Neoantigen formation and clastogenic action of HCFC-123 and perchloroethylene in human MCL-5 cells.

In this study, the metabolic activation of 2,2-dichloro-1,1,1-trifluoroethane (hydrochlorofluorocarbons-123, HCFC-123), halothane or 1,1-dichloro-1-fluoroethane (HCFC-141b) was compared to that of perchloroethylene, using lymphoblastoma derived cell lines expressing human CYP1A1, CYP1A2, CYP2E1, CYP2A6 and CYP3A4 (MCL-5 cells). A dose dependent increase in micronucleus formation was detected over a nominal concentration range of 0.05-2 mM for HCFC-123 and halothane, but this was not seen with HCFC-141b. No dose response for HCFC-123 was seen in a control cHo1 cell line not expressing this cytochrome P450's. Cell lines expressing individual human cytochrome P-450 (CYP) forms were also used to define the enzymes responsible for the clastogenic events and to investigate the formation of immunoreactive protein by microsomal fractions. It was shown that CYP2E1 or CYP2B6 catalysed the clastogenic response, but CYP2D6, CYP3A4, CYP1A2 or CYP1A1 all appeared to be inactive. The formation of neoantigenic trifluoroacetylated protein adducts by microsomal mixtures incubated with HCFC-123 and NADPH was catalysed primarily by CYP2E1 and to a lesser extent by CYP2C19, whereas, only trace levels of immunoreactive protein were seen with microsomes expressing CYP2B6 or CYP2C8. With perchloroethylene as a substrate, the extent of activation was low in comparison with HCFC-123, as judged by the absence of micronuclei formation in the MCL-5 cell line and the weak immunoreactivity of proteins following Western blotting. CYP1A2, CYP2B6 and CYP2C8 appeared to be responsible for perchloroethylene immunoreactivity and in contrast to the findings with the HCFC's, no activation of perchloroethylene by CYP2E1 could be detected. These results show that even though both saturated and unsaturated halocarbons can result in neoantigen formation, there is a marked difference in the specificity of the CYP enzymes involved in their metabolic activation.

Protoporphyria induced by the orally active iron chelator 1,2-diethyl-3-hydroxypyridin-4-one in C57BL/10ScSn mice.

Administration in the drinking water of the orally-active iron chelator 1,2-diethyl-3-hydroxypyridin-4-one (CP94) to C57BL/10ScSn mice caused the development of hepatic protoporphyria. This was detected after 1 week and continued as long as the chelator was given (15 weeks). The more hydrophilic 1,2-dimethyl- and 1-hydroxyethyl,2-ethyl-analogues (CP20 and CP102) were also tested, but they were both inactive in inducing accumulation of protoporphyrin in the liver. Restriction of in vivo iron supply for ferrochelatase seemed a likely mode of action, but an approximately 30% decrease in activity of this enzyme was also observed when measured in vitro. Extracts of livers from mice given CP20, CP94, and CP102 showed no potential to inhibit mouse ferrochelatase, in contrast to the findings with an extract from mice treated with the known porphyrogenic chemical 4-ethyl-3, 5-diethoxycarbonyl-2,6-dimethyl-1,4-dihydropyridine, indicating that ferrochelatase inhibition did not occur by the formation of an N-ethyl-protoporphyrin derived from metabolism by cytochrome P450, CP20, CP94, CP102, and CP117 (the pivoyl ester of CP102) all caused significant depression of the levels of ferritin-iron and total nonheme iron, but only CP94 caused the significant accumulation of protoporphyrin. Protoporphyria did not occur with iron overloaded C57BL/10ScSn mice or in SWR mice that had elevated basal iron status. Although the protoporphyrin had only a small effect on the total levels of the hemoprotein cytochrome P450 in C57BL/10ScSn mice, the activity of the CYP2B isoforms of cytochrome P450 was actually induced in both strains. The results show that CP94 could cause protoporphyria in individuals of low iron status, perhaps through specifically targeting particular iron pools available to ferrochelatase and by concomitantly stimulating heme synthesis.

Effect of tamoxifen feeding on metabolic activation of tamoxifen by the liver of the rhesus monkey: does liver accumulation of inhibitory metabolites protect from tamoxifen-dependent genotoxicity and cancer?

Tamoxifen induces hepatocellular carcinomas in rats and is converted by rat hepatic cytochrome P450 enzymes into reactive metabolites capable of forming adducts with nucleic acids, proteins and chromosomal aberrations. In rats tamoxifen has also been shown to induce liver cytochrome P450 enzymes, to stimulate its own metabolism leading to greater covalent binding and to induce a higher degree of unscheduled DNA synthesis. This suggests that, at least in the rat, a sensitive species, tamoxifen may contribute significantly to its genotoxic and carcinogenic potential, by assisting its own metabolic activation. We have now investigated the effect of feeding tamoxifen to male and female Rhesus monkeys. A marked induction of the hepatic cytochrome(s) P450 is found in the monkey but, in spite of this, the in vitro metabolism of 7-ethoxyresorufin by microsomes from treated animals is markedly inhibited and so is the dealkylation of two other 7-alkoxyresorufin substrates. Evidence is presented for the accumulation in the liver of monkeys treated with tamoxifen of a powerful inhibitor of drug metabolism, and the inhibitor is identified as a metabolite of tamoxifen, its N,N-didesmethyl derivative. The level of 32P-postlabelled DNA adducts was considerably higher in rats given tamoxifen than in similarly treated monkeys. Also, whereas rats responded to tamoxifen treatment with a marked increase in covalent binding to microsomal protein, in the monkeys, where accumulation of the inhibitory metabolite in the microsomal fraction was also seen, covalent binding was not greater with microsomes from treated animals than in the corresponding controls. N,N-Didesmethyl-tamoxifen, added in vitro to human and rat microsomes, reduced significantly the extent of covalent binding, suggesting that the accumulation of the metabolite observed in the liver of primates may discourage the cytochrome P450-dependent conversion of tamoxifen into reactive derivatives and in this way protect against the formation of adducts. This mechanism may also contribute to protecting the primate against tamoxifen- induced liver cancer.

Species differences in the covalent binding of [14C]tamoxifen to liver microsomes and the forms of cytochrome P450 involved.

Species differences in the NADPH-dependent covalent binding of [14C]tamoxifen to liver microsomes have been studied using preparations from humans, female F344 rats and DBA/2 mice. Protein binding has been used as an index of metabolic activation and as a surrogate for DNA binding in order to establish which forms of cytochrome P450 are responsible for genotoxicity. A panel of 12 human liver microsomes has been characterized and immunoquantified for nine cytochrome P450 isoenzymes. Binding of tamoxifen (45 microM) (25 +/- 2.5 pmol/15 min/mg protein, mean +/- SE) correlated (P < 0.05) with CYP3A4 and CYP2B6 content. Covalent binding of [14C]tamoxifen to microsomal preparations from human breast tumour tissue could also be detected but at levels 7-fold lower than in liver. The covalent binding of tamoxifen to mice, rat or human liver microsomal preparations increased with increasing substrate concentration. Covalent binding of [14C]tamoxifen (45 microM) in rats was 3.8-fold and mice 17-fold higher than in human liver microsomal preparations. In mice, the apparent Km (9.6 +/- 1.9 microM) was very much lower than for rats (119 +/- 41 microM). Pretreatment of female rats with phenobarbitone or dexamethasone resulted in a 4- to 5-fold increase in [14C]tamoxifen binding, relative to controls, consistent with the involvement of CYP2B1 and CYP3A1 in the metabolic activation. It cannot be distinguished at present if the same reactive metabolites are involved in protein and DNA binding. The greater potential of mouse liver microsomes to activate tamoxifen, relative to rats, does not reflect DNA damage or hepatocarcinogenicity seen following dosing with tamoxifen in vivo. It is concluded that covalent binding of tamoxifen to protein in vitro cannot be directly related to the carcinogenic potential of this compound. However, in the three species investigated, results suggest that the rat is a better model than the mouse for human liver microsomal activation of tamoxifen both with respect to kinetic parameters and the pattern of metabolic products.

Determination of the structure of an N-substituted protoporphyrin isolated from the livers of griseofulvin-fed mice.

Feeding mice with griseofulvin, a widely used anti-fungal agent which induces protoporphyria as a side-effect, leads to the formation in the liver of two green pigments which have been shown to be porphyrin adducts. In this work, the major porphyrin adduct isolated from the livers of griseofulvin-fed mice has been characterized structurally using one- and two-dimensional NMR spectroscopy. The adduct was shown to be an N-alkylated protoporphyrin IX in which the whole of griseofulvin (less a hydrogen atom) is attached to a pyrrole ring nitrogen of the porphyrin. It was shown that the drug-to-porphyrin linkage is an an -O-CH2-Npyrrole = linkage, to either the 4- or 6-position of ring a of griseofulvin. In an attempt to identify which pyrrole nitrogen is involved in this linkage, the 1H spectra of the free base and zinc complex of the adduct were compared with the corresponding spectra of the four regioisomers of N-methylprotoporphyrin. These comparisons indicated that the adduct isolated from the livers of griseofulvin-fed mice is either the NC or the ND regioisomer, although a clear distinction between these two could not be made on the available evidence. The mechanism of formation of the adduct and its relation to griseofulvin-induced protoporphyria are discussed.

Two pathways of iron-catalyzed oxidation of bilirubin: effect of desferrioxamine and trolox, and comparison with microsomal oxidation.

The bilirubin-degrading activity of liver microsomes from rats induced with 3-methylcholanthrene has been shown to be markedly stimulated by addition of 3,3',4,4',5,5'-hexabromobiphenyl, a polyhalogenated chemical which resembles in size and shape the most effective inducers of cytochrome P450IA1, but lacks the structural features necessary for it to be metabolised. The degradation of bilirubin by this microsomal system has been compared to oxidation by a chemical model system involving H2O2 and Fe-EDTA (ethylenediaminetetraacetic acid). In both systems bilirubin disappearance was accompanied by bleaching. However, when either desferrioxamine or Trolox were present in the chemical model system, the rate of bilirubin oxidation was greatly enhanced and, at the same time, bilirubin was largely or entirely converted to biliverdin, a pathway of oxidation which proceeds by dehydrogenation. In the presence of desferrioxamine, biliverdin was also further oxidised to an unidentified red pigment.

Metabolic activation of halothane to neoantigens in C57Bl/10 mice: immunochemical studies.

C57Bl/10 mice were given halothane (10 mmol/kg, intraperitoneally) and microsomal proteins were analysed for the presence of trifluoroacetylated (TFA) neoantigens by SDS-gel electrophoresis followed by immunoblotting using a polyclonal anti-TFA antibody. In microsomal preparations from liver, lung and olfactory tissues, a 54 kDa TFA adduct was detectable 1 h after dosing. After 3-48 h, multiple bands were detected in liver (45-100 kDa) and in the lung (26-57 kDa) and in one experiment in which [14C]halothane was given, several immunoreactive bands from liver microsomes were shown to contain a covalently bound metabolite of the drug. In olfactory tissue, initially (1 h), a major band of 54 kDa and a less prominent component of about 50 kDa were seen. The number of bands increased at later times but the additional bands were far fewer than in liver. The rate of decay of the 54 kDa adduct was also measured in both liver and olfactory microsomes and found to be compatible with the reported turnover of total liver cytochrome P-450. 24 h after treating mice with halothane (10 mmol/kg), no TFA neoantigens could be detected on the outer cell surface of isolated viable hepatocytes when analysed by fluorescence activated flow cytometry. In contrast, non-viable cells, or those fixed in acetone were all positive. Using immunohistochemistry, TFA neoantigens were demonstrated in the centrilobular area of the liver, the non-ciliated bronchiolar epithelial (Clara) cells of the lung, proximal tubular cells of the kidney and the respiratory and olfactory epithelium of nasal tissues.

Labelling in vivo and chirality of griseofulvin-derived N-alkylated protoporphyrins.

1. We have compared the response to griseofulvin of rats and mice and, in mice, the effect of griseofulvin itself with that of two of its analogues. The severity of protoporphyria shows a correlation with the accumulation of both types of N-alkylated porphyrins previously described after treatment with this drug, namely N-methylproptoporphyrin and the N-griseofulvin protoporphyrin adduct. 2. Both N-alkylporphyrins are chiral, are labelled from 5-amino[4-14C]laevulinate, and their liver accumulation can be inhibited by pretreatment with a suicide substrate of cytochrome P-450, which also prevents porphyria. 3. These findings suggest that cytochrome P-450 is involved in the mechanism of griseofulvin-induced protoporphyria by generating N-methylprotoporphyrin. The N-griseofulvin protoporphyrin adduct may also originate from cytochrome P-450, but more work is necessary to elucidate whether it acts as the precursor for N-methylprotoporphyrin.

High-performance liquid chromatography of N-alkylprotoporphyrins: an investigation of their formation and loss under chemical and enzymatic conditions in vitro.

A new technique for resolving N-alkylprotoporphyrins into each structural isomer is described. The technique has been used to investigate the rate of formation and loss of N-alkylporphyrins during reaction of the parent porphyrin with alkyl iodides and to establish the conditions required for optimal yields of the various isomers. Preferential loss of the isomers bearing the N-alkyl group on one of the vinyl-substituted pyrrole rings is observed on prolonged incubation and HI generated during the reaction has been shown to be responsible. A method for detection and partial resolution by HPLC of N-alkylprotoporphyrins produced by liver microsomes in vitro is also described. Microsomes from rats induced with 3-methylcholanthrene produce significantly more N-ethylprotoporphyrin from either 4-ethyl-3,5-diethoxycarbonyl-1,4-dihydro- 2,6-dimethyl-pyridine or ethylhydrazine than do microsomes from control animals, but the isomeric composition of the isolated N-alkylporphyrin differs from that reported in vivo. Evidence that authentic N-alkylporphyrins are lost during incubation with microsomes has been obtained, and here again, the isomers bearing the N-alkyl group on vinyl-substituted pyrrole rings are preferentially lost. Experiments with 14C-labeled N-methylprotoporphyrin show that approximately 40% of the lost porphyrin could be recovered bound covalently to the microsomal pellet.

Isolation of two N-monosubstituted protoporphyrins, bearing either the whole drug or a methyl group on the pyrrole nitrogen atom, from liver of mice given griseofulvin.

1. A hepatic green pigment with inhibitory properties towards the enzyme ferrochelatase has been isolated from the liver of mice treated with griseofulvin and identified as N-methylprotoporphyrin. 2. All four structural isomers of N-methylprotoporphyrin have been demonstrated to be present, NA, where ring A of protoporphyrin IX is N-methylated, being the predominant isomer. 3. In addition to N-methylprotoporphyrin, a second green pigment, present in far greater amounts, was also isolated from the liver of griseofulvin-treated mice. This second green pigment is also an N-monosubstituted protoporphyrin, but in this case the substituent on the pyrrole nitrogen atom appears to be intact griseofulvin rather than a methyl group. 4. The fragmentation of this adduct in tandem m.s. studies suggests that griseofulvin is bound to the pyrrole nitrogen through one of its carbon atoms and further suggests that N-methylprotoporphyrin may arise as a secondary product from the major griseofulvin pigment.

Collision-activated dissociation studies of alkylamines formed from copper-induced dealkylation of N-alkylporphyrins.

A low-energy (5-450 eV) collision-activated dissociation (CAD) study of a series of aliphatic amines revealed that at collision energies above 200 eV, charge-site-initiated fragmentation occurs. The resulting fragment ions can be utilized in the characterization of alkyl substituents of di- and trisubstituted aliphatic amines. In the presence of Cu2+ and a suitable nucleophile, such as n-dodecylamine, N-alkyl protoporphyrins dealkylate to afford copper protoporphyrin and an alkyl-dodecylamine adduct. A CAD study of a number of alkyl-dodecylamine adducts derived from the copper-induced dealkylation of synthetic N-alkyl protoporphyrins, using charge-site-initiated fragment ions, showed that the alkyl group was trapped by the nucleophilic amine present. Subsequently this method was used to identify the alkyl group of a biologically derived N-alkyl protoporphyrin.

Strain and sex differences in the response of mice to drugs that induce protoporphyria: role of porphyrin biosynthesis and removal.

A hepatic green pigment, inhibitory toward ferrochelatase, has been isolated from the liver of mice treated with griseofulvin, isogriseofulvin, or 3,5-diethoxycarbonyl-1,4-dihydrocollidine and has been shown to exhibit identical chromatographic characteristics to authentic N-methyl protoporphyrin. All four possible structural isomers have been demonstrated, and each drug produced primarily the same isomer. N-Methyl protoporphyrin has also been found in very small amounts in the liver of untreated mice, but the isomeric composition appeared to differ from that of the drug-induced N-methyl protoporphyrin. Intraperitoneal administration of 3,5-diethoxy-carbonyl-1,4-dihydrocollidine to female C3H/He/Ola and NIH/Ola inbred mice produced a marked dose-related loss of hepatic ferrochelatase activity, which was identical in magnitude in the two strains. Induction of hepatic 5-aminolevulinate synthase (ALA-S), and accumulation of liver protoporphyrin, however, were greater in C3H/He/Ola mice. The strain difference in ALA-S response was most marked when inhibition of ferrochelatase (the "specific" effect of the drug) was maximal, and this suggests that a genetic variation exists in the sensitivity of ALA-S to a second drug action, the so-called nonspecific action, which is shared by many lipid-soluble compounds. Male mice of three strains accumulated greater amounts of hepatic protoporphyrin than females after treatment with griseofulvin, yet no significant difference was found between the two sexes in the extent of ferrochelatase inhibition. Stimulation of ALA-S activity was slightly greater in males, but when porphyria was very marked, ALA-S activities were significantly lower in this sex.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)

Inducible bilirubin-degrading system in the microsomal fraction of rat liver.

The hypothesis that treatment of Gunn rats with 2,3,7,8-tetrachlorodibenzo-p-dioxin (TCDD) activates an alternative pathway of bilirubin disposal, involving an induced form of cytochrome P-450 [Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. USA 75:682-685 (1978)], has been investigated by studying the mechanisms of bilirubin oxidation in chemical model systems and in liver microsomal systems in vitro. Hematin, copper sulfate, and the iron chelate of EDTA were all active in promoting degradation of bilirubin in the presence of hydrogen peroxide. Evidence was obtained for a microsomal bilirubin-degrading system that could be induced in the liver by treating either rats or chick embryos with TCDD, beta-naphthoflavone, or 3,4,3',4'-tetrachlorobiphenyl (3,4-TCB) in vivo. The activity of this system required NADPH and oxygen and was markedly stimulated by addition of 3,4-TCB (a planar polyhalogenated biphenyl) and much less markedly by the nonplanar analogue 2,4,2',4'-tetrachlorobiphenyl. These two biphenyls were also inhibitory towards the 7-ethoxyresorufin O-deethylase activity of the induced microsomes and here again the nonplanar analogue was markedly less active. Dose-response experiments for stimulation of bilirubin breakdown and inhibition of 7-ethoxyresorufin O-deethylase activity after addition of 3,4-TCB in vitro showed both effects to be caused by similar concentrations of the biphenyl. These results suggest that a polyhalogenated chemical may interact with TCDD-induced microsomes, inhibit their monooxygenase activity, and stimulate production of a bilirubin-degrading species.

Studies on the inhibition of ferrochelatase by N-alkylated dicarboxylic porphyrins. Steric factors involved and evidence that the inhibition is reversible.

The structural requirements for the inhibition of ferrochelatase by N-alkylated porphyrins were investigated and experiments carried out to explore the mechanism of enzyme inhibition. Three dicarboxylic porphyrins, all substrates of the enzyme, are strongly inhibitory when N-alkylated; in contrast, uroporphyrin and coproporphyrin (which are not substrates) do not inhibit after N-alkylation. Free carboxylic acid functions are required for inhibition, as the methyl ester derivatives are not themselves inhibitory. Porphyrins bearing the alkyl group on the pyrrole nitrogen of rings C and D are less effective inhibitors, particularly when zinc is chelated in the centre of the tetrapyrrole or the N-alkyl group is relatively large in size. The substituents at the 2- and 4-positions of the porphyrin system may also affect the inhibitory activity, particularly for the isomers with ring C and D alkylated. The zinc chelates of several N-alkylprotoporphyrins are inhibitory towards haem oxygenase, another haem-binding enzyme, and also in this case increasing the size of the alkyl group decreased the inhibitory activity, particularly for isomers with ring C or D alkylated. The inhibition could be reversed by prolonged incubation with excess porphyrin substrate, but dealkylation of the N-alkylporphyrin during enzyme inhibition could not be demonstrated. It is concluded (a) that N-alkylated dicarboxylic porphyrins compete reversibly with the porphyrin substrate for the enzyme active site and (b) that the structural and steric factors discussed above affect the inhibitory activity by modifying the affinity of the N-alkylporphyrin inhibitor for the enzyme.

N-alkylation of the haem moiety of cytochrome P-450 caused by substituted dihydropyridines. Preferential attack of different pyrrole nitrogen atoms after induction of various cytochrome P-450 isoenzymes.

1. 3,5-Diethoxycarbonyl-4-ethyl-1,4-dihydro-2,6-dimethylpyridine (4-ethyl-DDC) gives rise to N-ethylprotoporphyrin in the liver of rats by donating its 4-ethyl group to one of the pyrrole nitrogen atoms of haem. Four structural isomers are obtained, depending on which pyrrole nitrogen is alkylated. 2. When rats are pretreated with an inducer of cytochrome P-450, the production of N-ethylprotoporphyrin caused by 4-ethyl-DDC is greater, both in the whole animal and in hepatocytes incubated with the drug in vitro. 3. Pre-incubation of hepatocytes with 2-allyl-2-isopropylacetamide decreases the yield of N-ethylprotoporphyrin due to 4-ethyl-DDC, an effect largely reversed by adding exogenous haem. 4. The isomeric composition of N-ethylprotoporphyrin produced in vivo and in vitro depends on the cytochrome P-450 isoenzyme that predominates at the time of treatment, suggesting a role for the apo-cytochrome in directing alkylation on to one of the pyrrole nitrogens.

Formation of cobalt protoporphyrin by chicken hepatocytes in culture. Relationship to decrease of 5-aminolaevulinate synthase caused by cobalt.

Cobalt protoporphyrin generated from 5-amino[4-14C]laevulinate by homogenates or primary cultures of chick embryo liver exposed to CoCl2 was found to be radioactivity unextractable by acid/acetone, when extra protein was added. The activity of ferrochelatase was required for formation of cobalt protoporphyrin since inhibition of ferrochelatase with 3,5-diethoxycarbonyl-1,4-dihydrocollidine (in the presence of cycloheximide) inhibited formation of cobalt protoporphyrin and resulted in accumulation of protoporphyrin. Cobalt protoporphyrin was detected spectrophotometrically in hepatocyte cultures exposed to the combination of 2-allyl-2-isopropylacetamide and CoCl2: (1) as the pyridine haemochrome of the protein pellet remaining after acid-acetone extraction of the cells, or (2) as the material extracted from the protein pellet with acetic acid-pyridine-chloroform. The amount of cobalt protoporphyrin increased with increasing CoCl2 concentration as cellular haem declined. The decrease in haem was about equal to the amount of cobalt protoporphyrin that accumulated. 2-Allyl-2-isopropylacetamide and polychlorinated biphenyls were both powerful inducers of 5-aminolaevulinate synthase. The former led to protoporphyrin accumulation, whereas with the latter, uroporphyrin accumulated, probably due to a concomitant decrease in activity of uroporphyrinogen decarboxylase. The decrease in activity of 5-aminolaevulinate synthase produced by administration of CoCl2 was greater after treatment with 2-allyl-2-isopropylacetamide than after treatment with allylisopropylacetamide and 3,4,3',4'-tetrachlorobiphenyl. We conclude: (a) that cobalt protoporphyrin is readily formed in cultured hepatocytes, and (b) that its formation accounts for the action of cobalt on 5-aminolaevulinate synthase.