Measuring non-polyaminated lipocalin-2 for cardiometabolic risk assessment.

AIMS: Lipocalin-2 is a pro-inflammatory molecule characterized by a highly diversified pattern of expression and structure-functional relationships. In vivo, this molecule exists as multiple variants due to post-translational modifications and/or protein-protein interactions. Lipocalin-2 is modified by polyamination, which enhances the clearance of this protein from the circulation and prevents its excessive accumulation in tissues. On the other hand, animal studies suggest that non-polyaminated lipocalin-2 (npLcn2) plays a causal role in the pathogenesis of obesity-associated medical complications. The present study examined the presence of npLcn2 in samples from healthy volunteers or patients with cardiac abnormalities and evaluated npLcn2 as a biomarker for cardiometabolic risk assessment. METHODS AND RESULTS: Immunoassays were developed to quantify npLcn2 in blood and urine samples collected from 100 volunteers (59 men and 41 women), or venous plasma and pericardial fluid samples obtained from 37 cardiothoracic surgery patients. In healthy volunteers, npLcn2 levels in serum are significantly higher in obese and overweight than in lean subjects. After adjustment for age, gender, smoking, and body mass index (BMI), serum npLcn2 levels are positively correlated with heart rate, circulating triglycerides, high-sensitivity C-reactive protein (hsCRP), and creatinine in plasma. The npLcn2 levels in urine are significantly increased in subjects with metabolic syndrome and positively correlated with BMI, heart rate, circulating triglycerides, and urinary aldosterone. In cardiothoracic surgery patients, the circulating concentrations of npLcn2 are higher (more than two-fold) than those of healthy volunteers and positively correlated with the accumulation of this protein in the pericardial fluid. Heart failure patients exhibit excessive expression and distribution of npLcn2 in mesothelial cells and adipocytes of the parietal pericardium, which are significantly correlated with the elevated plasma levels of npLcn2, total cholesterol, and creatinine. CONCLUSIONS: Quantitative and qualitative evaluation of npLcn2 in human biofluid samples and tissue samples can be applied for risk assessment of healthy individuals and disease management of patients with obesity-related cardiometabolic and renal complications.

In-tube extraction of volatile organic compounds from aqueous samples: an economical alternative to purge and trap enrichment.

A novel in-tube extraction device (ITEX 2) for headspace sampling was evaluated for GC/MS analysis of aqueous samples. Twenty compounds of regulatory and drinking water quality importance were analyzed, including halogenated hydrocarbons, BTEX compounds (benzene, toluene, ethylbenzene, xylenes), fuel oxygenates, geosmin, and 2-methylisoborneol. Five commercially available sorbent traps were compared for their compound specific extraction yield. On the basis of the results, a mixed bed trap was prepared and evaluated. The extraction parameters were optimized to yield maximum sensitivity within the time of a GC run, to avoid unnecessary downtime of the system. Method detection limits of 1-10 ng L(-1) were achieved for volatile organic compounds (VOCs), which is much lower than demands by regulatory limit values. The performance of the ITEX system is similar to that of purge and trap systems, but it requires lower sample volumes and is less prone to contamination, much simpler, more flexible, and affordable. Average relative standard deviations below 10% were achieved for all analytes, and recoveries from spiked tap water samples were between 90% and 103%, mostly. The extraction is nonexhaustive, removing a fraction of 7% to 55% of the target compounds, depending on the air-water partitioning coefficients. The method was also tested with nonsynthetic samples, including tap, pond, and reservoir water and different soft drinks.

Assessment of metabolic capabilities of PLHC-1 and RTL-W1 fish liver cell lines.

Metabolic capabilities of PLHC-1 and RTL-W1 cell lines were investigated since to date, cytochrome P450 (CYP) 1A and glutathione-S-transferase have been almost the unique biotransformation enzymes reported in these cells. Functionality of CYP3A-, CYP2M- and CYP2K-like enzymes was assessed by studying the hydroxylation of testosterone (T) and lauric acid (LA), and glucuronidation and sulfation capacity was assessed by looking at 1-naphthol (1-N) and T conjugation. Only PLHC-1 cells showed the ability to hydroxylate T at 6beta-position (a CYP3A-like catalysed pathway) and LA at (omega-1)-position (a CYP2K-like catalysed pathway). Hydroxysteroid dehydrogenase and steroid reductase enzymes showed comparatively higher activities than CYPs: 5alpha-dihydrotestosterone, androstenedione and 3beta-androstanediol were the major metabolites of T detected in both cell lines. Regarding phase II activities, both cell lines metabolised 1-N to glucuronide and sulfate conjugates. In contrast, when using T as substrate, RTL-W1 formed the glucuronide, whilst PLHC-1 formed the corresponding sulfate. Overall, the observed enzymatic activities are much lower (up to 17.5 x 10(3) times) than those reported in primary cultures of fish hepatocytes. The present study highlights the need of developing new fish cell lines that could be used as alternative in vitro tools for studying xenobiotic metabolism and toxicity in fish.

Assessment of catechol induction and glucuronidation in rat liver microsomes.

Catechols are substances with a 1,2-dihydroxybenzene group from natural or synthetic origin. The aim of this study was to determine whether catechols (4-methylcatechol, 4-nitrocatechol, 2,3-dihydroxynaphthalene) and the antiparkinsonian drugs, entacapone and tolcapone, at doses 150 to 300 mg/kg/day, for 3 days, are able to enhance their own glucuronidation. The induction potency of catechols on rat liver UDP-glucuronosyltransferases (UGTs) was compared with that of a standard polychlorinated biphenyl (PCB) inducer, Aroclor 1254. The glucuronidation rate of these catechols was enhanced up to 15-fold in the liver microsomes of PCB-treated rats, whereas treatment with catechols had little effect. Entacapone, tolcapone, 4-methylcatechol, catechol, 2,3-dihydroxynaphthalene, and 4-nitrocatechol were glucuronidated in control microsomes at rates ranging from 0.12 for entacapone to 22.0 nmol/min/mg for 4-nitrocatechol. Using 1-naphthol, entacapone, and 1-hydroxypyrene as substrates, a 5-, 8-, and 16-fold induction was detected in the PCB rats, respectively, whereas the catechol-induced activities were 1.1- to 1.5-fold only. Entacapone was glucuronidated more efficiently by PCB microsomes than by control microsomes (Vmax/Km, 0.0125 and 0.0016 ml/min/mg protein, respectively). Similar kinetic results were obtained for 1-hydroxypyrene. The Eadie-Hofstee plots suggested the contribution of multiple UGTs for the glucuronidation of 1-hydroxypyrene (Km1, Km2, Km3 = 0.8, 9.7, and 63 microM, and Vmax1, Vmax2, Vmax3 = 11, 24, and 55 nmol/min/mg, respectively), whereas only one UGT could be implicated in the glucuronidation of entacapone (Km = 130 microM, Vmax = 1.6 nmol/min/mg). In conclusion, catechols are poor inducers of their own glucuronidation supported by several UGT isoforms. Their administration is unlikely to affect the glucuronidation of other drugs administered concomitantly.

An assessment of udp-glucuronosyltransferase induction using primary human hepatocytes.

Uridine diphosphate glucuronosyltransferases (UGTs) catalyze the glucuronidation of a wide range of xenobiotics and endogenous substrates. However, there is a lack of information concerning the response of human UGTs to inducers, and this observation prompted the current investigation. The glucuronidation of estradiol (3- and 17-positions), naphthol, propofol, and morphine (3- and 6-positions) was assessed against a battery of recombinant human UGTs to determine selective glucuronidation reactions for induction studies. The potential induction of the glucuronidation of estradiol at the 3-position, naphthol, propofol, and morphine at the 3-position was subsequently investigated in cultured primary human hepatocytes against a range of prototypic inducers including dexamethasone, 3-methylcholanthrene (3-MC), phenobarbital, rifampicin, and omeprazole. Treatment with 3-MC induced estradiol-3-glucuronidation (up to 2.5-fold) in four of five donors investigated. Statistically significant increases in naphthol glucuronidation (up to 1.7-fold) were observed following treatment with carbamazepine. UGT1A9-mediated propofol glucuronidation was induced by phenobarbital (up to 2.2-fold) and rifampicin (up to 1.7-fold). However, treatment with alpha-naphthoflavone and tangeretin resulted in a decrease in propofol glucuronidation (30% of control values). Statistically significant induction of morphine-3-glucuronidation was observed in at least three donors following treatment with phenobarbital, rifampicin, and carbamazepine. Each UGT isoform investigated displayed a distinct induction profile. Although statistically significant increases in glucuronidation were observed for each reaction studied, the level of induction was less than that observed for CYP1A2 or CYP3A4 and exhibited a large interdonor variability. The clinical relevance of the induction responses obtained in this study is unclear.

Assessment of rat liver slices as a suitable model system for studying the simultaneous sulphation and glucuronidation of phenolic xenobiotics.

1. In most mammals, the xenobiotic 1-naphthol undergoes conjugation to produce predominantly the sulphate and glucuronide metabolites. 2. Using 1-naphthol, we established and validated rat liver slices as a model system to assess simultaneously the relative contributions of sulphation and glucuronidation to the metabolism of simple phenolic xenobiotics. 3. Determination of kinetic parameters for 1-naphthol sulphation showed identical affinity (Km approximately 5 microM) in rat liver slices and in rat liver cytosol. 4. In liver slices, at low substrate concentrations (10 microM 1-naphthol), sulphation was the predominant pathway but was readily saturated, whereas at high concentrations of 1-naphthol (100 microM) glucuronidation predominated. 5. In subcellular fractions, the Km for sulphation of 1-naphthol (5 microM) by liver cytosol was substantially lower than the Km for glucuronidation of 1-naphthol (48 microM) in liver microsomes, indicating saturation of sulphation by acceptor substrate was principally responsible for the shift towards glucuronidation at higher concentrations of 1-naphthol.