Selective inactivation by chlorofluoroacetamides of the major phenobarbital-inducible form(s) of rat liver cytochrome P-450

Five N-monosubstituted chlorofluoroacetamides have been tested as potential specific irreversible inhibitors of the major phenobarbital-inducible form of rat liver cytochrome P-450 (P450IIB1). In vitro, N-(2-phenethyl)chlorofluoroacetamide was ineffective in causing a time-dependent loss of P450IIB1-mediated androstenedione 16 beta-hydroxylase activity in liver microsomes from phenobarbital-treated rats. However, addition of a nitro or bromo substitutent at the para position of the phenyl group or addition of a second phenyl group at the 1- or 2-position on the phenethyl side chain yielded compounds that caused a selective time-dependent decrease in androstenedione 16 beta-hydroxylase activity relative to four other P-450 form-specific androstenedione or progesterone hydroxylase activities monitored. The two compounds that were the most effective in inactivating P450IIB1 in vitro, N-(2-p-bromophenethyl) and N-(2-p-nitrophenethyl)chlorofluoroacetamide were also administered ip to phenobarbital-treated rats, and inhibition of cytochromes P-450 was assessed by in vitro assays of steroid and R- and S-warfarin hydroxylation in subsequently prepared hepatic microsomes. Both compounds selectively inhibited P450IIB1, and at a dose (200 mg/kg) of N-(2-p-nitrophenethyl)chlorofluoroacetamide that reduced androstenedione 16 beta-hydroxylase activity to approximately one-third of the control level, only two other activities, both attributable to P450IIB1, were decreased. In contrast, steroid and warfarin hydroxylase activities indicative of at least five other cytochromes P-450 were unaffected by the compound. These results indicate the feasibility of an empirical approach to the design of specific cytochrome P-450 inactivators.     

Dichloromethyl compounds as mechanism-based inactivators of rat liver cytochromes P-450 in vitro

Twenty dichloromethyl compounds have been tested as potential mechanism-based inactivators of the major phenobarbital-inducible isozyme of rat liver cytochrome P-450 (PB-B) in a reconstituted system. With the exception of dichloromethane and dichloroacetamide, all the compounds decreased the ethoxycoumarin deethylase activity of the enzyme in a time- and NADPH-dependent manner. The inhibitory compounds could be divided into two classes according to whether the loss of monooxygenase activity was accompanied by a decrease in spectrally detectable cytochrome P-450. N-Monosubstituted dichloroacetamides in which the side-chain consisted of a phenyl or n-octyl group were able to mimic the action of chloramphenicol and inactivate the PB-B without destroying the heme moiety. In contrast, dichloroacetamides containing an n-hexyl, n-butyl, or methyl substituent caused a significant loss of heme, as did the five non-amides tested: 1,1,2,2-tetrachloroethane, 1,1-dichloroacetone, methyl dichloroacetate, alpha,alpha-dichlorotoluene, and alpha,alpha-dichloroacetophenone. Representative compounds were also examined as inactivators of the major beta-naphthoflavone-inducible isozyme of rat liver cytochrome P-450 (BNF-B), using a reconstituted system, as well as of constitutive cytochromes P-450, using intact liver microsomes from untreated rats. These studies suggested a marked difference in isozyme selectivity between certain of the compounds. For example, of the isozymes monitored, only the PB-B was affected by alpha,alpha-dichlorotoluene in an NADPH-dependent manner, whereas N-octyl dichloroacetamide inactivated not only the PB-B and BNF-B, but also certain constitutive cytochromes, as evidenced by decreases in microsomal S-warfarin hydroxylase activities. These studies help delineate the structural requirements for the use of dichloromethyl compounds as probes of cytochrome P-450 function and as potential isozyme-selective inhibitors.     

Selective inactivation of rat liver cytochromes P-450 by 21-chlorinated steroids

The inactivation by 21-chlorinated steroids of rat liver cytochromes P-450 involved in the hydroxylation of progesterone and androstenedione has been investigated. Preincubation of intact liver microsomes from phenobarbital-treated rats with 21-chloropregnenolone, 21,21-dichloropregnenolone, or 21,21-dichloroprogesterone in the presence of NADPH caused a time-dependent decrease in progesterone 21-hydroxylase and in progesterone or androstenedione 6 beta-hydroxylase activity but had negligible or only minor effects on five other steroid hydroxylases. The compounds differed, however, with regard to the relative rate constants for inactivation of the 21- and 6 beta-hydroxylases. For example, 21,21-dichloroprogesterone and 21,21-dichloropregnenolone inactivated the progesterone 6 beta-hydroxylase at similar rates, but the dichloroprogesterone was a more effective inactivator of the 21-hydroxylase. The results indicate that the introduction of a dichloromethyl group into a substrate bearing a methyl group normally hydroxylated by only one or a few isozymes of cytochrome P-450 may be a rational means of designing isozyme-selective inhibitors but that target and nontarget enzymes may not totally retain the regioselectivity they exhibit towards the underivatized substrate.     

Effects of long-term choline deficiency on hepatic microsomal cytochrome P-450-mediated steroid and xenobiotic hydroxylases in the female rat

Total cytochrome P-450 levels decreased to about 80% of control in hepatic microsomes from female rats maintained for 30 weeks on a choline-deficient diet. Livers from these rats were fibrotic and had extensive fatty infiltration but, unlike livers of male rats on the same regimen, were not cirrhotic. Steroid hydroxylase activities were assessed in microsomes of female rats that received the choline-deficient diet and it was noted that the activity of the cytochrome P-450 UT-F-mediated steroid 7 alpha-hydroxylase was decreased to about 50% of the activity present in choline-supplemented control rat microsomes. Similar decreases were observed for microsomal androstenedione 6 beta-hydroxylase and aniline 4-hydroxylase activities. In female rat hepatic microsomes these two activities are probably mediated by the isozyme cytochrome P-450 ISF-G. In contrast to these findings, the activities of four other xenobiotic metabolising enzymes, as well as rates of microsomal steroid 16 alpha- and 16 beta-hydroxylation, were unchanged from control. Thus, in hepatic microsomes from choline-deficient female rats, it appears likely that levels of the non-sexually differentiated cytochromes P-450 UT-F and ISF-G are decreased. Unlike the situation in male rats, long term choline deficiency does not appear to influence levels of sexually-differentiated P-450 enzymes in the female rat.     

Responses of cytochrome P-450 isozymes of rat lung to in vivo exposure to ozone

The effects of 2 weeks exposures of rats to 0.2 ppm O3 on pulmonary cytochrome P-450 isozymes were investigated. Two main types of cytochrome P-450 isozymes (cytochromes P-450FI and P-450FII) were separated from lung microsomes of control rats on an anion exchange cellulose column. Antibody raised against cytochrome P-450b, which is the main isozyme of liver obtained from phenobarbital-treated rats, cross-reacted with pulmonary cytochrome P-450FII, but not with cytochrome P-450FI. Ozone exposures caused increases in the content of both cytochromes P-450FI and P-450FII to the same extent two times greater than those of control rats without changes in immunological properties of these isozymes. No pulmonary cytochrome P-450 isozyme other than cytochromes P-450FI and P-450FII was observed in eluate through anion exchange column chromatography. These results indicate that increases in the content of pulmonary cytochrome P-450 of rats exposed to O3 can be ascribed to increase in constitutive types of the isozymes, but not to induction of other types of isozyme.     

Mechanism-based inactivation of the major beta-naphthoflavone-inducible isozyme of rat liver cytochrome P-450 by the chloramphenicol analog N-(2-p-nitrophenethyl)dichloroacetamide

The effectiveness, selectivity, and mechanism of the inactivation of the major beta-naphthoflavone-inducible isozyme of rat liver cytochrome P-450 (BNF-B) by the chloramphenicol analog N-(2-p-nitrophenethyl)dichloroacetamide (pNO2DCA) have been investigated. Intraperitoneal administration of pNO2DCA to beta-naphthoflavone-treated rats at doses of 10 and 100 mg/kg resulted in 72 and 95% decreases, respectively, in the ethoxyresorufin deethylase activity of subsequently prepared liver microsomes. Similar decreases were observed in the warfarin R-6 and R-8 hydroxylase activities of the microsomes. At the lower dose of pNO2DCA, only those R-warfarin hydroxylase activities attributable to BNF-B were decreased, whereas, at the higher dose, inhibition of additional cytochromes P-450 was evident. In vitro, pNO2DCA was found to be a highly efficient inactivator of purified BNF-B in a reconstituted system. The maximal rate constant for inactivation and the apparent Km for the inhibitor were 0.52 min-1 and 2.7 microM, respectively. Inactivation of BNF-B by pNO2DCA appears to involve an impairment in electron transfer from NADPH-cytochrome P-450 reductase, as evidenced by a decrease in the NADPH- but not the iodosobenzene-supported metabolism of ethoxycoumarin by the modified enzyme. However, in the absence of substrate, there was no decrease in the NADPH oxidase activity or in the steady state level of ferrous carbonyl complex formed enzymatically. Likewise, the maximal level of isosafrole metabolite-P-450 complex formed by BNF-B was not decreased by modification with pNO2DCA, although the rate of complex formation was inhibited.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)     

Purification and characterization of a mouse liver cytochrome P-450 induced by cannabidiol

A cytochrome P-450 isozyme (Mr = 51,600) was purified to apparent homogeneity from hepatic microsomes of mice pretreated with cannabidiol (CBD), a major constituent of marijuana. The isozyme exhibited high pentoxyresorufin O-dealkylase, hexobarbital hydroxylase, and 16 alpha- and 16 beta-testosterone hydroxylase activities and formed a Fe+2-metyrapone complex, properties characteristic of the major hepatic cytochrome P-450s previously purified from phenobarbital (PB)-pretreated animals. In addition, the CBD-induced cytochrome P-450 was immunoreactive with an antibody raised against the major rat hepatic PB-inducible cytochrome P-450 and exhibited an NH2-terminal amino acid sequence greater than 90% homologous with that of the PB-inducible rat liver isozyme. Because of the many similarities between the CBD-induced isozyme and certain other isozymes previously purified from PB-pretreated animals, a cytochrome P-450 isozyme was purified from PB-pretreated mice by a chromatographic procedure similar to that employed for purification of the CBD-induced isozyme. The PB-inducible isozyme was indistinguishable from the CBD-inducible cytochrome P-450 on the bases of apparent molecular weight, absorption spectra, NH2-terminal amino acid sequence, peptide mapping, immunoreactivity, and catalytic activity. Although the CBD- and PB-inducible P-450 isozymes appear to be qualitatively very similar, PB appears to be a quantitatively better inducer of the isozyme. Thus, CBD exposure results in the induction of an isozyme that is refractory to CBD-mediated inactivation, thereby apparently altering the cytochrome P-450 isozymal composition of mouse hepatic microsomes.     

Isozyme selectivity of the inhibition of rat liver cytochromes P-450 by chloramphenicol in vivo

The isozyme-selectivity of chloramphenicol as an inhibitor of rat liver cytochromes P-450 has been investigated. Untreated rats and rats treated with the inducers phenobarbital, beta-naphthoflavone, pregnenolone 16 alpha-carbonitrile, and clofibrate have been injected intraperitoneally with chloramphenicol, and inhibition of specific cytochrome P-450 isozymes has been assessed by monitoring the metabolism of warfarin, testosterone, isosafrole, or lauric acid in subsequently prepared hepatic microsomal preparations. Of eight major cytochrome P-450 isozymes which could be monitored in this fashion, three were inhibited by more than 50% by a dose of chloramphenicol of 300 mg/kg, whereas no evidence of inhibition of the remaining isozymes was obtained. P-450PB-C, an isozyme which is present in significant amounts in untreated rats and which is induced approximately 2-fold by phenobarbital, was the most susceptible cytochrome P-450 to inhibition by chloramphenicol both in vivo and in vitro. P-450PB-B, the major phenobarbital-inducible isozyme, and P-450UT-A, a male-specific testosterone 2 alpha- and 16 alpha-hydroxylase, were intermediate in their susceptibility to chloramphenicol. In contrast, the major isozymes induced by beta-naphthoflavone, pregnenolone 16 alpha-carbonitrile, and clofibrate, as well as a constitutive testosterone 7 alpha-hydroxylase, were not inhibited by chloramphenicol.     

Analogues of chloramphenicol as mechanism-based inactivators of rat liver cytochrome P-450: modifications of the propanediol side chain, the p-nitro group, and the dichloromethyl moiety

The importance of the p-nitro group, the propanediol side chain, and the dichloromethyl moiety of chloramphenicol in regulating its effectiveness and selectivity as a mechanism-based inactivator of rat liver cytochromes P-450 has been examined. 1-p-Nitrophenyl-2-dichloroacetamidoethane, 1-p-nitrophenyl-2-dibromoacetamidoethane, and 1-phenyl-2-dichloroacetamidoethane were as effective as chloramphenicol at inactivating the major phenobarbital-inducible isozyme of rat liver cytochrome P-450, whereas 1-p-nitrophenyl-2-difluoroacetamidoethane caused no enzyme inactivation. Unlike chloramphenicol, 1-p-nitrophenyl-2-dichloroacetamidoethane and 1-phenyl-2-dichloroacetamidoethane also inactivated the major beta-naphthoflavone-inducible isozyme of rat liver cytochrome P-450. Alkaline hydrolysis of the adducts formed upon in vitro incubation of liver microsomes from phenobarbital- and beta-naphthoflavone-induced rats with [14C]-1-p-nitrophenyl-2-dichloroacetamidoethane resulted in the release of 4-nitro-1-phenethyl-1,2-dicarboxylic acid amide and oxalic acid. Enzymatic digests of the radio-labeled protein produced by incubation of a reconstituted system containing the major isozymes induced by beta-naphthoflavone or phenobarbital with [14C]-1-p-nitrophenyl-2-dichloroacetamidoethane led to the release of 4-nitro-1-phenethyl-1,2-dicarboxylic acid amide and 4-nitro-1-phenethyl oxamyl lysine. These results suggest that a single oxamyl chloride intermediate is responsible for the covalent modification and, hence, inactivation of both isozymes by 1-p-nitrophenyl-2-dichloroacetamidoethane.     

A new pathway for the oxidative metabolism of chloramphenicol by rat liver microsomes

When chloramphenicol was incubated with rat liver microsomes, four previously unidentified metabolites were detected and identified. They include chloramphenicol aldehyde (chloramphenicol with the primary alcohol group oxidized to an aldehyde group), p-nitro-benzyl alcohol, N-(2-oxoethyl)dichloroacetamide, and N-(2-hydroxyethyl)dichloroacetamide. The formation of these metabolites was dependent upon the presence of NADPH and O2 and was inhibited when SKF 525-A or CO/O2 (8:2, v/v) were present in the reaction mixture. Moreover, the metabolites were formed by liver microsomes from phenobarbital-treated rats but not by microsomes from untreated rats or rats treated with beta-naphthoflavone. The formation of these metabolites is consistent with a mechanism that involves an initial oxidation of chloramphenicol to chloramphenicol aldehyde by cytochrome P-450. Inasmuch as this metabolite is a beta-hydroxyaldehyde, it can chemically undergo a retro-aldol cleavage to p-nitrobenzaldehyde and N-(2-oxoethyl)dichloroacetamide. Enzymatic reduction of these aldehyde intermediates would yield p-nitrobenzyl alcohol and N-(2-hydroxyethyl)dichloroacetamide, respectively.     

Participation of cytochrome P-450 isozymes in N-demethylation, N-hydroxylation and aromatic hydroxylation of methamphetamine

1. Five isozymes of cytochrome P-450 were purified from liver microsomes of phenobarbital-pretreated (P-450-SD-I and -II), 3-methylcholanthrene-pretreated (P-450-SD-III) and untreated rats (P-450-SD-IV and -V) to determine their catalytic activities in metabolic reactions of methamphetamine. 2. All the isozymes except P-450-SD-III showed considerably high N-hydroxylating activity of methamphetamine. The cytochromes P-450 initiate N-demethylation of this drug by two metabolic pathways, C-hydroxylation and N-hydroxylation. 3. Both N-demethylation and N-hydroxylation of methamphetamine were efficiently catalysed by the phenobarbital-inducible forms P-450-SD-I and -II and constitutive forms P-450-SD-IV and -V. 4. The constitutive forms P-450-SD-IV and -V revealed high catalytic activities of p-hydroxylation of methamphetamine, but phenobarbital- and 3-methylcholanthrene-inducible isozymes showed only low activities. 5. The present results indicate that the different extents of the metabolic intermediate complex formation with cytochrome P-450 (455 nm complex) in the microsomes from phenobarbital-, 3-methylcholanthrene-pretreated, and untreated rats is not attributable to the activities of the respective isozymes of cytochrome P-450 to form the precursor of the complex, N-hydroxymethamphetamine.     

Selective inactivation by chloramphenicol of the major phenobarbital-inducible isozyme of dog liver cytochrome P-450

Chloramphenicol (CAP) is a potent and effective mechanism-based inactivator of the major phenobarbital (PB)-inducible isozyme of dog liver cytochrome P-450 (PBD-2) in vitro. In a reconstituted system containing PBD-2, CAP causes a time- and NADPH-dependent irreversible loss of 7-ethoxycoumarin deethylase activity, with no loss of spectrally detectable cytochrome P-450. Inactivation is enhanced by cytochrome b5, and, in the presence of cytochrome b5, the concentration of CAP at which the rate constant for inactivation is half-maximal (Kl) and the maximal rate constant for inactivation (Kinact) are 5 microM and 1.2 min-1, respectively. CAP binds covalently to PBD-2 with a stoichiometry of 1 nmol of [14C]CAP bound/nmol of cytochrome P-450 inactivated. In addition, CAP is a selective inactivator of PBD-2. In intact liver microsomes from PB-treated dogs, CAP irreversibly inhibits androstenedione 16 alpha and 16 beta, but not 6 beta hydroxylation. Covalent binding of [14C]CAP to dog liver microsomes in vitro is increased 5.5 times by PB induction. This increase correlates well with the increased levels of immunochemically determined PBD-2 (5.8-fold) and 16 alpha and 16 beta hydroxylation of androstenedione (5.7- and 5.8-fold) in microsomes from PB-treated compared to control animals. Anti-PBD-2 IgG specifically inhibits by greater than 80% the covalent binding of [14C]CAP to microsomes from control and PB-treated dogs. Finally, in liver microsomes from PB-treated and control dogs, CAP appears to bind covalently to a single protein with the same molecular weight as PBD-2 as evidenced by sodium dodecyl sulfate-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis and autoradiography.     

Specific inactivation by 17 beta-substituted steroids of rabbit and rat liver cytochromes P-450 responsible for progesterone 21-hydroxylation

The selective inactivation by 17 beta-substituted steroids of rabbit and rat liver cytochromes P-450 involved in the 21-hydroxylation of progesterone has been investigated. Five derivatives each of pregnenolone and progesterone were prepared, in which the methylketo substituent of the 17 beta-position was replaced by a dichloromethylketo, chlorofluoromethylketo, difluoromethylketo, vinyl, or ethynyl group. The ability of the compounds to cause time-dependent (inactivation) and time-independent (inhibition) decreases in progesterone hydroxylase activity was assessed in vitro using intact liver microsomes as well as reconstituted systems containing the major forms of hepatic cytochrome P-450 responsible for progesterone 21-hydroxylation, P-450 1 in the rabbit and PB-C in the rat. In each species, one compound was identified that specifically inactivated the 21-hydroxylase, namely 21-chloro-21-fluoropregnenolone in the rabbit and pregn-4,20-diene-3-one in the rat, although both compounds inhibited several other hydroxylases as well. Moreover, the most effective and specific 21-hydroxylase inactivators were not necessarily the most effective or specific inhibitors. These results suggest that conversion of the enzyme-inhibitor complex to metabolites that inactivate the enzyme, rather than complex formation, is the crucial factor in determining the specificity of the compounds as cytochrome P-450 inactivators. The results indicate the feasibility of designing specific inactivators of hepatic cytochromes P-450 by utilizing the normal regioselectivity of the target enzyme towards steroids.     

Selective inactivation of mouse liver cytochrome P-450IIIA by cannabidiol

Cannabidiol (CBD) inhibits hepatic drug metabolism in mice, particularly those activities known to be catalyzed by the cytochrome P-450IIIA (P-450IIIA) subfamily. CBD treatment (120 mg/kg) inhibited more than 75% of hepatic 6 beta-testosterone hydroxylase and erythromycin N-demethylase activities (functional markers of P-450IIIA) after 2 hr. An isozyme of the P-450IIIA subfamily (Mr 49,960) was purified to apparent homogeneity from hepatic microsomes of untreated mice and was found to catalyze testosterone hydroxylation at the 2 beta-, 6 beta-, and 15 beta-positions exclusively. Incubation of this isozyme with CBD in a reconstituted system resulted in a time- and concentration-dependent inactivation, with almost complete loss of P-450 chromophore and corresponding increase in P-420 content. NH2-terminal sequence analysis of the isozyme revealed an 86% similarity to the corresponding sequence of rat P-450IIIA2, a constitutive P-450 isozyme in the male rat liver. Pretreatment of mice with dexamethasone markedly (6-fold) increased the steroid-inducible P-450IIIA-dependent activities 6 beta-testosterone hydroxylation and erythromycin N-demethylation. CBD treatment of dexamethasone-pretreated animals failed to inhibit these activities, indicating that the steroid-inducible P-450IIIA was refractory to CBD-mediated inactivation. 3-Methylcholanthrene-inducible P-450IA and phenobarbital-inducible P-450IIB also appear to be refractory to CBD-mediated inactivation. On the other hand, erythromycin N-demethylase activity increased 4-fold after phenobarbital pretreatment and, as in untreated animals, was comparably inhibited by CBD, demonstrating its susceptibility to this drug. Thus, CBD appears to inactivate the P-450IIIA isozymes that are constitutively present in hepatic microsomes of untreated mice and/or inducible by phenobarbital pretreatment but not those that are steroid inducible.     

Effects of a series of 4-alkyl analogues of 3,5-diethoxycarbonyl-1,4-dihydro-2,4,6-trimethylpyridine on the major inducible cytochrome P-450 isozymes of rat liver

Various 4-alkyl analogues of 3,5-diethoxycarbonyl-1,4-dihydro-2,4,6-trimethylpyridine (DDC) cause mechanism-based inactivation of cytochrome P-450 (P-450) by destroying the heme prosthetic group. We have examined the isozyme selectivity of representative DDC analogues with respect to the major inducible P-450 isozymes of rat liver. Hepatic microsomes from untreated, phenobarbital (PB)-treated, beta-naphthoflavone (beta NF)-treated, and dexamethasone (DEX)-treated rats were incubated with a DDC analogue and NADPH and were subsequently analyzed for P-450 and heme content, P-450 isozyme immunoreactivity, and enzyme activity. Compared with the uninduced state, 4-isopropyl-DDC caused slightly less P-450 destruction following beta NF induction and much greater destruction following DEX pretreatment. Also, 4-hexyl-DDC was found to cause less P-450 destruction following PB or DEX pretreatment, compared with results obtained with untreated rats. These results suggest that DDC analogues possess different isozyme selectivity profiles. Monoclonal antibodies (MAbs) directed against the major inducible isozymes of P-450 were used to probe Western blots of microsomal protein following DDC analogue treatment. The formation of lower molecular mass (45-55 kDa) immunoreactive proteins in microsomes from beta NF-treated rats following DDC analogue treatment was revealed by two MAbs (1-31-2 and 1-36-1), suggesting that the apoprotein of the major beta NF-inducible isozyme, P-450c, is subject to alteration by DDC analogues. In microsomes from DEX-treated rats, DDC analogues caused the formation of higher molecular mass (80, 94, and 115 kDa) proteins showing immunoreactivity with MAb 2-13-1, directed against a major DEX-inducible isozyme belonging to the P-450p family. These immunochemical findings are supported by the demonstration that DDC analogues also caused mechanism-based inhibition of the catalytic activity of P-450c (7-ethoxyresorufin O-deethylase) and P-450p (erythromycin N-demethylase) but not that of the major PB-inducible isozyme, P-450b (7-pentoxyresorufin O-dealkylase). The combined immunochemical and enzymic studies indicate that rat liver P-450 c and p are targets for mechanism-based inactivation by DDC analogues.     

Hydroxylation of p-nitrophenol by rabbit ethanol-inducible cytochrome P-450 isozyme 3a

The hydroxylation of p-nitrophenol to 4-nitrocatechol was investigated using rabbit hepatic microsomes and six purified isozymes of cytochrome P-450. The microsomal activity was maximal at pH 6.8 and at 100 microM p-nitrophenol. At higher substrate concentrations inhibition was observed. At pH 6.8 and 100 microM p-nitrophenol, isozyme 3a exhibited the highest activity of the purified isozymes: 3.4-fold more active than isozyme 6, and 8-fold more active than isozymes 2 and 4. The isozyme 3a-catalyzed hydroxylation reaction was stimulated 2.4-fold by the addition of a 4:1 ratio of cytochrome b5/P-450. At optimal concentrations of cytochrome b5, isozyme 3a was 8- to 9-fold more active than isozymes 2 and 6 and 20-fold more active than isozyme 4. Under the same conditions, isozyme 3a-catalyzed butanol oxidation was inhibited 40%. Antibodies to isozyme 3a inhibited greater than 95% of the p-nitrophenol hydroxylase activity of microsomes from untreated or from ethanol- or acetone-treated rabbits. The microsomal hydroxylase activity was linearly correlated with the microsomal concentration of isozyme 3a (correlation coefficient of 0.94) and had an intercept near zero. The results from reconstitution, antibody inhibition, and correlation experiments indicate that isozyme 3a is the principal catalyst of rabbit microsomal p-nitrophenol hydroxylation. The ability of the ethanol-inducible isozyme to catalyze catechol formation may be important in the ethanol-enhanced toxicity of aromatic compounds such as benzene.     

Monoclonal antibodies against human liver cytochrome P-450

Monoclonal hybridomas which produce antibodies against human liver microsomal cytochrome P-450 were developed. Three similar hybridomas produced antibodies which recognized an epitope specific to a family of human P-450 isozymes (P-450(5)). This epitope was also present on cytochrome P-450 PCN-E (pregnenolone-16 alpha-carbonitrile induced) from rat liver microsomes, but this isozyme differed from the human P-450(5) by its molecular weight. These antibodies enabled us to quantify cytochrome P-450(5) in human liver microsomes and to demonstrate an important quantitative polymorphism in the human liver monooxygenase system.     

Induction of cytochrome P-450 isozymes upon repeated administration of nifedipine

In experiments on male Wistar rats it has been found that nifedipine administration at a dose of 10 mg/kg body weight i.p. daily for 20 days did not significantly increase the total amount of cytochrome P-450 but markedly increased the 7 alpha-, 16 beta- and 6 beta-hydroxylation of androstenedione in liver microsomes, suggesting the induction of cytochromes P-450IIA1, P-450IIB1, and P-450IIIA1, respectively. The induction of cytochrome P-450IIIB1 was also confirmed immunochemically with polyclonal antibodies against cytochrome P-450IIB1/B2.     

In vivo and in vitro effects of beta-naphthoflavone on cytochrome P-450-dependent testosterone hydroxylase activities in liver microsomes

Hepatic microsomes from beta-naphthoflavone-treated adult male rats exhibit a 60-86% loss of testosterone 7 alpha-, 16 alpha-, and 6 beta-hydroxylase activities compared to those of untreated animals. Studies were conducted to determine if the loss of mono-oxygenase activities reflected the presence of beta-naphthoflavone in microsomes from treated animals or, rather, involved a change in the constitutive forms of cytochrome P-450 involved in testosterone hydroxylation. In vitro preincubation of microsomes from untreated animals with NADPH and beta-naphthoflavone resulted in a selective 30-40% loss of 16 alpha- and 6 beta-hydroxylase activities, results which suggest that a metabolite of beta-naphthoflavone may selectively inhibit testosterone hydroxylase activities. Hepatic microsomes from untreated sexually immature and adult rats and from beta-naphthoflavone-treated adult male rats were solubilized and each resolved into three or four cytochrome P-450 fractions by ion-exchange chromatography. The various cytochrome fractions were distinguished by their CO-difference spectra and reconstituted catalytic activity. Cytochrome P-450 fractions from beta-naphthoflavone-treated adult male rats exhibited only 10% of the 16 alpha- and 2 beta-hydroxylase activities of the analogous fractions from untreated adult male microsomes. The catalytic activity of the fractions from beta-naphthoflavone-treated adults was similar to that of cytochrome P-450 from sexually immature male rats. These data indicate that in vivo administration of beta-naphthoflavone results in a selective loss of androgen-dependent cytochrome P-450 testosterone hydroxylase activity.     

Identification of the enzymes catalyzing metabolism of methoxyflurane

The hepatic microsomal metabolism of methoxyflurane in rabbits is markedly stimulated by treatment with phenobarbital. However, the increased rate of metabolism cannot be completely accounted for by the activity of the purified phenobarbital-inducible cytochrome P-450 isozyme 2, even in the presence of cytochrome b5. The discovery of a second hepatic phenobarbital-inducible cytochrome P-450, isozyme 5, led us to undertake experiments to determine in hepatic and pulmonary preparations the portion of microsomal metabolism of methoxyflurane catalyzed by cytochrome P-450 isozymes 2 and 5. We report herein that isozyme 2 accounts for 25% and 29%, respectively, of the O-demethylation of methoxyflurane in hepatic microsomes from untreated and phenobarbital-treated rabbits, and for 25% of the methoxyflurane metabolism in pulmonary microsomes. Results for isozyme 5 indicate that it catalyzes 19% and 27% of methoxyflurane metabolism in control and phenobarbital-induced liver, and 47% of O-demethylation in the lung. In summary, we demonstrate that methoxyflurane O-demethylation in lung, phenobarbital-induced liver, and control liver microsomes is catalyzed by cytochrome P-450 isozymes 2 and 5. Results with purified cytochrome P-450 isozyme 5 are consistent with those obtained using microsomal preparations. Furthermore, metabolism of methoxyflurane by purified isozyme 5 is markedly stimulated by cytochrome b5. A role for cytochrome b5 in cytochrome P-450 isozyme 5-catalyzed metabolism of methoxyflurane was also demonstrated in microsomes. Antibody to isozyme 5 was unable to inhibit methoxyflurane metabolism in the presence of maximally inhibiting concentrations of cytochrome b5 antibody.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)