Induction, activation, and inhibition of hamster and rat liver microsomal arylamide and arylamine N-hydroxylase.

By applying a new and highly sensitive assay for measuring N-hydroxy metabolites, the biochemical properties of the microsomal N-hydroxylase from control and 3-methylcholanthrene-treated rat and hamster liver have been analyzed, and the following conclusions have been drawn. (a) Due to a difference in enzyme affinity, the metabolic activation of acetylaminofluorene is more pronounced than that of aminofluorene, a fact which correlates with the difference in the carcinogenic potency of the two compounds. (b) Arylamine N-hydroxylase differs qualitatively as well as quantitatively from arylamide N- hydroxylase mainly in terms of sensitivity to various in vitro inhibitors. (c) 7,8-Benzoflavone and 3-methylcholanthrene are strong inhibitors of liver microsomal N-hydroxylases. This effect could partly explain the inhibition of the hepatic tumorigenicity of acetylaminofluorene in animals simultaneously fed 3-methylcholanthrene. (d) The metabolism of acetylaminofluorene proceeds via both ring- (C-1, C-3, C-5, or C-7) and N-hydroxylation. There is clear reciprocal interaction between these various microsomal pathways. (e) The apparent increase in Km following pretreatment of the rat with 3-methylcholanthrene is due to competitive inhibition of the N-hydroxylase by some of the C-hydroxy metabolites. This effect is not seen in hamster liver.

Metabolism of N-hydroxy-2-acetylaminofluorene and N-hydroxy-2-aminofluorene by guinea pig liver microsomes.

The guinea pig is resistant to the hepatocarcinogenic effects of 2-acetylaminofluorene and 2-aminofluorene. This resistance, however, is not due to the lack of a N-hydroxylating enzyme in the liver which catalyzes the first and rate-limiting step to the activation of these chemicals to proximal carcinogens. It is shown that guinea pig liver microsomes can N-hydroxylate both of these compounds. The N-hydroxylation of 2-acetylaminofluorene but not 2-aminofluorene is inducible by pretreating the guinea pigs with benz(a)anthracene. The microsomal reaction is inhibited by 3-methylcholanthrene, miconazole, or 7,8-benzoflavone, 7-Iodo-2-acetylaminofluorene is N-hydroxylated by guinea pig liver microsomes at approximately the same rate as 2-acetylaminofluorene. The N-hydroxylation of 7-fluoro-2-acetyl-aminofluorene occurs at a much faster rate. The resistance of the guinea pig liver to the carcinogenic effect of the arylamides and arylamines may actually be due to the ability to further convert the N-hydroxylated metabolites to the inactive C7-hydroxylated product. The conversion of N-hydroxy-2-acetylaminofluorene to C7-hydroxy-2-acetylaminofluorene by guinea pig liver microsomes is inhibited by 8-hydroxyquinoline or miconazole. The microsomal metabolic activation of the 7-iodo-2-acetylaminofluorene used to confirm this new metabolic pathway proceeds via a deacetylation step which could explain the resistance of the rat to the carcinogenic effect of that chemical. The high yield of the N-hydroxy-7-fluoro-2-acetylaminofluorene produced by liver microsomes could be responsible for its high carcinogenic potency.

Subcellular fractionation of isolated rat hepatocytes. A comparison with liver homogenate.

An improved method for the homogenization and the subsequent subcellular fractionation of hepatocytes isolated from adult rat liver is described. The homogenization procedure developed in the present study allows the preservation of the integrity of subcellular structures, as demonstrated by measurement of the activities of representative enzymes as well as by determination of their latency. The activities of representative marker enzymes, as calculated on subcellular fractions obtained by differential centrifugation of the homogenate, are identical whether the homogenate arises from isolated hepatocytes or from the whole liver. Moreover, there is a close similitude between the kinetic parameters (Km and V) of two microsomal cytochrome P450-dependent mixed-function oxidases, namely aniline hydroxylase and aminopyrine demethylase determined on microsomal preparations obtained either from isolated cells or from the whole liver.

Prevention by free radical scavenger AD5 of prooxidant effects of choline deficiency.

This study was designed to explore the possible preventive effects of a novel radicophile, N-p-methoxyphenylacetyl-dehydroalanine (AD5) and three other antioxidants, N,N'-diphenyl-p-phenylenediamine (DPPD), butylated hydroxyanisole (BHA) and a water-soluble analogue of vitamin E, trolox C, on the acute effects of the liver of feeding a choline-deficient (CD) diet. It has been suggested that some of the acute effects of a CD diet are related to free radicals, the generation or metabolism of which is disturbed in this acute dietary model. AD5 was found to be very effective in preventing nuclear lipid peroxidation, DNA damage and cell death induced by a CD diet but to have little effect on triglyceride accumulation ("fatty liver"). DPPD, BHA, and trolox C were ineffective. These results add strength to the hypothesis that oxygen free radicals might be an important component in the early events during carcinogenesis induced by feeding a CD diet.

Prebiotics: preferential substrates for specific germs?

A prebiotic is "a non-digestible food ingredient that beneficially affects the host by selectively stimulating the growth and/or the activity of one or a limited number of bacteria in the colon." The premise is based on the hypothesis that the large gut in humans contains bacteria that are beneficial or detrimental to health. Although this generalization probably gives too simplistic a view of gut microbiology, it is a feasible working concept. Currently, food components that seem to exert the best prebiotic effects are inulin-type fructans. In pure culture, most species of bifidobacteria are adapted to the utilization of these nondigestible oligosaccharides but many other bacteria are also capable of metabolizing them. Clearly, these studies of pure bacteria are of limited use unless their results are supported by the results of studies using mixed cultures. Indeed, as many components of the gut microbiota as possible should be measured to indicate a true prebiotic effect. Simple stimulation of bifidobacteria is insufficient to demonstrate an effect; the effects on other gut microorganisms in vivo with human volunteers is necessary. Adjustment of the composition and activities of the colonic microflora so that health-promoting activities are optimized remains key in functional food development. New methods are being applied extensively to human gut microbiology and promise the degree of reliability required to detect subtle changes in colonic microflora composition and to correlate such changes with health benefits. This is a review of the present state of knowledge concerning prebiotics, with emphasis on the criteria used for classification, mechanisms of selective growth stimulation, and physiologic effects.

Concepts and strategy of functional food science: the European perspective.

Recent knowledge supports the hypothesis that, beyond meeting nutrition needs, diet may modulate various functions in the body and play detrimental or beneficial roles in some diseases. Concepts in nutrition are expanding from emphasis on survival, hunger satisfaction, and preventing adverse effects to emphasizing the use of foods to promote a state of well-being and better health and to help reduce the risk of disease. In many countries, especially Japan and the United States, research on functional foods is addressing the physiologic effects and health benefits of foods and food components, with the aim of authorizing specific health claims. The positive effects of a functional food can be either maintaining a state of well-being and health or reducing the risk of pathologic consequences. Among the most promising targets for functional food science are gastrointestinal functions, redox and antioxidant systems, and metabolism of macronutrients. Ongoing research into functional foods will allow the establishment of health claims that can be translated into messages for consumers that will refer to either enhanced function or reduction of disease risk. Only a rigorous scientific approach that produces highly significant results will guarantee the success of this new discipline of nutrition. This presents a challenge for the scientific community, health authorities, and the food industry.

Prebiotics and probiotics: are they functional foods?

A probiotic is a viable microbial dietary supplement that beneficially affects the host through its effects in the intestinal tract. Probiotics are widely used to prepare fermented dairy products such as yogurt or freeze-dried cultures. In the future, they may also be found in fermented vegetables and meats. Several health-related effects associated with the intake of probiotics, including alleviation of lactose intolerance and immune enhancement, have been reported in human studies. Some evidence suggests a role for probiotics in reducing the risk of rotavirus-induced diarrhea and colon cancer. Prebiotics are nondigestible food ingredients that benefit the host by selectively stimulating the growth or activity of one or a limited number of bacteria in the colon. Work with prebiotics has been limited, and only studies involving the inulin-type fructans have generated sufficient data for thorough evaluation regarding their possible use as functional food ingredients. At present, claims about reduction of disease risk are only tentative and further research is needed. Among the claims are constipation relief, suppression of diarrhea, and reduction of the risks of osteoporosis, atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease associated with dyslipidemia and insulin resistance, obesity, and possibly type 2 diabetes. The combination of probiotics and prebiotics in a synbiotic has not been studied. This combination might improve the survival of the bacteria crossing the upper part of the gastrointestinal tract, thereby enhancing their effects in the large bowel. In addition, their effects might be additive or even synergistic.

Anti-initiation activity of N-acetylcysteine in experimental colonic carcinogenesis.

N-Acetylcysteine (NAC) is a soluble nucleophile that has been shown to have antimutagenic activity towards various genotoxic agents including 1,2-dimethylhydrazine (DMH). The present report extends such observations by showing the protective effect of NAC against the carcinogenic activity of DMH. This thiol-containing molecule reduced the incidence of rat intestinal tumors. Moreover, it significantly lowered the colic tumor yield as expressed by the number of tumors per rat bearing tumors. With regard to localisation of colic carcinomas, NAC induced a shift from distal to more proximal sites.

Characterization of the guinea pig liver microsomal 2-fluorenylamine and N-2-fluorenylacetamide N-hydroxylase.

Many reports in the literature have indicated that the guinea-pig is resistant to the carcinogenic effect of N-2-fluorenylacetamide (2FAA); this refractoriness has been attributed to its lack of N-hydroxylating enzymes. The present communication, however, supports the results of contradictory reports which demonstrate that guinea-pig liver microsomes are in fact able to N-hydroxylate both 2-fluorenamine and 2FAA. The guinea-pig N-hydroxylase activity toward 2-fluorenamine is found to be even greater than the reported activity in the rat and hamster. It is similarly inhibited by 3-methylcholanthrene (3MC), 7,8-benzoflavone (7,8 BF) or miconazole. Activity toward N-2-fluorenacetamide is present in the microsomal preparation from the control guinea-pig. There is slight activation by SKF525A, paraoxon (PX) or sodium fluoride. Under optimum conditions, in the presence of both paraoxon and sodium fluoride, activity is equivalent to that of rat liver microsomal enzymes.

A new class of free radical scavengers reducing adriamycin mitochondrial toxicity.

Beef heart mitochondria were incubated with ADM and NADH. An adriamycin semiquinone radical was detected using ESR spectroscopy. The semiquinone radical production rate is decreased upon addition of a scavenger (AD 20) in the reaction medium. NMRI mice were treated with AD 20 (70 mg/kg, i.p.) 15 min prior ADM injection (20 mg/kg, i.p.) or with ADM alone. Heart mitochondria were isolated 48 hr later. The enzymatic activities of complex I-III and complex IV of the mitochondrial respiratory chain were strongly depressed in animals receiving ADM alone, whereas these activities were almost completely restored in animals receiving AD 20 and ADM. Fluorescence depolarization measurements indicated that only mice treated with ADM alone presented a decreased fluidity of their cardiac mitochondrial membrane.

Peroxisomal enzymes and 8-hydroxydeoxyguanosine in rat liver treated with perfluorooctanoic acid.

Although peroxisome proliferators are considered non-genotoxic agents, most of them, nevertheless, were found to promote and/or induce, hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) in rodents. The aim of the present study is, first, to investigate whether the peroxisome proliferator perfluorooctanoic acid (PFOA) possesses inherent liver cancer promoting activity, and second, to study the possible mechanisms involved. To acheive these aims two protocols have been applied, a biphasic protocol (initiation by diethyl-nitrozamine (DEN) 200 mg/kg i.p. followed by treatment with 0.005% or 0.02% perflourooctanoic acid (PFOA) for 14 and 25 weeks) and a triphasic initiation, selection-promotion (IS) protocol (initiation by giving 200 mg/kg DEN i.p. followed by a selection procedure for 2 weeks consisting of giving 0.03% 2-acetylaminofluorene (2-AAF) in diet). In the middle of this treatment a single oral dose of carbon tetrachloride (2.0 ml/kg) was given, followed by giving diet containg 0.015% of PFOA for 25 weeks. After applying both protocols, our results showed slight increase in the catalase activity while acyl CoA oxidase activity was markedly increased. Both experiments indicated that PFOA has a liver cancer promoting activity. Other groups of rats were given either basal diet or diet containing 0.02% PFOA. Five or nine weeks later they were sacrificed and the levels of 8-hydroxydeoxyguanosine in the isolated DNA were estimated. The data showed a slight nonetheless insignificant increase in 8-hydroxydeoxyguanosine. From the present data, it is concluded that PFOA is a true liver cancer promoter that may not require extensive initial DNA damage for its promoting activity.

Functional effects of food components and the gastrointestinal system: chicory fructooligosaccharides.

Functional food science, as recently proposed by ILSI Europe, opens new perspectives in nutrition and food sciences. The systematic investigation of the interactions between food components or food ingredients and genomic, biochemical, cellular, or physiological functions is a unique way to improve both our knowledge and the role of nutrition in maintaining good health and in preventing disease. However, such basic knowledge is insufficient to justify claims, unless it is confirmed through relevant nutrition studies aimed at demonstrating the same effect and its positive consequences in humans. In the first stage, this demonstration will in most cases justify functional (physiological) claims (e.g., bifidogenic effect for fructooligosaccharides, bulking effect for nondigestible carbohydrates, protection against oxidative stress for antioxidants) with no reference to any health benefit. A true health claim will require, in most cases, additional studies involving large populations and long-term trials. It is anticipated that the better we understand the mechanism of interactions between food components and specific biological functions, the more we will be able to demonstrate functional effects, and the easier it will be to accumulate convincing evidence in favor of health promotion or disease prevention. Because of both its direct contact with eaten foods and the diversity of its functions, the GI system is a potential target for many functional effects. Until now, only a limited number of these effects have been investigated so as to justify functional claims. Improvement of glucose absorption (leading to physiological glycemia and insulinemia), modulation of GI transit time, fecal bulking, acidification of colonic content, and control of cholesterol bioavailability are all recognized effects of dietary fiber. Balanced colonic microflora and immunostimulation are attributed to the consumption of probiotics. Prebiotics selectively modify the colonic microbiota and modulate hepatic lipogenesis. According to the ILSI Europe strategy for the development of functional foods, all these effects are of interest. Their support by sound scientific arguments will be a necessary condition for their implementation in food science and nutrition for the benefit of human health.

The biochemistry of oligofructose, a nondigestible fiber: an approach to calculate its caloric value.

Oligofructose, a natural food ingredient, is the product of partial enzymatic hydrolysis of inulin. This nondigestible oligosaccharide is fermented by colonic bacteria to produce mainly short-chain fatty acids, L-lactate, and CO2 and the energy necessary for bacterial growth. It also increases fecal mass. Based on biochemical balance charts for carbon atoms, metabolic pathways, and energy yield to the host, the caloric value of a fructosyl unit of oligofructose is calculated to be 25-35% that of a digested molecule of hexose. The caloric value of oligofructose is thus likely to be close to 1 kcal/g.

Colonic microflora: nutrition and health. Summary and conclusions of an International Life Sciences Institute (ILSI) [Europe] workshop held in Barcelona, Spain.

The colonic microflora is an organism that performs a variety of unique activities. It is more important to evaluate these activities than to analyze bacterial composition in terms of genera, species, or strains. Unless the bacteria translocate, it is the activities of the colonic microflora that affect colonic and systemic physiology and not the bacteria themselves.

Dietary oligofructose modifies the impact of fructose on hepatic triacylglycerol metabolism.

The aim was to investigate if chronic feeding with oligofructose (OFS), a nondigestible fructan that decreases triacylglycerol-very-low-density lipoproteins (TAG-VLDLs) in the serum of rats by reducing hepatic de novo lipogenesis, could counteract the impact of fructose on TAG metabolism. Male Wistar rats fed a standard diet supplemented or not with 10% OFS for 30 days received either tap water or a 10% fructose drinking solution for 48 hours. TAG, phospholipids (PLs), cholesterol, and free fatty acids were assayed both in serum and in liver. Fatty acid de novo synthesis, esterification, and beta-oxidation were assessed in the liver by measuring the activity of key enzymes: fatty acid synthase (FAS), phosphatidate phosphohydrolase (PAP), glycerol-3-phosphate acyltransferase (GPAT), and carnitine palmitoyltransferase-I (CPT-I), respectively. The acute load of fructose increased (1) both liver and serum TAG without affecting other lipids, and (2) de novo fatty acid synthesis and esterification, through induction of FAS and PAP without affecting CPT-I. Long-term feeding with OFS protected rats against liver TAG accumulation induced by fructose. The lower lipogenic capacity of the liver could be the key event in this protection, since even after the fructose load FAS activity remained significantly lower in OFS-fed rats. However, despite its protective effect on the liver, OFS was not able to prevent fructose-induced hypertriglyceridemia, suggesting that OFS feeding could not counteract the fructose-induced defect in TAG-VLDL clearance.

Comparison of viable cell counts and fluorescence in situ hybridization using specific rRNA-based probes for the quantification of human fecal bacteria.

Conventional cultivation and fluorescence in situ hybridization (FISH) using 16S rRNA-based probes were compared for the enumeration of human colonic bacteria. Groups of common intestinal anaerobic bacteria were enumerated in slurries prepared from fecal samples of three healthy volunteers. To introduce variation between the samples, they were incubated for 48 h in batch culture (anaerobic) fermenters at 37 degrees C, and pure cultures of Bifidobacterium infantis, Clostridium perfringens, or Lactobacillus acidophilus were added. Samples were taken from the fermenters at different times. Total anaerobes, bifidobacteria, bacteroides, clostridia, and lactobacilli were enumerated by both plating and FISH. The results showed that plate counts of total anaerobes, bifidobacteria, lactobacilli and bacteroides were approximately ten-fold lower than the corresponding FISH counts. Numbers of clostridia were higher using the plating method, probably because the clostridia probe used in FISH analyses was designed to only detect part of the genus Clostridium. The introduced variation in the methods could be detected by both methods and was comparable.

Serum alkaline DNase activity in normal or nonhospitalised individuals.

According to previous observations, the variations in serum alkaline DNase activity (SADA) appeared to be useful in monitoring malignant disease. In this study, SADA was measured in 625 individuals to explore nontumor-related factors which may influence SADA levels. The overall range in SADA was 0.2-82.3 kU/l. Women aged 50-79 years had higher (p less than 0.001) levels of SADA than younger females. A similar but less consistent effect of age was noticed in men (0.01 less than p less than 0.05). Older men had lower (0.01 less than p less than 0.05) SADA levels than the older women. Old women substituted with estrogens had lower (0.01 less than p less than 0.05) levels of SADA than those not treated with estrogens. SADA levels in pregnancy as well as postparturition were lower (p less than 0.001) than SADA values in nonpregnant females of similar age. In fertile women, no SADA variation was observed during the menstrual cycle and there was no significant effect of contraceptive pills. In males, SADA seemed unrelated to testosterone or cortisol levels but varied during the day. Smoking, alcohol consumption and drug therapy appeared to be without effect on SADA.

Effects of diethyl maleate on protein synthesis in isolated hepatocytes.

Diethyl maleate is commonly used in toxicological and drug metabolism research using isolated adult rat hepatocytes. At the highest concentrations used the effect of diethyl maleate is, however, not limited to glutathione depletion. In these conditions it inhibits protein synthesis and it impairs the "L" system for amino acid transport. It has, however, no effect on the cytochrome P-450 content or its dependent aldrin monooxygenase. The present report shows that a concentration of diethyl maleate as low as 0.2 mM is sufficient to deplete glutathione without affecting glycogen and protein synthesis, transport of amino acid or monooxygenase activity in isolated adult rat hepatocytes.

Interference of chemicals with glycogen metabolism in isolated hepatocytes.

Freshly isolated hepatocytes in suspension were used to evaluate the possible effects of certain chemicals. Conditions including the choice of the incubation medium have been defined for maintaining the cells competent for a sufficient length of time. Using paracetamol alone or in combination with diethylmaleate, we have been able to show that these chemicals markedly alter the metabolic state of the cells, as indicated by an inhibition of glycogen synthesis and even by an enhancement of glycogen degradation, without modifying membrane integrity. These effects are dose-dependent and probably mediated through modification of glycogen phosphorylase activity.

Separate isolation of cells from nodules and surrounding parenchyma of the same precancerous rat liver: biochemical and cytochemical characterization.

Various enzyme and metabolic alterations have been observed in the hyperplastic nodules which appear during the hepatocarcinogenesis. These alterations have been mainly specified by histochemical observations. In this report, a technique of hepatocyte isolation is described which enables the separation of 2 cellular fractions, respectively, from the nodules and from the surrounding parenchyma of the same liver of a rat previously treated with a hepatocarcinogen. Such a technique allowed parallel analysis of both cellular populations by biochemical and cytochemical techniques.