Lack of glutathione conjugation of melphalan in the isolated in situ liver perfusion in humans.

Tumor cell resistance against melphalan (LPAM) has been associated with increased cellular reduced glutathione (GSH) levels and glutathione S-transferase activity. Therefore, GSH conjugation of LPAM has been hypothesized to be a key factor in tumor cell resistance. In the present study, we evaluated GSH conjugation of LPAM by the perfused liver in patients with colorectal cancer metastases undergoing a Phase II study of isolated liver perfusion as well as in the rat. To evaluate whether LPAM-GSH conjugates were synthesized in the rat in vivo, LPAM was infused i.v. at a rate of 2.0 micromol/kg/min. In bile samples obtained during the infusion, two major GSH conjugates were identified by mass spectrometry: mono-hydroxy-mono-GSH-LPAM and di-GSH-LPAM. The maximum biliary excretion rate of these two conjugates accounted for only 1.3% of the LPAM infusion rate. In bile or perfusate samples from patients treated for 60 min initially with 0.3 mM LPAM in the perfusion medium via isolated liver perfusion (200 mg LPAM in approximately 2 liters perfusion medium), none of the above-mentioned conjugates were detected. When comparable rat liver perfusions were performed initially with 66 microM or 0.66 mM LPAM in the perfusion medium, bile samples did contain GSH-LPAM conjugates; the cumulative biliary excretion of the two conjugates amounted to 0.4 and 0.2% of the LPAM dose, respectively. These data suggest that both in rats and humans, hepatic GSH conjugation plays a very minor (if any) role in the elimination of LPAM and, therefore, that modulation of GSH levels is unlikely to affect the rate of elimination of this drug.

The oxidation of L- and D-cysteine to inorganic sulfate and taurine in the rat.

Oral administration of L-cysteine to rats (8 mmol/kg body wt.) caused a rapid increase of the concentration of cystine in serum, from less than 5 micro M in controls to about 200 micro M. Concomitantly, the serum concentration of inorganic sulfate increased, reaching a peak 2 h after L-cysteine administration; this level, twice the control level, was maintained for 4 h. Serum sulfate returned to control concentration 23 h after L-cysteine administration. The urinary excretion of inorganic sulfate during the 24 h after administration increased considerably, and 33% of the dose of L-cysteine was recovered as inorganic sulfate in urine. Consumption of comparable amounts of L-cysteine via the food caused the same increase in urinary excretion of sulfate, but did not increase the concentration of sulfate in serum. After oral administration of D-cysteine (8 mmol/kg body wt.), very high cystine levels were reached in serum (mean concentration about 1500 microM); the sulfate concentration was already maximal 30 min after administration. The increase in urinary excretion of sulfate after D-cysteine was also higher than after L-cysteine administration: 55% of the dose. Possible routes for the rapid degradation of D-cysteine to inorganic sulfate are discussed. The administration of L-cysteine also caused an increase the serum concentration of taurine, while methionine was not influenced. D-Cysteine did not increase the serum concentration of taurine, indicating that it is probably not or only slowly converted to taurine.

Absorption, serum levels and urinary excretion of inorganic sulfate after oral administration of sodium sulfate in the conscious rat.

The absorption of inorganic sulfate after ingestion was investigated in rats. After oral administration of Na235SO4, 35S radioactivity was measurable in plasma already after 15 min and its plasma concentration reached a peak after about 1.5--2 h. The 35S-radioactivity excreted in urine during 24 h after ingestion of Na235SO4 together with varying amounts of unlabelled Na2SO4 (0.25--5.0 mmol Na2SO4 per rat) indicated an almost complete absorption of inorganic sulfate from the gastrointestinal tract. Determination of the inorganic sulfate concentration in rat serum 2 h after oral administration of 5.0 mmol Na2SO4 revealed a three-fold increase in serum sulfate concentration. The data suggest a rapid and almost complete absorption of inorganic sulfate after oral administration in the rat. Its importance in relation to the sulfate availability for sulfate conjugation of drugs is discussed.

Changes of G-actin localisation in the mitotic spindle region or nucleus during mitosis and after heat shock: a histochemical study of G-actin in various cell lines with fluorescent labelled vitamin D-binding protein.

The presence and localisation of G-actin in various cell lines was studied using the highly G-actin specific, fluorescence-labelled vitamin D-binding protein. In various cell-types, pig kidney-derived cells (LLC-PK1), Chinese hamster ovary (CHO) cells, SV-40 transformed African green monkey kidney (COS) cells and human hepatoma (HepG2) cells, G-actin was only visible in the cytoplasm of interphase cells. However, in mitotic cells, depending on the mitotic phase, intense G-actin staining was found associated with the mitotic spindle (early mitosis) or overlapping the DNA-staining pattern (late mitosis). Also after heat shock (60-180 min at 43 degrees C), an intense nuclear staining of G-actin was observed. In LLC-PK1 cells, the increase of nuclear G-actin staining disappeared again after 24 h at 37 degrees C, but in COS, CHO and HepG2 cells, it was still present in the nucleus after 24 h at 37 degrees C, indicating that the process was not rapidly reversible in these cells; the increased nuclear G-actin was not associated with cell division. Comparison of the amount of G-actin present in the nucleus and in the cytosol before and after heat shock using Western blotting demonstrated that the total amount of G-actin in both nucleus and cytosol was unchanged after heat shock. This indicates that the increased G-actin staining is not a result of import of G-actin into the nucleus. These observations suggest a rearrangement of G-actin in the nucleus during both mitosis and heat shock, which may be due to changes in interaction of G-actin with chromosomes.

Cisplatin effects on F-actin and matrix proteins precede renal tubular cell detachment and apoptosis in vitro.

In primary cultures of porcine proximal tubular kidney cells and LLC-PK1 cells cisplatin (5 - 50 microM) caused apoptosis and cell detachment; in both systems cell detachment occurred, preceded by a loss of cytoskeletal F-actin stress fibers within 4 - 6 h, and a reduction of mRNA encoding for fibronectin, collagen a2 type (IV) and laminin B2 within 17 - 41 h. Prevention of F-actin damage by phalloidin prevented nuclear fragmentation, suggesting a relation between F-actin damage and apoptosis. Overexpression of Bcl-2 also prevented apoptosis, but did not prevent damage to the F-actin skeleton or the reduction of mRNA expression of the matrix proteins. These results suggest that Bcl-2 overexpression interferes with apoptotic signals downstream of F-actin. The relevance of these results for cell detachment in kidney toxicity is discussed.

Effect of ifosfamide treatment on glutathione and glutathione conjugation activity in patients with advanced cancers.

Several studies have suggested that the glutathione/glutathione S-transferase (GSH/GST) system is involved in resistance of tumors toward ifosfamide and other cytostatic agents. Besides, ifosfamide metabolites (in vitro) as well as ifosfamide treatment (in vivo) have been shown to decrease cellular GSH availability. In the present study, the in vivo effects of three different ifosfamide treatment schedules on the GSH/GST system were studied in patients with advanced cancers (n = 24): continuous i.v. infusions of 1300 mg/m2 daily for 10 days and 5000 mg/m2/day for 24 h, as well as a 4-h infusion of 3000 mg/m2 daily for 3 days. The GSH/GST system was characterized by administering bromisoval, a probe drug to assess GSH conjugation activity in vivo, as well as by daily monitoring of GSH concentrations in blood cells and plasma. Bromisoval pharmacokinetics was assessed before and at the end of the ifosfamide treatment. Blood cell GSH levels decreased significantly (P < 0.05) during the 3- and 10-day ifosfamide treatment schedules; the 24-h treatment had no effect. The ifosfamide treatment schedules had only minimal effects on bromisoval pharmacokinetics. Assuming that the kinetics of the probe drug provide an accurate reflection of enzyme activity, this suggests that GST activity remains unchanged. Because GSH conjugation of bromisoval enantiomers requires both GST activity and GSH availability, these results also indicate that, despite the 35% decrease in GSH in blood cells of two patient groups, the GSH availability of the cancer patients was not rate-limiting for GSH conjugation of bromisoval enantiomers. If GSH levels in blood cells reflect those in tumors/other tissues, the present results indicate that ifosfamide may be used clinically to decrease GSH levels. However, whether a 35% decrease is sufficient to increase tumor sensitivity toward (other) cytostatics remains uncertain.

The role of various Bcl-2 domains in the anti-proliferative effect and modulation of cellular glutathione levels: a prominent role for the BH4 domain.

Reduced cell proliferation and increased levels of cellular glutathione (GSH) are characteristic for cells that overexpress the anti-apoptotic Bcl-2 protein. We investigated the influence of various Bcl-2 domains on both these characteristics. Rat CC531 colorectal cancer cells were stably transfected with the human bcl-2 gene (CCbcl2 cells) or with bcl-2 gene constructs missing a coding sequence for a func-tional domain, BH1 (CCDeltaBH1 cells), BH3 (CCDeltaBH3 cells), BH4 (CCDeltaBH4 cells) or the transmembrane region (CCDeltaTM cells). We measured GSH levels in exponentially and confluent growing bcl-2-transfected cell populations. The fraction of S-phase cells during exponential growth was significantly reduced in CCbcl2, CCDeltaBH1, CCDeltaBH3, and CCDeltaTM cells compared with parental CC531, neo-transfected CC531 and CCDeltaBH4 cells. GSH levels in these bcl-2 transfectants were significantly higher than in the parental line measured at 50% confluence; at 100% confluence they reached a similar level as found in parental cells. Independently from the presence of BH1, BH3 or TM domains, overexpression of Bcl-2 reduces cellular proliferation under conditions of increased GSH levels. This apparent link is lost in CCDeltaBH4 cells; these cells are not reduced in cellular proliferation and harbour significantly higher GSH levels than found in the other transfectants. Studies on the subcellular localization revealed an extremely low expression of the Bcl-2 protein lacking the N-terminal BH4 domain in nuclear fractions. Nuclear translocation of Bcl-2 requires the presence of the BH4 domain and seems prominent in reducing cellular proliferation.

Characterization of glutathione conjugation in humans: stereoselectivity in plasma elimination pharmacokinetics and urinary excretion of (R)- and (S)-2-bromoisovalerylurea in healthy volunteers.

Characterization of glutathione conjugation in vivo was performed in 12 healthy male volunteers by use of the racemic drug bromisovalum (bromisoval; 2-bromoisovalerylurea) as a model substrate. To study whether the pharmacokinetics of both bromisovalum enantiomers was related to the glutathione S-transferase class Mu phenotype, six subjects who were class Mu deficient and six subjects who were not class Mu deficient participated. After oral administration of 600 mg racemic bromisovalum, enantioselective measurement of unchanged bromisovalum (plasma and saliva) and the diastereomeric bromisovalum mercapturates (urine) showed a pronounced stereoselectivity in all subjects. The plasma clearance of R-bromisovalum was about 12 times higher than that of S-bromisovalum (9.3 +/- 3.7 and 0.78 +/- 0.38 L/min, respectively), which was in agreement with the higher urinary cumulative excretion for the mercapturate derived from R-bromisovalum: 26% +/- 4% of the dose versus 8% +/- 3% of the dose for the mercapturate derived from S-bromisovalum. Both the bromisovalum pharmacokinetics in general and the stereoselectivity in bromisovalum pharmacokinetics were not different for the subjects who were glutathione S-transferase class Mu deficient and the subjects who were not glutathione transferase class Mu deficient.

Inhibition of glutathione efflux in the recirculating rat liver perfusion by cysteine but not by oxothiazolidine carboxylate, an intracellular cysteine precursor.

In the recirculating rat liver perfusion a continuous release of glutathione into the perfusion medium is observed. Addition of L-cysteine to the perfusion medium immediately arrested this glutathione efflux. The cysteine precursor oxothiazolidine carboxylate did not block the glutathione efflux in spite of the fact that it generated more L-cysteine inside the liver cells than L-cysteine itself; L-cysteine is rapidly oxidized to cystine, that is no longer taken up by the liver. The results suggest that the inhibition of glutathione efflux results from the presence of cystine in the perfusion medium.

Acetaminophen sulfation in patients with Parkinson's disease or Huntington's disease is not impaired.

We studied acetaminophen sulfation, plasma sulfate levels, and the activity of sulfotransferase in blood platelets in patients with Parkinson's disease, Huntington's disease, and in controls and did not find any abnormality in the patient groups, independent of the use of medication.

Lack of p53 protein expression in preneoplastic rat hepatocytes in vitro after exposure to N-acetoxy-acetylaminofluorene, X-rays or a proteasome inhibitor.

Clonal expansion of initiated cells is an important process in carcinogenesis. Loss of functional p53 protein in initiated, preneoplastic cells might be involved in this process because such a loss would favour cell growth at the expense of normal cells upon exposure to genotoxic compounds. We have tested the hypothesis that p53 is not expressed in preneoplastic cells in the rat liver. Hepatocytes were isolated from livers of 10-week-old female rats that contained foci of preneoplastic hepatocytes, generated by 6-7 weekly injections of diethylnitrosamine (0.15 mmol/kg body wt intraperitoneally (i.p.)), starting 24 h after birth. The mixture of phenotypically normal and preneoplastic hepatocytes was exposed to X-rays or N-acetoxy-acetylaminofluorene (NAAAF), both causing DNA damage directly. At 24 and 48 h after exposure the cells were fixed and double stained for glutathione-S-transferase 7-7 (GST7-7), to identify preneoplastic cells, and p53. The percentage of p53-positive cells was much lower in GST7-7 positive (GST7-7+) than in GST7-7 negative (GST7-7-) hepatocytes. Exposure of cells to X-rays or NAAAF induced p53 in GST7-7- cells after 24 h, but GST7-7+ hepatocytes failed to do so. These results suggest that preneoplastic cells do not express p53 or have an attenuated p53 response to genotoxic treatments. This was confirmed when the cells were exposed to a proteasome inhibitor, PSI, which inhibits p53 degradation: a 12-fold increase in p53-positive cells was found after 48 h in GST7-7- hepatocytes, but in GST7-7+ hepatocytes no increase was observed. The percentage of GST7-7+ hepatocytes among surviving cells was increased after exposure to NAAAF, suggesting that these are more resistant to NAAAF than GST7-7- cells. This was not observed with PSI. These results indicate that preneoplastic hepatocytes have a lower p53 protein content and are not able to increase p53 upon inhibition of p53 breakdown or upon induction of DNA damage. Therefore, loss of p53 may favour clonal expansion of preneoplastic hepatocytes in the rat after administration of hepatocarcinogens or X-rays.

Isolated hepatic perfusion for the treatment of colorectal metastases confined to the liver: recent trends and perspectives.

Isolated hepatic perfusion (IHP) involves a method of complete vascular isolation of the liver to allow treatment of liver tumours with toxic systemic doses. The recent clinical studies mainly employed IHP with melphalan with or without tumour necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-alpha) and mild hyperthermia. The results of these studies show that high response rates and high survival rates can be achieved by IHP. In this article, the current status, recent developments and future perspectives of IHP are discussed.

Sex differences in sulfation and glucuronidation of phenol, 4-nitrophenol and N-hydroxy-2-acetylaminofluorene in the rat in vivo.

Sulfation and glucuronidation of phenol, 4-nitrophenol (4NP) and N-hydroxy-2-acetylaminofluorene (N-OH-AAF) were studied in adult (60 days) male and female rats. Within 3 hours almost 50% of a dose of phenol was excreted in urine as phenyl sulfate; male rats excreted slightly more phenyl sulfate than females. This probably was due to a slower excretion of phenyl sulfate by the females. No sex difference in glucuronidation of phenol was found. Over a period of 24 hours male and female rats excreted almost 35% of a dose of 4NP as 4NP-sulfate in urine and almost 40% as 4NP-glucuronide. No differences in the excretion of 4NP-conjugates were found between sexes. However, almost twice as much of a dose of N-OH-AAF was excreted after 4 hours as the N-O-glucuronide in bile and urine in female than in males. On the other hand, females excreted less of the AAF-glutathione conjugates that are derived from the reaction of AAF-N-sulfate with glutathione in vivo [Meerman et al., Chem.-Biol. Interactions, 39, 149, 1982] in bile, than males. This indicates that sulfation of N-OH-AAF is less active in females than in males. Most likely, sulfation of the phenols is catalyzed by a different sulfotransferase than that of N-OH-AAF.

The dependence of the rate of sulphate conjugation on the plasma concentration of inorganic sulphate in the rat in vivo.

The dependence of the rate of sulphation of harmol [7-hydroxy-1-methyl-9H-pyrido(3,4-b)indole] on the plasma concn of inorganic sulphate was estimated in the rat in vivo. This was done in rats that were fed a low protein diet for 4 days to deplete the pool of inorganic sulphate, which decreased the plasma concn of sulphate from 0.9 mM normally to about 0.15 mM. Infusion of sodium sulphate at a rate that was stepwise increased, yielded a range of constant plasma sulphate levels below and above the physiological concn in plasma. By a constant infusion of harmol (6 mumoles/min/kg body wt), a steady state in the excretion of harmol sulphate could be reached at various plasma concns of sulphate. The apparent Km for inorganic sulphate was approx 0.3 mM. The relevance of these data in the evaluation of the effects of changes in the availability of inorganic sulphate on sulphate conjugation of xenobiotics is discussed.

Stereospecific glutathione conjugation of (R)- and (S)-2-bromoisovalerylurea in freshly isolated rat kidney proximal tubular cells.

The glutathione conjugation of 2-bromoisovalerylurea (BIU) was studied in isolated proximal tubular kidney cells of the rat. Racemic (R,S)-BIU was incubated with the cell suspension, and the incubation medium was analysed for the diastereomeric glutathione (GSH) conjugates, cysteine conjugates and mercapturates that can be formed from (R)- and (S)-BIU. Only the mercapturate formed from (R)-BIU was found, as well as its cysteine precursor. No GSH conjugates were detected. These results indicate that these cells conjugate only the (R)-BIU enantiomer, and that the GSH conjugate is immediately further metabolized to its cysteine conjugate and mercapturate.

Immobilization of solubilized UDP-glucuronosyltransferase from rat liver microsomes to Sepharose 4B.

A method for the covalent binding of rat liver UDP-glucuronosyltransferase to a cyanogen bromide-activated agarose matrix is described. The rat liver microsomal fraction was solubilized with 8 mM 3-[(3-cholamidopropyl)dimethylammonio]-1-propanesulfonate (CHAPS); 90% of the microsomal protein was solubilized. Some 50-60% of this protein became bound covalently to the activated agarose matrix. The immobilized UPD-glucuronosyltransferase remained completely active for 50 days when stored at 4 degrees in a 20% (v/v) glycerol buffer (pH 7.4). The immobilized enzyme has a temperature optimum around 37 degrees, and a broad pH optimum (pH 5-7.4). The enzyme displayed linear kinetics over a period of 1 hr; it conjugates a large variety of substrates.

Glutathione conjugation of the alpha-bromoisovaleric acid enantiomers in the rat in vivo and its stereoselectivity. Pharmacokinetics of biliary and urinary excretion of the glutathione conjugate and the mercapturate.

The glutathione (GSH) conjugation of (R)-and (S)-alpha-bromoisovaleric acid (BI) in the rat in vivo, and its stereoselectivity, have been characterized. After administration of racemic [1-14C]BI two radioactive metabolites were found in bile: only one of the possible diastereomeric BI-GSH conjugates, (R)-I-S-G (35 +/- 2% of the dose), and an unidentified metabolite "X" (6 +/- 1%). In urine, only one of the possible BI-mercapturates, (R)-I-S-MA (14 +/- 1%), minor unidentified polar metabolites (5 +/- 1%) and unchanged BI (13 +/- 2%) were excreted. When (R) or (S)-BI were administered separately, the same metabolites were found. However, a ten-fold difference in excretion half lives of the biliary metabolites was observed following (S)-and (R)-BI administration, (S)-BI being more rapidly excreted. The excretion of the mercapturate in urine shows the same difference in excretion rate: its half life after administration of (R)-BI was more than 10 times longer than after a dose of (S)-BI. More of the dose of (S)-BI was excreted after 5 hr in bile and urine: 58% and 23% respectively for (S)- and (R)-BI. Therefore, a pronounced stereoselectivity in GSH conjugation exists for the (R) and (S) enantiomers of BI in the rat in vivo, which is a major determinant of their pharmacokinetics. The results suggest that (slow) inversion of the chiral centre of BI occurred in the rat in vivo.

Extracellular calcium alleviates cell toxicity due to hepatotoxins that induce lipid peroxidation, but has no effect on toxins that do not cause lipid peroxidation. A study in isolated rat hepatocytes.

The effect of extracellular calcium on cell death, induced by hepatotoxins that induce lipid peroxidation [diethyl maleate (DEM), allyl alcohol (AA) and bromoisovalerylurea (BIU)] and hepatotoxins that do not induce lipid peroxidation [disulfiram (DSF), N-hydroxy-2-acetyl-aminofluorene (N-OH-AAF) and tetrahydroaminoacridine (THA)] was studied in freshly isolated rat hepatocytes. Extracellular calcium strongly delayed the onset of toxicity of DEM, AA and BIU as detected by lipid peroxidation, depletion of free protein thiol groups and cell death. This protective effect of calcium was decreased at higher concentrations of the toxic compounds. In contrast, no effect of calcium was observed on toxicity induced in the absence of lipid peroxidation by DSF, N-OH-AAF and THA. Addition of calcium was also without effect on the protein thiol depletion. These results indicate that calcium only alleviates cytotoxicity which is induced by thiol depletion resulting from lipid peroxidation. Cytotoxicity as a result of protein thiol depletion through disulfide formation is not affected by extracellular calcium.

The role of metallothionein in the reduction of cisplatin-induced nephrotoxicity by Bi3(+)-pretreatment in the rat in vivo and in vitro. Are antioxidant properties of metallothionein more relevant than platinum binding?

Nephrotoxicity induced by cisplatin (CDDP) was reported to be reduced by Bi3(+)-pretreatment, which selectively induces renal metallothionein (MT). In the present study renal MT had increased to 250% of control in rats that received bismuth subnitrate (50 mumol/kg/day, orally) for 8 days. In vitro experiments demonstrated that the reduction of CDDP-induced toxicity is a renal effect: in proximal tubular cells (PTC) isolated from Bi3(+)-treated rats the toxicity of CDDP, and also of HgCl2, CdCl2 and p-aminophenol, was reduced as compared to PTC from untreated rats. In contrast to the reduction in CDDP, Hg2+ and Cd2+ toxicity, the reduction in p-aminophenol toxicity cannot be explained by the metal-binding properties of MT. MT was reported to act as a free radical scavenger, which may explain our observation since p-aminophenol toxicity is thought to be a consequence of the generation of oxygen radicals. In vivo experiments showed that the overall renal Pt-content as well as the Pt bound to renal MT is lower in Bi3(+)-pretreated rats than in untreated rats, 24 hr after administration of CDDP (12 mg/kg), suggesting that the reduction in nephrotoxicity is not due to increased binding of Pt2+ to renal MT. Renal superoxide dismutase (SOD) activity was increased in rats that had only received CDDP. Such a rise in SOD may result from peroxidative damage caused by exposure to CDDP. The fact that SOD was not elevated in rats that received Bi3+ prior to CDDP suggests that (i) peroxidation contributes to CDDP-induced nephrotoxicity and (ii) the anti-oxidant properties of MT are responsible for the reduction of this toxicity.

Stereoselective conjugation of 2-bromocarboxylic acids and their urea derivatives by rat liver glutathione transferase 12-12 and some other isoforms.

Glutathione (GSH) conjugation of the separate enantiomers of five 2-bromocarboxylic acids and some of their urea derivatives by rat liver GSH transferases (GSTs) was studied. The liver cytosolic fraction conjugated all compounds, except for (R)-2-bromoisovaleric acid, with a variable degree of stereoselectivity. A GST pool, prepared by S-hexyl-GSH affinity chromatography, conjugated the urea derivatives at a somewhat higher rate but had very little activity towards the carboxylic acids, indicating that much activity towards the latter substrates was due to transferases not bound by the affinity column. Therefore, the activity was studied of some pure GSTs that are bound only slightly by the affinity column towards the separate enantiomers of 2-bromovaleric acid (BV), its urea derivative and 2-bromo-3-phenylpropionic acid (BPP). No activity was detected with transferases 5-5 and 8-8. Transferase 1-1 was active towards all compounds with high activity towards the urea derivatives. Transferase 12-12 showed high, stereospecific activity towards the R enantiomers of BV, its urea derivative and BPP.