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Inhibition of epoxide hydrolases and glutathione S-transferases by 2-, 3-, and 4-substituted derivatives of 4'-phenylchalcone and its oxide.

4'-Phenylchalcones, chalcone oxides, and related compounds were synthesized and tested as inhibitors of cytosolic epoxide hydrolase, microsomal epoxide hydrolase, and glutathione S-transferases from mouse and rat liver. Several compounds were more potent inhibitors of the cytosolic epoxide hydrolase than the parent 4'-phenylchalcone oxide while large substituents in the 4- and especially the 2-position caused a reduction in inhibition. The chalcone oxides showed selectivity as inhibitors of the cytosolic epoxide hydrolase acting on trans-stilbene oxide, while chalcones were inhibitors of cytosolic glutathione S-transferase acting on cis-stilbene oxide. Data are consistent with the hypothesis that much of the inhibition of the glutathione S-transferase is caused by the glutathione conjugate of the chalcone.

Animals↗

Alteration of human granulocyte functional responses by menadione.

Menadione is a synthetic derivative of the natural vitamins K with antiinflammatory activity among its potentially significant clinical properties. We have found this agent to stimulate the production of superoxide anion (O2-) in human polymorphonuclear leukocytes (PMN) and dimethylsulfoxide-differentiated HL-60 cells in a time-, cell number-, and drug concentration-dependent manner. Conversely, menadione attenuates both O2- production and lysozyme release in cells stimulated by phorbol myristate acetate (PMA), fMet-Leu-Phe, or Ca2+ ionophore. 4-Acetamido-4'-isothiocyano-2-2'-disulfonic acid stilbene and 4,4'-diisothiocyano-2-2'disulfonic acid stilbene, agents which inhibit transmembrane O2-) flux, do not alter menadione's effects on superoxide dismutase (SOD) inhibitable cytochrome c reduction in resting or PMA-stimulated PMN. Likewise, quinone reductase inhibitors, warfarin and dicumarol, known to attenuate vitamin K-dependent responses and enhance quinone-mediated oxidative stress, have no effect upon menadione-stimulated O2- production. Furthermore, menadione-induced suppression of stimulus-mediated lysozyme release is not reversed by cotreatment with oxygen metabolite scavenging enzymes SOD and catalase. Nevertheless, under conditions of restricted oxygen supply, the suppressive effect of menadione on stimulant-induced lysozyme release is greatly diminished. Thus, although pharmacological manipulation suggests otherwise, there appears to exist at least a component of the inhibitory activity of menadione that is oxygen dependent, and may be oxidative stress-related.

4,4'-Diisothiocyanostilbene-2,2'-Disulfonic Acid↗

Characteristics of anion-stimulated Mg-ATPase from rat parotid gland secretory granules.

Magnesium-dependent adenosine triphosphatase (Mg-ATPase) was assayed in highly purified secretory granules. The enzyme was stimulated by sulphite and isethionate, unaffected by chloride and inhibited by fluoride and thiocyanate. Inhibition was not related to the permeant properties of the anion, but the relative inhibitory potency of the anions was similar to that in some other studies of secretory granule ATPases. Maximum contribution to the anion-stimulated ATPase by contaminating mitochondria was estimated at 9.3%. The enzyme was inhibited by the stilbene disulphonic acid inhibitor, 4-acetamido-4'-isothiocyano-2,2'-stilbene disulphonic acid (SITS). The IC50 was 0.16 mM in the absence of sulphite and increased in the presence of sulphite. The relation of the inhibition by SITS to sulphite was complex. Both Vmax and Km parameters were changed by SITS. Furthermore the data are consistent with the presence of two anion-stimulated ATPases. The ATPase was sensitive to tributyltin, dicyclohexylcarbodiimide (DCCD) and oligomycin, only moderately sensitive to azide, probenecid and N-ethylmaleimide (NEM) and rather insensitive to carbonylcyanide m-chlorophenylhydrazone (CCCP) and sulphisoxazole. ATPase activity was stimulated by calcium both in the presence and absence of magnesium. These findings suggest that the ATPase(s) present in parotid secretory granules is unique among secretory granule ATPases.

Animals↗

Effects of incorporated trypsin on anion exchange and membrane proteins in human red blood cell ghosts.

Varying concentrations of trypsin were sealed into human red cell ghosts and the effects on membrane proteins and sulfate equilibrium exchange were studied. After incubation for 45 min at 37 degrees C, pH 7.2, the following observations were made: above 10 ng/ml the ghosts undergo fragmentation without lysis. Dodecyl sulfate gel electrophoresis shows that the digestion of spectrin and of the protein in band 2.1 (nomenclature of Steck (1974) J. Cell. Biol. 62, 1-19) is nearly complete at 50 ng/ml, that of the protein in band 3 at 25 mug/ml. After digestion at 25 mug/ml, about 60% of the total protein of the membrane is released and the original bands of conventional dodecyl sulfate gel electropherograms of the remaining protein are nearly completely abolished. In their place three new bands appear representing peptides with molecular weights of 58 000, 48 000 and 34 000, respectively. Sometimes a fourth peptide with a molecular weight of approx. 13 000 is also observed. Using a radioactive labeling technique it is shown that the two peptides with the highest molecular weights are derived from the protein in band 3. Labeling with diazo[35S]sulfanilic acid indicates that in addition to the peptides in the described four Coomassie blue-stainable bands, other peptides with molecular weights up to 100 000 are still present in the exhaustively trypsinized ghosts. External trypsin has no effect on the sulfate equilibrium exchange in ghosts while internal trypsin causes inhibition. Inhibition becomes apparent at trypsin concentration exceeding those required to produce a complete digestion of spectrin. It remains incomplete, even at the highest intracellular concentrations which cause maximal effects on all membrane proteins, including the protein in band 3. Under these conditions strong further inhibition can be produced by agents which are known to inhibit anion transport in untreated red cells and ghosts. These agents include the penetrating 1-fluoro-2,4-dinitrobenzene and the nonpenetrating phlorizin, 4-acetamido-4'-isothiocyanato stilbene-2,2'-disulfonic acid, 4,4'-diacetamido stilbene-2,2'-disulfonic acid, and 2-(4'-aminophenyl)-6-methylbenzenethiazol-3',7-disulfonic acid (APMB). Unlike the other nonpenetrating inhibitors APMB is not only capable of inhibiting at the outer but also at the inner membrane surface. Treatment with internal trypsin does not significantly reduce the inhibition by incorporated APMB. The described observations suggest that after exhaustive tryptic digestion of the major membrane proteins, the receptor sites for typical inhibitors of anion transport continue to exert their function.

Biological Transport↗

Sulfate transport by mouse renal cortical slices does not represent uptake by brush-border membrane.

We measured uptake of isotopically 35S-labelled sulfate anion by slices and by brush border membrane vesicles prepared from mouse renal cortex to identify: (i) whether metabolic incorporation of anion influences net transport; (ii) which membrane is primarily exposed in the renal cortex slice. Slices accumulated sulfate without significant incorporation into metabolic pools. Net uptake of sulfate at 0.1 mM by the slice occurred against an electrochemical gradient as determined by measurement of free intracellular sulfate concentration, the isotopic distribution ratio at steady-state, and the distribution of lipophilic ions (TPP+ and SCN-). Carrier mediation of sulfate transport in the slice was confirmed by observing concentration-dependent saturation of net uptake and counter-transport stimulation of efflux. Anion uptake was Na+-independent, K+- and H+-stimulated, and inhibited by disulfonated stilbenes. Brush-border membrane vesicles accumulated sulfate by a saturable mechanism dependent on a Na+ gradient (outside greater than inside); others have shown that uptake of sulfate by brush-border membrane vesicles is insensitive to inhibition by disulfonated stilbenes. These findings indicate that different mechanisms serve sulfate transport in renal cortex slice and brush-border membrane vesicle preparations. They also imply that the slice exposes an epithelial surface different from the brush-border, presumably the basolateral membrane, or its equivalent, since sulfate transport by slices resembles that observed with isolated basolateral membrane vesicles.

Animals↗

Characterization of the anion transport channel protein in human erythrocytes. Induced circular dichroism of inhibitors bound to the anion transport channel.

The induced circular dichroism (CD) of erythrocyte ghosts with anion-transport inhibitors has been studied. A ghost-EITC (eosin 5-isothiocyanate) system shows an induced CD spectrum at the wavelength region corresponding to the absorption bands of EITC. Also a ghost-EMI (eosin 5-maleimide) system shows induced CD, but has bands of opposite sign to the EITC system. From the change of the CD intensity, the number of EITC molecules bound to one erythrocyte was estimated to be about 1.4 X 10(6), being close to the number of band 3 copies per ghost. The CD spectra of EITC and EMI systems show that a configurational structure of the moiety anchoring the EMI molecule is the reverse to that of EITC. The preferred conformation of bound EITC may be twisted in a right-handed sense. From the signs of the induced CD bands in ghost-stilbene disulfonate systems, the chirality of twisted stilbene derivatives seems to be a left-handed sense, as is the case for the EMI derivative. The CD spectra of EITC in the presence of DIDS (4,4'-diisothiocyanostilbene-2,2'-disulfonate) shows that the binding site of EITC may not be identical with that of DIDS. The results observed in this study reflect the ternary arrangement of the functional amino groups in anion recognition sites.

4,4'-Diisothiocyanostilbene-2,2'-Disulfonic Acid↗

Pathways for flip-flop of mono- and di-anionic phospholipids in the erythrocyte membrane.

The inward translocations (flip), from the outer to the inner membrane leaflet of human erythrocytes, of di-anionic NBD-labeled phospholipids containing as a head group phosphate esters of glycolate, butyrate and hydroxyethanesulfonate are slow processes (k = 0.005-0.008 h-1, 37 degrees C) at pH 7.4. A decrease of pH highly stimulates the flip. A major role of the anion exchanger (AE1), band 3, in this flip is indicated by (a) the strong inhibition of the flip (55-85%) by stilbene disulfonates and other inhibitors of anion transport, (b) the stimulation and loss of pH dependence of the flip after modification of band 3 by Woodward's reagent K and NaBH4, and (c) the stimulation of the flip after proteolytic cleavage of band 3 by papain. The flip of mono-anionic NBD-phospholipids with phosphate esters of glycerol, glycol, methanol, butanol and benzyl alcohol is much faster than that of their dianionic analogs (k = 0.04 to > 3.0 h-1, 37 degrees C). It is inhibited by stilbene disulfonates to a decreasing extent (35 to 0%) and is not affected by several reversible inhibitors of anion exchange. This indicates a minor component of band-3-mediated flip and a major component of nonmediated flip. The outward translocations (flop), from the inner to outer membrane leaflet, of both mono- and di-anionic phospholipids are very fast (1.0-5.9 h-1), ATP-dependent and inhibitable by vanadate, fluoride, SH-reagents or Mg(2+)-depletion of cells and thereby likely to be largely mediated by a 'floppase'. The stationary distributions of the NBD-labeled anionic phospholipids are asymmetric to an extent (outer to inner leaflet ratio 2-9) correlating with the ratio of the rates of the outward and the inward translocation. Thus, asymmetry is largely abolished by blockage of the floppase-mediated translocation.

4,4'-Diisothiocyanostilbene-2,2'-Disulfonic Acid↗

Evidence for multisite allosteric interactions on the band 3 monomer.

Pyridoxal-5'-phosphate is known to label the two integral, chymotryptic domains (CH17 and CH35) of the erythrocyte anion exchange protein known as band 3. The CH35 sites are mutually exclusive with stilbene disulfonate binding, while the CH17 sites are not. Selective, irreversible pyridoxal-5'-phosphate labeling of CH17, reduces the transport inhibitory potency due to reversible stilbene disulfonate binding to vacant, nonoverlapping CH35 sites. We conclude that multisite allosteric interactions can occur on one band 3 monomer.

Allosteric Site↗

Ethanol and isoniazid induce a hepatic microsomal cytochrome P-450-dependent activity with similar properties towards substrate and inhibitors and different properties from those induced by classical inducers.

Male Wistar rats were pretreated with chronic ethanol ingestion (3 weeks), phenobarbital in the drinking water (1 week), beta naphtoflavone or trans-stilbene oxide (one daily i.p. injection for 3 days) or isoniazid (one daily i.p. injection for 7 days). All these treatments increased 4-nitroanisole O-demethylase activity above the control level. Kinetic studies indicated that ethanol and isoniazid induction gave low apparent K0.5 (less than 0.1 mM), trans-stilbene oxide and phenobarbital intermediate (0.1 mM less than K0.5 less than 0.5 mM) and beta naphtoflavone high K0.5 (greater than 0.5 mM) for the induced activities. Inhibition studies with 0.1 mM metyrapone, 0.1 mM imidazole or 5 mM 1,3-dioxolane provided further evidence that the induced activities had different properties. Differences were also observed in the subtypes of spectral type II interaction (IIa and IIb) with 0.1 mM imidazole or 0.1 mM metyrapone in the induced microsomes. The results indicate that demethylation of 4-nitroanisole is an effective reaction for distinguishing between three different types of cytochrome P-450 induction. The clinically important hepatotoxins ethanol and isoniazid appeared to induce the same type of cytochrome P-450 activity, and it is speculated that these toxins may predispose to hepatotoxicity by means of this common property.

Animals↗

Characterization of soluble glutathione transferase activity in resting mononuclear leukocytes from human blood.

Glutathione transferase activity in the soluble fraction of resting human mononuclear leukocytes was measured and characterized using [3H] trans-stilbene oxide as a substrate. Because of the low activity of this enzyme in these cells, a published assay procedure developed for rodent liver was slightly modified to improve its sensitivity: the substrate was highly radiolabeled (2 Ci/mmole) and carefully purified, and the incubation time was extended to 30-60 min. The activity measured was linear with cell density up to at least 6 million cells. Soluble glutathione transferase activity measured in this manner has a pH optimum around 7.4 and an optimal temperature of 40 degrees. This activity could be measured in lymphocytes, monocytes, granulocytes, erythrocytes and platelets, but not in plasma. From these measurements it could be calculated that lymphocytes account for somewhat more than half of the total activity in the mononuclear leukocyte fraction and that monocytes account for the rest. The intraindividual variation in soluble glutathione transferase activity towards trans-stilbene oxide in the mononuclear leukocyte fraction from different subjects was only about 10%, whereas the interindividual variation in this same activity was 15-fold. An explanation for this relatively large interindividual variation is now being sought.

Benzopyrene Hydroxylase↗

Distribution and inducibility of cytosolic epoxide hydrolase in male Sprague-Dawley rats.

Cytosolic epoxide hydrolase (cEH) activity has been determined in liver and various extrahepatic tissues of male Sprague-Dawley rats using trans-stilbene oxide (TSO) and trans-ethylstyrene oxide (TESO) as substrates. Large interindividual differences in the specific activity of cytosolic epoxide hydrolase in the liver from more than 80 individual rats were observed varying by a factor of 38. In a randomly selected group of five animals liver cEH varied by a factor of 3.9 and kidney cEH by a factor of 2.7, whereas liver microsomal epoxide hydrolase and lactate dehydrogenase showed only very low variations (1.4- and 1.1-fold, respectively). The individual relative activity of kidney cEH was related to that of the liver. Cytosolic epoxide hydrolase activity was present in all of six extrahepatic rat tissues investigated. Interestingly specific activities were very high in the heart and kidney (higher than in liver), followed by liver greater than brain greater than lung greater than testis greater than spleen. TSO and TESO hydrolases in subcellular fractions of rat liver were present at highest specific activities in the cytosolic and the heavy mitochondrial fraction. As indicated by the marker enzymes, catalase, urate oxidase and cytochrome oxidase, this organelle-bound epoxide hydrolase activity may be of peroxisomal and/or mitochondrial origin. In the microsomal fraction, TSO and TESO hydrolase activity is very low, whereas STO hydrolase activity is highest in this fraction and very low in cytosol. In kidney, subcellular distribution is similar to that observed in liver. None of the commonly used inducers of xenobiotic metabolizing enzymes caused significant changes in the specific activities of rat hepatic cEH (trans-stilbene oxide, alpha-pregnenolone carbonitrile, 3-methylcholanthrene, beta-naphthoflavone, isosafrole, butylated hydroxytoluene, 2,3,7,8-tetrachlorodibenzo-p-dioxin, dibenzo[a,h]anthracene, phenobarbitone). However, clofibrate, a hypolipidemic agent, very strongly induced rat liver cEH (about 5-fold), whereas microsomal epoxide hydrolase activity was not affected. Specific activity of kidney cEH was increased about 2-fold.

Animals↗

Hepatic epoxide hydrolase activities and their induction by clofibrate and diethylhexylphthalate in various strains of mice.

The presence of epoxide hydrolase activity in cytoplasm, microsomes and mitochondrial fraction in livers from twelve strains of mice (AKR/J, A/J, BALB/cByJ, CBA/J, C3H/HeJ, G57BL/6J, C57BL/10J, DBA/2J, NZB/B1NJ, PL/J, SEC/1ReJ and SW), and the influence of orally administered clofibrate and di(2-ethylhexyl)phthalate (DEHP) (0.5 and 2%, respectively, in diet) on epoxide hydrolase activities, were studied. Significant differences in basal cytosolic epoxide hydrolase activity, which ranged from 5.6 to 11.2 nmol diol.min-1.(mg protein)-1 using trans-stilbene oxide (TSO) as substrate, were noted among the mice. The highest and lowest enzyme levels were observed in the A/J and DBA/2J strains respectively. Similarly, microsomal epoxide hydrolase activity, monitored with cis-stilbene oxide (CSO), varied with the mouse strain, with the highest and lowest microsomal epoxide hydrolase activity being observed in A/J and SW strains respectively. Variations were also noted in the epoxide hydrolase activity in the mitochondrial fraction (monitored with TSO) with the highest and lowest levels observed in C57BL/6J and SW strains respectively. Clofibrate or DEHP treatment induced both cytosolic and microsomal epoxide hydrolases in nearly all of the strains examined. In contrast, the hydrolysis of TSO by the mitochondrial fraction in these strains was either not affected or decreased by clofibrate or DEHP treatment. The induction of cytosolic epoxide hydrolase was found to range between 1.2- and 2.8-fold, with generally a higher level of induction in mouse strains with low basal levels of cytosolic epoxide hydrolase activity. This level of cytosolic epoxide hydrolase activity, monitored with TSO as substrate, closely reflected the level of cytosolic epoxide hydrolase protein detected by immunoblot. There were also no significant differences observed in the molecular weight, immunological characteristics, pH-dependence and heat stability of hepatic cytosolic epoxide hydrolase activities of control and clofibrate-treated mice from various strains. These results suggest that clofibrate and DEHP induce both cytosolic and microsomal epoxide hydrolases but not the epoxide hydrolase in the mitochondrial fraction.

Animals↗

Development of an in situ toxicity assay system using recombinant baculoviruses.

A new method for experimentally analyzing the role of enzymes involved in metabolizing mutagenic, carcinogenic, or cytotoxic chemicals is described. Spodoptera fugiperda (SF-21) cells infected with recombinant baculoviruses are used for high level expression of one or more cloned enzymes. The ability of these enzymes to prevent or enhance the toxicity of drugs and xenobiotics is then measured in situ. Initial parameters for the system were developed and optimized using baculoviruses engineered for expression of the mouse soluble epoxide hydrolase (msEH, EC 3.3.2.3) or the rat cytochrome P4501A1. SF-21 cells expressing msEH were resistant to trans-stilbene oxide toxicity as well as several other toxic epoxides including: cis-stilbene oxide, 1,2,7,8-diepoxyoctane, allylbenzene oxide, and estragole oxide. The msEH markedly reduced DNA and protein adduct formation in SF-21 cells exposed to [3H]allylbenzene oxide or [3H]estragole oxide. On the other hand, 9,10-epoxyoctadecanoic acid and methyl 9,10-epoxyoctadecanoate were toxic only to cells expressing sEH, suggesting that the corresponding fatty acid diols were cytotoxic. This was confirmed by showing that chemically synthesized diols of these fatty acid epoxides were toxic to control SF-21 cells at the same concentration as were the epoxides to cells expressing sEH. A recombinant baculovirus containing a chimeric cDNA formed between the rat P4501A1 and the yeast NADPH-P450 reductase was also constructed and expressed in this system. A model compound, naphthalene, was toxic to SF-21 infected with the rat P4501A1/reductase chimeric co-infecting SF-21 cells with either a human or a rat microsomal EH virus along with P4501A1/reductase virus. These results demonstrate the usefulness of this new system for experimentally analyzing the role of enzymes hypothesized to metabolize endogenous and exogenous chemicals of human health concern.

Animals↗

Peroxidase-mediated binding of diethylstilbestrol analogs to DNA in vitro: a possible role for a phenoxy radical.

In order to investigate the role of peroxidase-mediated metabolic activation in the mechanism of carcinogenicity of diethylstilbestrol (DES), a series of 14C-labelled analogs of DES was synthesized and their binding to DNA upon oxidation by peroxidases from horseradish or mouse uterus was studied in vitro. The compounds chosen for this study were the erythro and threo form of hexestrol (HES), the E,E- and Z,Z-isomer of dienestrol (DIES) and the mono- and dimethyl ether of DES. Non-extractable binding to DNA was observed for all compounds with at least one free hydroxyl group independent of the stilbene structure. The extent of binding was highest for the HES isomers and for E,E-DIES, whereas Z,Z-DIES and the monomethyl ether were bound to about the extent of DES. These findings imply that the formation of a phenoxy free radical is sufficient for non-extractable DNA binding and the stilbene structure is not required for peroxidase-mediated activation of DES.

Animals↗

Differential induction of cytosolic epoxide hydrolase, microsomal epoxide hydrolase, and glutathione S-transferase activities.

Three major enzyme systems have been shown to metabolize epoxidized xenobiotics in vertebrate tissues, and this study demonstrates that these enzyme systems can be differentially induced. The cytosolic epoxide hydrolase activity was routinely monitored with trans-beta-ethylstyrene oxide, the microsomal epoxide hydrolase activity with benzo(a)pyrene, 4,5-oxide, and the glutathione S-transferase activity with 2,4-dichloro-4-nitrobenzene. Commonly used inducers of microsomal mixed-function oxidase, microsomal epoxide hydrolase, and cytosolic glutathione S-transferase activities failed to cause significant induction of the cytosolic epoxide hydrolase while leading to the expected induction of the other epoxide metabolizing enzymes. The compounds tested by ip injection into male Swiss-Webster mice included phenobarbital, 3-methylcholanthrene, Aroclor 1254, trans- and cis-stilbene oxides, pregnenolone-16 alpha-carbonitrile, chalcone, and 4-bromochalcone. To determine if there were strain, sex, or species differences, the enzymes were monitored in male C57BL/6 mice, female Swiss-Webster mice, and male Sprague-Dawley rats following ip injection of phenobarbital, 3-methylcholanthrene, and/or pregnenolone-16 alpha-carbonitrile. The time dependence of enzyme induction was followed in Sprague-Dawley rats following trans-stilbene oxide administration. Male Swiss-Webster mice were additionally exposed to dietary alpha-naphthoflavone and 2(3)-tert-butyl-4-hydroxyanisole while male Sprague-Dawley rats were fed 2,6-di-tert-butyl-4-methylphenol. In no case was significant induction of cytosolic epoxide hydrolase activity observed. Dietary di-(2-ethylhexyl)phthalate, 2-ethyl-l-hexanol, and clofibrate proved to be potent inducers of the cytosolic epoxide hydrolase in male Swiss-Webster mice while probucol (a nonperoxisome proliferating hypolipidemic drug) failed to cause significant induction. Data from isoelectric focusing experiments and other data are consistent with the epoxide hydrolase activities induced by 2-ethyl-l-hexanol and clofibrate being due to the same protein that is present in control animals. The lack of induction of the cytosolic epoxide hydrolase by a variety of compounds which were selected to demonstrate induction of other xenobiotic metabolizing enzymes, may indicate that the cytosolic epoxide hydrolase has a constitutive role whereas its induction by clofibrate could be related to some of the pharmacological and/or carcinogenic actions of this drug.

Animals↗

Epoxide metabolism in the liver of mice treated with clofibrate (ethyl-alpha-(p-chlorophenoxyisobutyrate)), a peroxisome proliferator.

An increase in cytosolic epoxide hydrolase (cEH) activity occurs in the livers of mice treated with peroxisome proliferating-hypolipidemic-nongenotoxic carcinogens. As increases in activity of epoxide metabolizing enzymes may reflect the carcinogenic mechanism, a detailed comparison of the response of cEH, microsomal epoxide hydrolase (mEH), and cytosolic glutathione S-transferase (cGST) activities using the geometrical isomers trans- and cis-stilbene oxide as substrates has been performed in livers from mice treated with clofibrate (ethyl-alpha-(p-chlorophenoxyisobutyrate]. The maximal increase of cEH activity occurred at lower dietary doses of clofibrate (0.5%) and within a shorter time (5 days) than mEH and cGST (2%, 14 days) activity. After 14 days at 0.5% clofibrate, cEH, mEH, and cGST activities were 250, 175, and 165% and 290, 220, and 75% of control values in male and female mice, respectively. Withdrawal of clofibrate from the diet resulted in a reversion of activities to control values within 7 days. Clofibrate treatment shifted the apparent subcellular compartmentation of all three enzymatic activities with an increase in the ratio of soluble to particulate activity. In particular, the relative specific activity of all three enzymes decreased in the light mitochondrial (peroxisomal) cell fraction, and an increase of a mEH-like activity (benzo[a]pyrene-4,5-oxide and cis-stilbene oxide hydrolysis) in the cytosol occurred. Both the increase of cEH activity and the appearance of mEH-like activity in the cytosol are novel responses of epoxide metabolizing enzymes, which may be related to the novel cellular responses that follow clofibrate treatment, peroxisome proliferation, hypolipidemia, and nongenotoxic carcinogenesis.

Administration, Oral↗

The effect of tridiphane (2-(3,5-dichlorophenyl)-2-(2,2,2-trichloroethyl)oxirane) on hepatic epoxide-metabolizing enzymes: indications of peroxisome proliferation.

Administration of tridiphane (Tandem, DOWCO 356, 2-(3,5-dichlorophenyl)-2-(2,2,2-trichloroethyl)oxirane) to male Swiss-Webster mice for 3 days at 100, 250, and 500 mg/kg (ip) resulted in increases in liver weight accompanied by an increase in mitotic index and increases in large particle and microsomal protein. Epoxide hydrolase (EH) activity towards cis-stilbene oxide (CSO, microsomal EH) was elevated in microsomes and cytosol, a decrease in microsomal cholesterol EH was found, and hydrolysis of trans-stilbene oxide (TSO, cytosolic EH) was elevated in the cytosol but not in the microsomes. Glutathione S-transferase (GST) activity was elevated in cytosol for CSO, TSO, and 1,2-dichloro-4-nitrobenzene (DCNB), with inconsistent responses found with 1-chloro-2,4-dinitrobenzene (CDNB) and 1,2-epoxy-3-(p-nitrophenoxy)propane (ENPP). Microsomal GST was not consistently effected by tridiphane. Clofibrate (500 mg/kg, 3 daily ip injections) treatment resulted in similar responses in liver size, microsomal protein, and the EHs. The increase in cytosolic EH activity previously has been noted only in animals treated with peroxisome proliferators. Examination of livers from mice treated with 250 mg/kg tridiphane revealed that an increase in hepatic peroxisomes was apparent after 3 days of treatment. This was accompanied by decreases in serum cholesterol and triglyceride levels and increases in liver carnitine acetyl transferase and cyanide-insensitive oxidation of palmitoyl-CoA. This study demonstrates that tridiphane does have in vivo effects on mammalian epoxide-metabolizing enzymes and extends the association of increased cytosolic epoxide hydrolase activity with peroxisome proliferation.

Animals↗

Hydrophobic interactions in Plasmodium falciparum invasion into human erythrocytes.

Human glycophorins block in vitro invasion of Plasmodium falciparum merozoites into human erythrocytes. A segment of glycophorin A which appears to be involved in the inhibition, is at, or adjacent to, the membrane-spanning domain of the molecule. To study the role of hydrophobic interactions in the inhibition, a series of proteins were derivatized with lipophilic side groups, and tested for inhibitory activity. Glycophorin A became five times more inhibitory after derivatization with nitrobenzylfurazan groups. Bovine serum albumin was derivatized to different degrees with nitrobenzylfurazan, dinitrobenzyl, trinitrobenzyl, dansyl, disulfonic stilbene, and fluorescein groups. The presence of hydrophobic side groups on the protein rendered it highly inhibitory to invasion, whereas the presence of hydrophilic substitutes such as disulfonic stilbenes did not. Other soluble proteins such as human serum albumin, transferrin, ovalbumin, fetuin and casein derivatized with dinitrobenzyl groups, were also found to block invasion. Inhibition was not a result of toxic effects of the protein derivatives on parasite metabolism or development. A minimum of ten hydrophobic side groups per bovine serum albumin was required in order to elicit appreciable inhibition. The invasion blocking activity was highly correlated with the rate and affinity of binding of the derivatized macromolecules to heptyl-Sepharose. The latter provided a quantitative measure for the capacity of amphiphiles to undergo hydrophobic interactions with insoluble matrices. The results of the present study indicate that hydrophobic interactions may be an essential component in the invasion of P. falciparum merozoites into human erythrocytes.

Animals↗