Pierre Lesca

Omeprazole, an inducer of human CYP1A1 and 1A2, is not a ligand for the Ah receptor

Omeprazole is a benzimidazole derivative which induces both P450 1A1 and 1A2 in human liver in vitro and in vivo. Northern blot analysis of polyA RNA prepared from primary cultures of human hepatocytes indicates that both 1A1 and 1A2 messages are induced by beta-naphthoflavone and omeprazole. Co-treatment of cells with these inducers and with actinomycin D or cycloheximide results in no accumulation of both mRNA or superinduction of 1A1 mRNA, respectively. 9S enriched fraction of cytosol was prepared either from human hepatocytes in culture or from human liver tissue and analyzed by sucrose density gradient sedimentation for its capacity to bind 2,3,7,8-tetrachlorodibenzo-p-dioxin (TCDD), omeprazole or omeprazole sulfone (a metabolite of omeprazole in man). Whereas 2 microM TCDD displaced almost totally [3H]TCDD from the Ah receptor, both omeprazole and omeprazole sulfone did not, even at 5000-fold molar excess. In addition, when [14C] omeprazole was incubated with 9S enriched fraction of human liver or hepatocyte cytosol, no interaction could be detected in sucrose density gradient. These experiments suggest that omeprazole is not a ligand for the human liver Ah receptor.

Ellipticines as potent inhibitors of aryl hydrocarbon hydroxylase: Their binding to microsomal cytochromes p450 and protective effect against benzo(a)pyrene mutagenicity

Abstract Ellipticine (5,11 -dimethyl-6-H-pyrido[4-3b]carbazole) and its derivatives bind strongly to the oxidized and reduced liver microsomal cytochromes P450 of differently pretreated rats, producing typical difference spectra, with peaks respectively at 428 (ox.) and 445 nm (red.) (with spectral dissociation constants around 10 −6 and 10 −5 M, respectively). The high affinity of ellipticine for microsomes containing a great proportion of cytochrome P448, explains its role of strong inhibitor of benzo(a)pyrene hydroxylase. Accordingly, we found a good correlation between the binding properties of the ellipticines and their inhibitory effect upon: (1) the microsomal formation of water soluble metabolites of benzo(a)pyrene, (2) the covalent binding of reactive metabolites of this hydrocarbon to DNA, and (3) the mutagenic activity of benzo(a)pyrene in the Salmonella typkimurium test.

Cytochrome 1A1 induction by primaquine in human hepatocytes and HepG2 cells: absence of binding to the aryl hydrocarbon receptor

Malaria remains the most prevalent infectious disease of tropical and subtropical areas of the world. It represents a crucial problem in public health care, affecting 750 million people annually, of whom at least two million die. Various antimalarials currently used were studied for their capability to induce expression of the cytochrome P450 1A1 (CYP1A1) gene, an enzyme that plays an important role in the activation of xenobiotics to genotoxic derivatives. Studies on human hepatocytes and HepG2 cell lines showed that primaquine was capable of dose dependently increasing both the ethoxyresorufin-O-deethylase activity and CYP1A1 mRNAs, suggesting a transcriptional activation of this gene. Moreover, alpha-naphthoflavone, a partial aryl hydrocarbon receptor (AhR) antagonist, and 8-methoxypsoralen, which interferes with the binding of activated AhR to the xenobiotic responsive element, were shown to suppress CYP1A1 induction when added to the cultures. However, neither primaquine nor its metabolites were able to displace [3H]2,3,7,8-tetrachlorodibenzo-p-dioxin from AhR in competitive binding studies using 9S-enriched fractions of human cytosol. These data, together with the induction of CYP1A1 promoter-directed chloramphenicol acetyl transferase gene expression, suggest that CYP1A1 induction involves the participation of the AhR but not a direct primaquine-receptor interaction. This supports the notion that an alternative ligand-independent mechanism has to be considered. Given the pharmaco-toxicological significance of CYP1A1 induction, these findings may have important implications in the treatment of malaria with primaquine and new analogs.

Mechanism of antimutagenicity of wheat sprout extracts

In this paper we have demonstrated that wheat sprout extract, which has been shown to be antimutagenic towards benzo[a]pyrene (BP), reduced formation of BP metabolites by hepatic microsomes of either benzo[a]pyrene- or phenobarbital-treated rats as analyzed in high-pressure liquid chromatography (HPLC). Comparing the time dependence of profiles and values of BP metabolites, formed in experiments in which the same dose of wheat sprout extract was added to the incubation medium, it has been observed that the later this extract was added the higher the percent of BP that was metabolized. In a bacterial test (cytochrome P450 induction assay) high inhibition of mutagenic activity of cyclophosphamide and ethidium bromide, in the presence of wheat sprout extract, reflected decreased levels of cytochromes P4502B1 and P4501A1 respectively. Decreased levels of both cytochromes P4501A1 and P4502B1 were also observed in either wheat sprout extract- or wheat sprout extract plus benzo[a]pyrene-treated rats. In all of these studies it has been observed that wheat sprout extract displays much more affinity for cytochrome P4501A1 than for the P4502B1 form. On the other hand the wheat sprout extract had higher affinity for carcinogen binding protein (4S protein) than for the aryl hydrocarbon receptor. The strong inhibition of BP mutagenicity and BP metabolism with non-chlorophyllic wheat sprout extract suggests that chlorophyll is not the main compound responsible for the antimutagenic activity of wheat sprout extract. The similar chromatographic behavior of both the main inhibitory fraction, obtained from wheat sprout extract, and two pure glycosides of apigenin--shaftoside, purified from wheat sprout extract and synthetic swertisine--suggests that antimutagenic compound(s) contained in the wheat sprout extract belong(s) to this family of flavonoids.

Cytotoxic effects and induction of cytochromes P450 1A1/2 by insecticides, in hepatic or epidermal cells: binding capability to the Ah receptor

Insecticides deserve particular attention since the general population is potentially exposed to such chemicals through many routes. We therefore tested the comparative acute and chronic toxicity of chemicals belonging to the major insecticides families (DDT, malathion and tetrachlorvinphos, carbaryl, cypermethrin, diflubenzuron), in hepatocytes, HepG2 and HaCaT cell lines. Two kinds of end-points were used: cytotoxicity parameters and CYP1A1 induction. Except for cypermethrin and diflubenzuron, all these chemicals exerted a cytotoxic effect in hepatocytes and HaCaT, but not in HepG2 cells. However, the induction of the EROD activity appeared more sensitive since a response was detected at lower concentrations. Significant differences were observed between the cell types and the insecticides. Furthermore, these chemicals were unable to displace [3H]TCDD from its binding sites, suggesting that they would not be a ligand of the Ah receptor. The experimental approach used herein may be a good means for predicting the acute and chronic toxicity of pesticides.

The hydroxylation of the antitumor agent, ellipticine, by liver microsomes from differently pretreated rats

Abstract The antitumor agent, ellipticine (5,11-dimethyl-6H-pyrido[4-3,b]carbazole) is mainly hydroxylated in position 9 by liver microsomes of differently pretreated rats, this result being in agreement with that obtained previously in vivo. A quick and reliable fluorometric assay, based on the differential fluorescent properties of ellipticine and 9-hydroxyellipticine, is described for the measurement of the 9-hydroxylase activity of different microsomes. This activity exhibits the usual features of the cytochrome-P450-dependent monooxygenases. Control rat liver microsomes exhibit a good affinity for ellipticine (Km = 3 × 10−5 M) but a low specific activity (0.1 nmole min−1 mg protein −1), perhaps related with an excess substrate inhibition. Pretreatment of rats with benzo[a]pyrene or ellipticine enhances the rate of 9-hydroxylation: pretreatment with phenobarbital does not. Metyrapone and 7,8 benzofiavone are poor inhibitors of ellipticine hydroxylation particularly in microsomes from benzo[a]pyreneor ellipticine-pretreated rats.

Ellipticines as potent inhibitors of microsomes- dependent chemical mutagenesis

9-Hydroxyellipticine (9-OHE), an inhibitor of microsomal monooxygenase activities has been shown to exert a large or even complete decrease of the mutagenicity, on the Salmonella strains of a great number of compounds (aromatic amines, polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons, fungal toxins, azo compounds, tobacco smoke condensate). 9-OHE and 9-fluoroellipticine are more potent inhibitors than ellipticine itself. The inhibitions exerted by 9-OHE are not even equalled by 10-fold higher doses of 7,8-benzoflavone (7,8-BF). There is a good correlation between these data and the interaction properties of ellipticines with microsomal cytochromes P-450.

Structure-activity relationships in the inhibitory effects of ellipticines on benzo(a)pyrene hydroxylase activity and 3-methylcholanthrene mutagenicity.

Abstract The structural features which determine the ability of ellipticine (5,11dimethyl6Hpyrido[4-3b] carbazole) and its derivatives to interact with cytochrome P-450 and to inhibit rat liver microsomal benzo(a)pyrene hydroxylase as well as to inhibit the mutagenicity of 3-methylcholanthrene have been studied. Spectral interactions studies were carried out with either Aroclor 1254-, 3-methylcholanthrene-or phenobarbital-induced microsomes. Inhibitory activities towards benzo(a)pyrene hydroxylase and 3-methylcholanthrene mutagenicity (Ames test), were determined using Aroclor 1254-induced microsomes. It appears that every ellipticine derivative having significant inhibitory effects on hydroxylation of benzo(a)pyrene or mutagenicity of 3-methylcholanthrene also exhibits a very good affinity for microsomal cytochromes P-450. The accessibility of the pyridinic nitrogen of ellipticine derivatives appears as the most important factor for their binding to cytochromes P-450 and the presence of methyl groups in 5 and 11 positions of ellipticine derivatives is an essential condition for the expression of the inhibitory power. Various substitutions in the A ring of ellipticine appear to be of secondary importance. On the other hand the location of the pyridinic ring and consequently the arrangement of the molecule within the hydrophobic pocket of cytochrome P-450 seems also to play an important role in the inhibitory power since isoellipticines are devoid of such properties. These results should help in the design of particularly efficient inhibitors of drug and carcinogen metabolism.

Effect of exposure of rabbit hepatocytes to sulfur-containing anthelmintics (oxfendazole and fenbendazole) on cytochrome P4501A1 expression.

The expression of cytochrome P4501A1 and 1A2 was investigated in rabbit hepatocytes maintained in primary cultures for 96 hr in the absence or presence of 100 mum of the benzimidazole anthelmintics oxfendazole or fenbendazole. Total cytochrome P-450, ethoxyresorufin O-deethylase and acetanilide hydroxylase activities were significantly increased in cell cultures receiving benzimidazoles. These increases were more marked after exposure of cultured hepatocytes to oxfendazole (OFZ) than to fenbendazole (FBZ). Western and Northern blot analysis of microsomes and RNA prepared from these cultures revealed increased levels of both protein and specific mRNA for P4501A1. The inhibition of these inductions in the presence of actinomycin D suggests a transcriptional way of activation of this gene. The ability of OFZ to bind to the Ah receptor has been examined. Data obtained from competition experiments with dioxin demonstrated that OFZ and other compounds in the benzimidazole series are not ligand of the Ah receptor. From saturation experiments and Scatchard plot analysis, rabbit hepatocyte Ah receptor (K(d) = 10.6 nm) seems to belong, as does the human Ah receptor, to a low-affinity category. Different induction rates obtained with several benzimidazole drugs suggest that the sulfur atom within the molecule is critical for CYP1A1 induction. The widely used benzimidazole anthelmintics OFZ and FBZ may exert an inducing effect through an original pathway that does not require a specific binding step to the Ah receptor.

Intracellular lipoproteins as carriers for 2,3,7,8-tetrachlorodibenzo-p-dioxin and benzo(a)pyrene in rat and mouse liver

The possible role of hepatic lipoproteins as intracellular carriers in the transport of 2,3,7,8-tetrachlorodibenzo-p-dioxin and benzo(a)pyrene was assessed by in vitro and in vivo studies. Following administration of [3H]2,3,7,8-tetrachlorodibenzo-p-dioxin or unlabelled 2,3,7,8-tetrachlorodibenzofuran to C57 BL/6 mice or Sprague-Dawley rats these compounds were bound to lipoproteins which subsequently underwent rapid and pronounced degradative processing, possibly catalysed by lipoprotein lipase, to heavier entities. At the highest doses of xenobiotics administered, an almost complete disappearance of lipoprotein particles was observed. The in vitro incubation of [3H]2,3,7,8-tetrachlorodibenzo-p-dioxin-lipoprotein and [3H]benzo(a)pyrene-lipoprotein complexes with separated Ah receptor and 4S protein, respectively, demonstrated that a passive transfer occurred; the latter was likely dependent on both the relative affinities of the ligands towards the different cellular binding components as well as on their quantitative binding capacity. Taken together, these findings support the idea of a carrier-role for lipoproteins in the intracellular transport of hydrophobic xenobiotics and it may be asked whether the widespread modulators of lipoprotein level such as fibrates or others affect drug transfer or action.