drugs and environmental chemicals. We previously reported three naturally occurring genetic polymorphisms (125C>G, Pro42Arg, CYP1A2*15; 1130G>A, Arg377Gln, *16; and 1367G>A, Arg456His, *8) found in a Japanese population. In this study, these variant enzymes were expressed in Chinese hamster V79 cells, and their mRNA and protein expression levels as well as catalytic activities were determined. All three variant enzymes showed reduced protein expression levels (66% for Pro42Arg and approximately 30% for Arg377Gln and Arg456His) compared with that of the wild type (WT) without any change in mRNA expression levels. Kinetic analysis for 7-ethoxyresorufin O-deethylation revealed that Vmax and Vmax/Km of all three variants were less than 3 and 1% of the WT, respectively, although the Km value was significantly increased only in the Arg377Gln variant (approximately a 9-fold increase). Markedly reduced activities of the three variants were also observed for phenacetin O-deethylation. In the reduced CO difference spectral analysis using recombinant proteins produced in the Sf21/baculovirus system, the peak at 450 nm seen in the WT protein was hardly observed in the three variants, suggesting marked reductions in their hemoprotein formation. These results suggest that Pro42, Arg377, and Arg456 are critical amino acids for the production of catalytically active CYP1A2 holoenzyme.

Interaction of bisphenol a with human UDP‐glucuronosyltransferase 1A6 enzyme

The effects of bisphenol A (BPA) on UDP‐glucuronosyltransferase 1A6 (UGT1A6) activities in microsomes from human livers and yeast cells expressing human UGT1A6 (humUGT1A6) were investigated. Serotonin (5‐HT) and 4‐methylumbelliferone (4‐MU) were used as the substrates for UGT1A6. BPA dose‐dependently inhibited 5‐HT and 4‐MU glucuronidation activities in both enzyme sources. The IC50 values of BPA for 5‐HT and 4‐MU glucuronidation activities were 156 and 163 μM for liver microsomes, and 84.6 and 80.3 μM for yeast cell microsomes expressing humUGT1A6, respectively. The inhibitory pattern of BPA for 5‐HT and 4‐MU glucuronidation activities in human liver microsomes exhibited a mixture of competitive and noncompetitive components, with Ki values of 84.9 and 72.3 μM, respectively. In yeast cell microsomes expressing humUGT1A6, 5‐HT glucuronidation activities were noncompetitively inhibited by BPA (Ki value, 65.5 μM), whereas the inhibition of 4‐MU glucuronidation activities by BPA exhibited the mixed type (Ki value, 42.5 μM). These results suggest that BPA interacts with human UGT1A6 enzyme, and that the interaction may contribute to the toxicity, such as hormone disruption and reproductive effects, of BPA.

Separate evaluation of intestinal and hepatic metabolism of three benzodiazepines in rats with cannulated portal and jugular veins: comparison with the profile in non-cannulated mice

Pharmacokinetic analyses of three kinds of benzodiazepines—midazolam (MDZ), triazolam (TRZ) and alprezolam (APZ)—were performed in rats with cannulated portal and jugular veins. Each drug was administered to the double-cannulated rats, and pharmacokinetic data for the parent drugs and their 1′- and 4-hydroxylated metabolites were compared with those obtained in non-cannulated mice. In bioavailability, the drugs ranked APZ >> TRZ = MDZ in rats, and APZ > TRZ >> MDZ in mice, with the values for MDZ remarkably different between rats and mice (19% in rats versus 2.3% in mice). In contrast, hepatic availability (Fh) was similar (APZ > TRZ > MDZ) in both species. Highly significant relationships were found between the ratio of the area under the plasma concentration–time curve (AUC) for the parent drugs in portal blood (AUCpor) to that in systemic blood (AUCsys) and Fh in rats and mice. The double-cannulated rat is useful for estimating the hepatic availability of drug candidates by determining the AUC values for the parent drugs in portal and systemic blood samples.

Functional characterization of two novel CYP2C19 variants (CYP2C19*18 and CYP2C19*19) found in a Japanese population.

Cytochrome P450 2C19 (CYP2C19) plays an important role in the metabolism of a wide range of therapeutic drugs and exhibits genetic polymorphism with interindividual differences in metabolic activity. We have previously described two CYP2C19 allelic variants, namely CYP2C19*18 and CYP2C19*19 with Arg329His/Ile331Val and Ser51Gly/Ile331Val substitutions, respectively. In order to investigate precisely the effect of amino acid substitutions on CYP2C19 function, CYP2C19 proteins of the wild-type (CYP2C19.1B having Ile331Val) and variants (CYP2C19.18 and CYP2C19.19) were heterologously expressed in yeast cells, and their S-mephenytoin 4′-hydroxylation activities were determined. The Km value of CYP2C19.19 for S-mephenytoin 4′-hydroxylation was significantly higher (3.0-fold) than that of CYP2C19.1B. Although no significant differences in Vmax values on the basis of microsomal and functional CYP protein levels were observed between CYP2C19.1B and CYP2C19.19, the Vmax/Km values of CYP2C19.19 were significantly reduced to 29–47% of CYP2C19.1B. By contrast, the Km, Vmax or Vmax/Km values of CYP2C19.18 were similar to those of CYP2C19.1B. These results suggest that Ser51Gly substitution in CYP2C19.19 decreases the affinity toward S-mephenytoin of CYP2C19 enzyme, and imply that the genetic polymorphism of CYP2C19*19 also causes variations in the clinical response to drugs metabolized by CYP2C19.

Functional characterization of human and cynomolgus monkey UDP-glucuronosyltransferase 1A1 enzymes.

AIMSnUDP-glucuronosyltransferase 1A1 (UGT1A1) plays important roles in the glucuronidation of various drugs and endogenous substances. Cynomolgus monkeys are regarded as experimental animals closer to humans in studies on safety evaluation and biotransformation for drug development. In this study, the similarities and differences in the enzymatic properties of UGT1A1 between humans and cynomolgus monkeys were precisely identified.nnnMAIN METHODSnHuman and cynomolgus monkey UGT1A1s (humUGT1A1 and monUGT1A1, respectively) were cloned, and the corresponding proteins were heterologously expressed in insect cells. The enzymatic properties of UGT1A1 proteins were characterized by kinetic analysis of 7-hydroxy-4-trifluoromethylcoumarin (7-HFC), estradiol at 3-hydroxy position (E-3OH) and 7-ethyl-10-hydroxycamptothecin (SN-38) glucuronidation.nnnKEY FINDINGSnThere were no significant differences in the levels of kinetic parameters for 7-HFC, E-3OH and SN-38 glucuronidation between humans and cynomolgus monkeys in both enzyme sources of liver microsomes and recombinant UGT1A1s. 7-HFC and E-3OH glucuronidation by human liver microsomes exhibited biphasic and sigmoidal kinetics, respectively, whereas the kinetics by cynomolgus monkey liver microsomes fitted the typical Michaelis-Menten model. SN-38 glucuronidation by human and cynomolgus monkey liver microsomes exhibited autoactivation kinetics. In recombinant UGT1A1 enzymes expressed in insect cells, the kinetics of 7-HFC, E-3OH and SN-38 glucuronidation fitted the substrate inhibition (7-HFC glucuronidation) or Hill equation (E-3OH and SN-38 glucuronidation), and each glucuronidation showed the same kinetic profile between humans and cynomolgus monkeys.nnnSIGNIFICANCEnThese findings suggest that the enzymatic properties of human and cynomolgus monkey UGT1A1 enzymes are very similar.

Functional characterization of human cytochrome P450 2E1 allelic variants: in vitro metabolism of benzene and toluene by recombinant enzymes expressed in yeast cells

Benzene and toluene are common organic solvents currently in worldwide industrial usage, which are metabolized mainly by hepatic cytochrome P450 2E1 (CYP2E1) in humans. Genetic polymorphism of CYP2E1 in 5′-flanking and coding regions has been found previously in Caucasian and Chinese populations. In this study, the effects of CYP2E1 alleles causing amino acid substitutions (CYP2E1*2, CYP2E1*3 and CYP2E1*4; wild-type, CYP2E1.1A) on benzene hydroxylation and toluene methylhydroxylation were studied using recombinant CYP2E1 enzymes of wild-type (CYP2E1.1) and variants (CYP2E1.2 having Arg76His, CYP2E1.3 having Val389Ile and CYP2E1.4 having Val179Ile) expressed in yeast cells. The Km, Vmax and CLint values of CYP2E1.1 were 10.1xa0mM, 9.38xa0pmol/min/pmol CYP and 0.99xa0nL/min/pmol CYP for benzene hydroxylation, and 3.97xa0mM, 19.9xa0pmol/min/pmol CYP and 5.26xa0nL/min/pmol CYP for toluene methylhydroxylation, respectively. The Km, Vmax and CLint values for benzene and toluene metabolism of CYP2E1.2, CYP2E1.3 and CYP2E1.4 were comparable to those of wild-type CYP2E1. These findings may mean that the polymorphic alleles of CYP2E1 causing amino acid substitutions are not directly associated with the metabolic activation of benzene and toluene. The information gained in this study should help to identify the variations in the toxicity of environmental pollutants.

Influence of CYP2C19*18 and CYP2C19*19 Alleles on Omeprazole 5‐Hydroxylation: In vitro Functional Analysis of Recombinant Enzymes Expressed in Saccharomyces cerevisiae

Omeprazole is one of the most widely used proton pump inhibitors for the treatment of gastric acid-related disorders. The major metabolic pathway of omeprazole is 5-hydroxylation, which is catalysed by CYP2C19. In this study, the effect of CYP2C19*18 and CYP2C19*19 alleles on omeprazole 5-hydroxylation was studied using recombinant CYP2C19 enzymes of wild-type (CYP2C19.1B having Ile331Val) and variants (CYP2C19.18 having Arg329His/Ile331Val and CYP2C19.19 Ser51Gly/Ile331Val) expressed in yeast cells. The K(m) value for omeprazole 5-hydroxylation of CYP2C19.1B was 1.46 microM. The K(m) value of CYP2C19.19 was significantly higher (1.5-fold) than that of CYP2C19.1B. V(max) and V(max)/K(m) values for omeprazole 5-hydroxylation of CYP2C19.1B on the basis of cytochrome P450 protein level were 8.09 pmol/min./pmol CYP and 5.45 microl/min./pmol CYP, respectively. The V(max) value of CYP2C19.19 was significantly higher (1.8-fold) than that of CYP2C19.1B, whereas the V(max)/K(m) value was comparable to that of CYP2C19.1B. In contrast, K(m), V(max) and V(max)/K(m) values of CYP2C19.18 were similar to those of CYP2C19.1B. These results suggest that CYP2C19*19 allele decreases the affinity between CYP2C19 enzyme and the substrate in omeprazole metabolism.