Soluble Epoxide Hydrolase in Aged Female Mice and Human Explanted Hearts Following Ischemic Injury.

Myocardial infarction (MI) accounts for a significant proportion of death and morbidity in aged individuals. The risk for MI in females increases as they enter the peri-menopausal period, generally occurring in middle-age. Cytochrome (CYP) 450 metabolizes N-3 and N-6 polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFA) into numerous lipid mediators, oxylipids, which are further metabolised by soluble epoxide hydrolase (sEH), reducing their activity. The objective of this study was to characterize oxylipid metabolism in the left ventricle (LV) following ischemic injury in females. Human LV specimens were procured from female patients with ischemic cardiomyopathy (ICM) or non-failing controls (NFC). Female C57BL6 (WT) and sEH null mice averaging 13-16 months old underwent permanent occlusion of the left anterior descending coronary artery (LAD) to induce myocardial infarction. WT (wild type) mice received vehicle or sEH inhibitor, trans-4-[4-(3-adamantan-1-yl-ureido)-cyclohexyloxy]-benzoic acid (tAUCB), in their drinking water ad libitum for 28 days. Cardiac function was assessed using echocardiography and electrocardiogram. Protein expression was determined using immunoblotting, mitochondrial activity by spectrophotometry, and cardiac fibre respiration was measured using a Clark-type electrode. A full metabolite profile was determined by LC-MS/MS. sEH was significantly elevated in ischemic LV specimens from patients, associated with fundamental changes in oxylipid metabolite formation and significant decreases in mitochondrial enzymatic function. In mice, pre-treatment with tAUCB or genetic deletion of sEH significantly improved survival, preserved cardiac function, and maintained mitochondrial quality following MI in female mice. These data indicate that sEH may be a relevant pharmacologic target for women with MI. Although future studies are needed to determine the mechanisms, in this pilot study we suggest targeting sEH may be an effective strategy for reducing ischemic injury and mortality in middle-aged females.

Role of CYP2B in Phenobarbital-Induced Hepatocyte Proliferation in Mice.

Phenobarbital (PB) promotes liver tumorigenesis in rodents, in part through activation of the constitutive androstane receptor (CAR) and the consequent changes in hepatic gene expression and increases in hepatocyte proliferation. A typical effect of CAR activation by PB is a marked induction of Cyp2b10 expression in the liver; the latter has been suspected to be vital for PB-induced hepatocellular proliferation. This hypothesis was tested here by using a Cyp2a(4/5)bgs-null (null) mouse model in which all Cyp2b genes are deleted. Adult male and female wild-type (WT) and null mice were treated intraperitoneally with PB at 50 mg/kg once daily for 5 successive days and tested on day 6. The liver-to-body weight ratio, an indicator of liver hypertrophy, was increased by 47% in male WT mice, but by only 22% in male Cyp2a(4/5)bgs-null mice, by the PB treatment. The fractions of bromodeoxyuridine-positive hepatocyte nuclei, assessed as a measure of the rate of hepatocyte proliferation, were also significantly lower in PB-treated male null mice compared with PB-treated male WT mice. However, whereas few proliferating hepatocytes were detected in saline-treated mice, many proliferating hepatocytes were still detected in PB-treated male null mice. In contrast, female WT mice were much less sensitive than male WT mice to PB-induced hepatocyte proliferation, and PB-treated female WT and PB-treated female null mice did not show significant difference in rates of hepatocyte proliferation. These results indicate that CYP2B induction plays a significant, but partial, role in PB-induced hepatocyte proliferation in male mice.

Emerging roles for brain drug-metabolizing cytochrome P450 enzymes in neuropsychiatric conditions and responses to drugs.

P450s in the human brain were originally considered unlikely to contribute significantly to the clearance of drugs and other xenobiotic chemicals, since their overall expression was a small fraction of that found in the liver. However, it is now recognized that P450s play substantial roles in the metabolism of both exogenous and endogenous chemicals in the brain, but in a highly cell type- and region-specific manner, in line with the greater functional heterogeneity of the brain compared to the liver. Studies of brain P450 expression and the characterization of the catalytic activity of specific forms expressed as recombinant enzymes have suggested possible roles for xenobiotic-metabolizing P450s in the brain. It is now possible to confirm these roles through the use of intracerebroventricular administration of selective P450 inhibitors in animal models, coupled with brain sampling techniques to measure drug concentrations in vivo, and modern neuroimaging techniques. The purpose of this review is to discuss the evidence behind the functional importance of P450s from the "xenobiotic-metabolizing" families, CYP1, CYP2 and CYP3 in the brain. Approaches used to define the quantitative and qualitative significance of these P450s in determining tissue-specific levels of xenobiotics in brain will be considered. Finally, the possible roles of these enzymes in brain biochemistry will be examined in light of the demonstrated activity of these enzymes in vitro and the association of particular P450 forms with disease states.

Endomembrane Protein Trafficking Regulated by a TvCyP2 Cyclophilin in the Protozoan Parasite, Trichomonas vaginalis.

In Trichomonas vaginalis, the TvCyP1-catalyzed conformational switches of two glycinyl-prolyl imide bonds in Myb3 were previously shown to regulate the trafficking of Myb3 from cytoplasmic membrane compartments towards the nucleus. In this study, TvCyP2 was identified as a second cyclophilin that binds to Myb3 at the same dipeptide motifs. The enzymatic proficiency of TvCyP2, but not its binding to Myb3, was aborted by a mutation of Arg75 in the catalytic domain. TvCyP2 was localized to the endoplasmic reticulum with a weak signal that extensively extends into the cytoplasm as well as to the plasma membrane according to an immunofluorescence assay. Moreover, TvCyP2 was co-enriched with TvCyP1 and Myb3 in various membrane fractions purified by differential and gradient centrifugation. TvCyP2 was found to proficiently enzymatically regulate the distribution of TvCyP1 and Myb3 among purified membrane fractions, and to localize TvCyP1 in hydrogenosomes and on plasma membranes. Protein complexes immunoprecipitated from lysates of cells overexpressing TvCyP1 and TvCyP2 were found to share some common components, like TvCyP1, TvCyP2, TvBip, Myb3, TvHSP72, and the hydrogenosomal heat shock protein 70 (HSP70). Direct interaction between TvCyP1 and TvCyP2 was confirmed by a GST pull-down assay. Fusion of vesicles with hydrogenosomes was observed by transmission electron microscopy, whereas TvCyP1, TvCyP2, and Myb3 were each detected at the fusion junction by immunoelectron microscopy. These observations suggest that T. vaginalis may have evolved a novel protein trafficking pathway to deliver proteins among the endomembrane compartments, hydrogenosomes and plasma membranes.

Alcoholic fatty liver is enhanced in CYP2A5 knockout mice: The role of the PPARα-FGF21 axis.

BACKGROUND & AIMS: Cytochrome P450 2A5 (CYP2A5) is induced by ethanol, and the ethanol induction of CYP2A5 is regulated by nuclear factor-erythroid 2-related factor 2 (NRF2). Cyp2a5 knockout (Cyp2a5-/-) mice develop more severe alcoholic fatty liver than Cyp2a5+/+ mice. Fibroblast growth factor 21 (FGF21), a PPARα-regulated liver hormone, is involved in hepatic lipid metabolism. Alcoholic and non-alcoholic fatty liver are enhanced in Pparα knockout (Pparα-/-) mice. This study investigates the relationship between the PPARα-FGF21 axis and the enhanced alcoholic fatty liver in Cyp2a5-/- mice. METHODS: Mice were fed the Lieber-Decarli ethanol diet to induce alcoholic fatty liver. RESULTS: More severe alcoholic fatty liver disease was developed in Cyp2a5-/- mice than in Cyp2a5+/+ mice. Basal FGF21 levels were higher in Cyp2a5-/- mice than in Cyp2a5+/+ mice, but ethanol did not further increase the elevated FGF21 levels in Cyp2a5-/- mice while FGF21 was induced by ethanol in Cyp2a5+/+ mice. Basal levels of serum FGF21 were lower in Pparα-/- mice than in Pparα+/+ mice; ethanol induced FGF21 in Pparα+/+ mice but not in Pparα-/- mice, whereas ethanol induced hypertriglyceridemia in Pparα-/- mice but not in Pparα+/+ mice. Administration of recombinant FGF21 normalized serum FGF21 and triglyceride in Pparα-/- mice. Alcoholic fatty liver was enhanced in liver-specific Fgf21 knockout mice. Pparα and Cyp2a5 double knockout (Pparα-/-/Cyp2a5-/-) mice developed more severe alcoholic fatty liver than Pparα+/+/Cyp2a5-/- mice. CONCLUSIONS: These results suggest that CYP2A5 protects against the development of alcoholic fatty liver disease, and the PPARα-FGF21 axis contributes to the protective effects of CYP2A5 on alcoholic fatty liver disease.