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Previous data on salicylamide (SAM) metabolism in the perfused rat liver had indicated that SAM was metabolized by three parallel (competing) pathways: sulfation, glucuronidation, and hydroxylation, whereas sequential metabolism of the hydroxylated metabolite, gentisamide (GAM), was solely via 5-glucuronidation to form GAM-5G. However, under comparable conditions, preformed GAM formed mainly two monosulfate conjugates at the 2- and 5-positions (GAM-2S and GAM-5S); 5-glucuronidation was a minor pathway. In the present study, the techniques of normal (N) and retrograde (R) rat liver perfusion with SAM and mathematic modeling on SAM and GAM metabolism were used to explore the role of enzymic distributions in determining the dissimilar fates of GAM, as a generated metabolite of SAM or as preformed GAM. Changes in the steady-state extraction ratio of SAM (E) and metabolite formation ratios between N and R perfusions were used as indices of the uneven distribution of enzyme activities. Two SAM concentrations (134 and 295 microM) were used for single-pass perfusion: the lower SAM concentration exceeded the apparent Km for SAM sulfation but was less than those for SAM glucuronidation and hydroxylation; the higher concentration exceeded the apparent Km's for SAM sulfation and glucuronidation but was less than the Km for hydroxylations. Simulation of SAM metabolism data was carried out with various enzyme distribution patterns and extended to include GAM metabolism. At both input concentrations, E was high (0.94 at 134 microM and 0.7 at 295 microM) and unchanged during N and R, with SAM-sulfate (SAM-S) as the major metabolite and GAM-5G as the only detectable metabolite of GAM. Saturation of SAM sulfation occurred at the higher input SAM concentration as shown by a decrease in E and a proportionally less increase in sulfation rates and proportionally more than expected increases in SAM hydroxylation and glucuronidation rates. At both SAM concentrations, the steady-state ratio of metabolite formation rates for SAM-S/SAM-G decreased when flow direction changed from N to R. An insignificant decrease in SAM-S/SAM-OH was observed at the low input SAM concentration, due to the small amount of SAM-OH formed and hence large variation in the ratio among the preparations, whereas at the high input SAM concentration, the decrease in SAM-S/SAM-OH with a change in flow direction from N to R was evident. The metabolite formation ratio, SAM-G/SAM-OH, however, was unchanged at both input concentrations and flow directions.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 400 WORDS)
Female reproductive properties, early embryonic development, and serum estradiol and progesterone levels of the senescence-accelerated mouse (SAM)-prone (SAM-P) strain were compared with those of a SAM-resistant (SAM-R) strain. The reproductive life span of SAM-P (from 11.4 to 25.0 weeks old) was shorter than that of SAM-R (11.1 to 41.6 weeks old), and the total number of SAM-P pups was 41.7% less than from SAM-R. The reproductive senescence of SAM-P is more accelerated than that of SAM-R. At 15 weeks old, the maximum litter size of SAM-P was noted and was 33.7% smaller than that of SAM-R. Although no differences in the numbers of ovulated and fertilized ova were observed between two strains, the number of implants in SAM-P was 21.6% less than in SAM-R. Cell cleavage was delayed in embryos of SAM-P (8% morula, at day 2 of pregnancy) compared to SAM-R (48%). At day 3 of pregnancy, 9% and 33% of the embryos were blastocysts in SAM-P and SAM-R, respectively. At day 1 of pregnancy, serum estradiol level in SAM-P was 18.2% higher than in SAM-R, whereas the serum progesterone level in SAM-P was 46.2% lower than in SAM-R. The unbalance of estradiol and progesterone levels in SAM-P was considered to be the cause of the delay in early embryonic development, and then the decrease of implantation and a smaller litter size.
The morphometric parameters of spermatogenic cells in a mouse strain prone to accelerated senescence (SAM-P), a novel murine model of spontaneously promoted aging, were compared with those of a SAM resistant strain (SAM-R) after birth until 40 weeks (mean life span of SAM-P). A mixture of gonocytes and spermatogonia were present in the testis in 1-week-old mice, and no gonocytes were observed in 2-week-old mice. At 6 weeks of age, the absolute number of spermatogonia in SAM-P was 27% greater than that in SAM-R, whereas the cell number in 40-week-old SAM-P was 17% less than in SAM-R. Primary spermatocytes were first observed in 3-week-old animals, and the cell numbers in SAM-P at 3, 5 and 6 weeks were 78%, 31% and 25%, respectively, greater than in SAM-R, whereas the cell number in SAM-P at 40 weeks was 30% less than SAM-R. Round spermatids were first observed in all SAM-P at 4 weeks old, but 20% of SAM-R had no spermatids and the rest had only a few. At 5 and 6 weeks old, the absolute numbers of round spermatids in SAM-P were 38% and 41%, respectively, greater than in SAM-R, whereas the cell number in 40-week-old SAM-P was about 34% less than SAM-R. These results indicate that testicular maturation begins at an earlier age in SAM-P than SAM-R. Furthermore, at the age of 40 weeks signs of testicular deterioration are evident in SAM-P mice only.
Male Wistar rats, initiated with diethylnitrosamine (DENA), were subjected to a selection treatment, according to the "resistant hepatocyte" model, followed or not followed by phenobarbital (PB). Rats received, for 3 weeks after selection, 4 i.m. doses (96 mmol/kg) of L-methionine, S-adenosyl-L-methionine (SAM), or 5'-methylthioadenosine (MTA), a SAM catabolite formed during polyamine synthesis or by spontaneous splitting of SAM at physiologic temperature and pH. They were then killed. In some rats, SAM and MTA treatments were started 20 weeks after initiation. The animals were killed 3 weeks later and persistent (neoplastic) nodules (PN) were collected. Some rat groups received 1/2 and 1/4 of the above SAM and MTA doses, or 1/8 of the above MTA dose. SAM and MTA, but not methionine, caused a dose-dependent decrease in number and surface area of gamma-glutamyltranspeptidase (GGT)-positive foci, and in labeling index (LI) of focal cells, coupled with remodeling. SAM and MTA liver contents, SAM/S-adenosylhomocysteine (SAH) ratio and overall methylation of liver DNA were low during the development of GGT-positive foci. SAM, but not methionine, caused a dose-dependent recovery of SAM content and DNA methylation, and a partial reconstitution of liver MTA pool. Exogenous MTA only induced the reconstitution of MTA pool, without affecting SAM level and DNA methylation. Recovery of SAM and MTA pool and DNA methylation was found in the rats subjected to SAM plus MTA, indicating the absence of inhibition of DNA methyltransferases in vivo by MTA. MTA also inhibited liver reparative growth in partially hepatectomized rats, without modifying SAM content and DNA methylation of regenerating liver (RL). A high activity of ornithine decarboxylase (ODC) was found in the liver, during the development of preneoplastic foci, and in PN. This activity was inhibited by SAM and MTA treatments. Although MTA was more effective than SAM, the decrease in ODC activity was coupled with a larger fall in DNA synthesis in SAM-treated than in MTA-treated rats. Thus the antipromotion effect of SAM could not merely depend on its (spontaneous) transformation into MTA. Although MTA production may play a role in the SAM antipromotion effect, other mechanisms could be involved. A role of DNA methylation in the inhibition of growth by SAM is suggested. MTA is a potential chemopreventive agent for liver carcinogenesis.
S-adenosylmethionine synthetase (SAMS) catalyzes the formation of S-adenosylmethionine (SAM) and is essential to normal cell function. There are two forms of SAMS, liver-specific and nonliver-specific (often referred to as "kidney"), which are products of two different genes. SAMS isoenzymes differ greatly in kinetic parameters and sensitivity to inhibition by methionine analogs. The current work studied changes in SAMS and their significance in liver cancer. Northern blot analysis showed that while normal liver expresses only liver-specific SAMS, both HepG2 and HuH-7 cells express only nonliver-specific SAMS. Absence of liver-specific SAMS messenger RNA (mRNA) was not because of gene deletion or rearrangement but complete lack of gene transcription. Reverse-transcription polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) with liver- and kidney-specific SAMS primers showed that liver-specific SAMS mRNA was absent with only kidney SAMS mRNA present in HepG2, HuH-7, Hep3B, and HuH-1 cells, and four consecutive hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) specimens. Normal liver tissues from the same patients express both forms of SAMS mRNA. As a result of the change in SAMS expression, SAMS activity was higher in HepG2 and HuH-7 cells at physiologically relevant methionine concentrations but lower at high (mmol/L) methionine concentrations than rat hepatocytes. Treatment with ethionine and seleno-D,L-ethionine, two inhibitors known to have I50 values 50 to 60 times lower against SAMS purified from Novikoff hepatoma cells as compared with SAMS purified from normal rat liver, resulted in increased cell lysis in HepG2 and HuH-7 cells but not cultured rat hepatocytes. These agents did not affect cellular adenosine triphosphate (ATP) levels but inhibited SAMS activity in HepG2 and HuH-7 cells when added to their protein extracts. In summary, expression of SAMS is altered in human liver cancer. This occurrence may provide a potentially exploitable target for cancer chemotherapy.
In an attempt to investigate the role of left ventricular blood outflow in the generation of systolic anterior motion (SAM) of the mitral valve in patients with hypertrophic cardiomyopathy, we precisely analyzed the temporal relation of SAM and the left ventricular outflow tract (LVOT) systolic Doppler events obtained at the maximal mitral-septal apposition or equivalent area in eight patients with severe SAM, in five patients with mild/moderate SAM, and in seven patients with no SAM, using M-mode and pulsed Doppler echocardiography; the results were compared with those in 10 normal subjects. In all 13 patients with SAM, the timing of SAM generation corresponded to the LVOT Doppler events either between the onset of SAM and the onset of Doppler (r = 0.834, p less than 0.0001) or between the peak of SAM and the peak of Doppler (r = 0.836, p less than 0.0001). The excursion rate of the development of SAM showed a correlation with the LVOT blood outflow acceleration (r = 0.828, p less than 0.0001). The timing of SAM resolution also correlated with the Doppler events, either between the offset of SAM and the offset of Doppler (r = 0.795, p less than 0.001) or the end of SAM and the end of Doppler (r = 0.859, p less than 0.0001). The LVOT blood outflow deceleration showed a correlation with the regression rate of SAM (r = 0.668, p less than 0.013). The LVOT blood outflow acceleration was significantly higher in patients with severe SAM than in patients with mild/moderate SAM or no SAM. This study suggests that the high LVOT blood outflow acceleration in early systole possibly plays an important part in the generation of the Bernoulli pressure drop and results in anterior motion of the mitral valve. At mid-systole, a drag force and/or suction effect of pressure drop produced by continuous outflow blood may sustain the anterior motion of the mitral valve. At late systole, as the blood flow decelerates, the regression of SAM then occurs.
This paper describes an experimentally simple system for measuring rates of electron transport across organic thin films having a range of molecular structures. The system uses a metal--insulator--metal junction based on self-assembled monolayers (SAMs); it is particularly easy to assemble. The junction consists of a SAM supported on a silver film (Ag-SAM(1)) in contact with a second SAM supported on the surface of a drop of mercury (Hg-SAM(2))--that is, a Ag-SAM(1)SAM(2)-Hg junction. SAM(1) and SAM(2) can be derived from the same or different thiols. The current that flowed across junctions with SAMs of aliphatic thiols or aromatic thiols on Ag and a SAM of hexadecane thiol on Hg depended both on the molecular structure and on the thickness of the SAM on Ag: the current density at a bias of 0.5 V ranged from 2 x 10(-10) A/cm(2) for HS(CH(2))(15)CH(3) on Ag to 1 x 10(-6) A/cm(2) for HS(CH(2))(7)CH(3) on Ag, and from 3 x 10(-6) A/cm(2) for HS(Ph)(3)H (Ph = 1,4-C(6)H(4)) on Ag to 7 x 10(-4) A/cm(2) for HSPhH on Ag. The current density increased roughly linearly with the area of contact between SAM(1) and SAM(2), and it was not different between Ag films that were 100 or 200 nm thick. The current--voltage curves were symmetrical around V = 0. The current density decreased with increasing distance between the electrodes according to the relation I = I(0)e(-beta d(Ag,Hg)), where d(Ag,Hg) is the distance between the electrodes, and beta is the structure-dependent attenuation factor for the molecules making up SAM(1). At an applied potential of 0.5 V, beta was 0.87 +/- 0.1 A(-1) for alkanethiols, 0.61 +/- 0.1 A(-1) for oligophenylene thiols, and 0.67 +/- 0.1 A(-1) for benzylic derivatives of oligophenylene thiols. The values of beta did not depend significantly on applied potential over the range of 0.1 to 1 V. These junctions provide a test bed with which to screen the intrinsic electrical properties of SAMs made up of molecules with different structures; information obtained using these junctions will be useful in correlating molecular structure and rates of electron transport.
The interactive effects of dietary methyl insufficiency and the estrogenic compound ethynylestradiol (EE) on the levels of S-adenosylmethionine (SAM) and S-adenosylhomocysteine (SAH) were examined in the liver, lungs and pancreas of rats. In addition, such effects on the hepatic content of 5-methyl-deoxycytidine (5-MC) in nuclear DNA were determined. Castrated male Wistar/Furth rats were fed various levels of EE in either: (i) a complete, amino acid-defined diet (diet 1); (ii) the same diet lacking in choline and methionine and supplemented with 0.9% of DL-homocystine (equimolar to methionine) (diet 2); or (iii) diet 2 but only with 0.3% DL-homocystine (diet 2M). Methyl deficiency and EE each independently produced decreased weight gains and increased relative liver weights (liver weight relative to total body weight) compared with control animals. Livers from rats fed diets 2 and 2M without EE had lower levels of SAM and lower SAM:SAH ratios than did the livers from diet 1-fed rats not treated with EE. Hepatic SAM:SAH ratios in diet 1-fed rats were not altered by EE treatment. However, EE treatment increased the hepatic contents of SAM and restored the SAM:SAH levels to normal in rats fed diet 2 or 2M. The levels of SAM + SAH in the livers of rats fed the low homocystine diet (diet 2M) were less than in those fed either diet 1 or diet 2. Thus, the addition of EE at 10 p.p.m. gave protection against reduced levels of SAM, and reduced SAM:SAH ratios in the liver, but had little effect when added to the methyl-adequate diet. No differences in hepatic 5-MC levels were observed in any of the groups as a result of either methyl deficiency or EE treatment. Methyl deprivation alone caused no discernible difference in pancreatic SAM levels but did result in a significant rise in SAH levels and thus in decreased SAM:SAH ratios. EE had no consistent effect on pancreatic SAM, SAH or SAM:SAH ratios in any of the diet groups examined. Similarly, the chronic feeding of diet 2, diet 2M or of EE had no significant effect on the SAM contents of lungs, compared with the corresponding levels in control rats. The protection conferred by EE against SAM insufficiency in the livers of rats fed a methionine- and choline-deficient diet is consistent with the relative insensitivity of female rats to the hepatotoxicity of dietary methyl insufficiency.
Accumulation of genetic changes characterizes the progression of cells, initiated by carcinogens, to full malignancy. Various epigenetic mechanisms, such as high polyamine synthesis, aberrant DNA methylation, and production of reactive oxygen species, may favor this process by stimulating growth and inducing DNA damage. We observed a decrease in S-adenosyl-L-methionine (SAM) content in the liver, associated with DNA hypomethylation in rat liver, during the development of preneoplastic foci, and in neoplastic nodules and hepatocellular carcinomas, induced in diethylnitrosamine-initiated rats by "resistant hepatocyte" (RH) protocol. Reconstitution of the methyl donor level in the liver by SAM administration inhibits growth and induces phenotypic reversion and apoptosis of preneoplastic cells. A 6-month SAM treatment results in a sharp and persistent decrease in development of neoplastic nodules, suggesting a long duration of SAM chemopreventive effect. Various observations support the suggestion of a role of DNA methylation in chemoprevention by SAM: (1) Exogenous SAM reconstitutes the SAM pool in preneoplastic and neoplastic liver lesions. (2) DNA methylation is positively correlated with SAM:S-adenosylhomocysteine (SAH) ratio in these lesions. (3) 5-Azacytidine, a DNA methyltransferase inhibitor, inhibits chemoprevention by SAM. (4) c-Ha-ras, c-Ki-ras, and c-myc are hypomethylated and overexpressed in preneoplastic liver. Their expression is inversely correlated with SAM:SAH ratio in SAM-treated rats. (5) S-Adenosyl-L-methionine treatment results in overall DNA methylation and partial methylation of these genes. Other possible mechanisms of SAM treatment include inhibition of polyamine synthesis, linked to partial transformation of SAM into 5'-methylthioadenosine (MTA), and antioxidant and antifibrogenic activities of both SAM and MTA.
Molecular dynamics (MD) simulations were performed to investigate odd-even chain length dependencies in the wetting properties of self-assembled monolayers (SAMs) of n-alkanethiols [CH3(CH2)n-1SH] on gold by water and hexadecane. Experimentally, the contact angle of hexadecane on the SAMs depends on whether n is odd or even, while contact angles for water show no odd-even dependence. Our MD simulations of this system included a microscopic droplet of either 256 water molecules or 60 hexadecane molecules localized on an n-alkanethiolate SAM on gold with either an even or odd chain length. Contact angles calculated for these nanoscopic droplets were consistent with experimentally observed macroscopic trends in wettability, namely, that hexadecane is sensitive to structural differences between odd- and even-chained SAMs while water is not. Structural properties for the SAMs (including features such as chain tilt, chain twist, and terminal methyl group tilt) were calculated during the MD simulations and used to generate IR spectra of these films that compared favorably with experimental spectra. MD simulations of SAMs in contact with slabs of water and hexadecane revealed that the effects of these solvents on the structure of the SAM was restricted to the chain terminus and had no effect on the inner structure of the SAM. The density profiles for water and hexadecane on the SAMs were different in that water displayed a significant depletion in its density at the liquid/SAM interface from its bulk value, while no such depletion occurred for hexadecane. This difference in contact may explain the lack of an odd-even variation in the wetting characteristics of water on these surfaces, because the water molecules are positioned further away from the surface and, therefore, are not sensitive to the structural differences in the average orientations for the terminal methyl groups in odd- and even-chained SAMs. In contrast, the differences in the wetting properties of hexadecane on the odd- and even-chained SAMs may reflect the closer proximity of these molecules to the SAM surface and a resulting greater sensitivity to the differences in the terminal methyl group orientations in the SAMs. SAM-solvent interaction energies were calculated during the MD simulations, yielding interaction energies that differed on the even- and odd-chained surfaces by approximately 10% for hexadecane and negligibly for water, in accord with estimates using experimental wetting results.
BACKGROUND AND AIM OF THE STUDY: Treatment for hypertrophic obstructive cardiomyopathy (HOCM) has been reported; however, there has been no report on the characteristics of medication-responsive and -refractory hypertrophic obstructive cardiomyopathy (HOCM). Using the classification of systolic anterior movement (SAM) which has been previously reported, we tried to identify the characteristics and use them to treat HOCM appropriately. METHODS: The clinical, echocardiographic, catheterization, and surgical data of 29 hospitalized patients with HOCM during 1980 to 1999 were analyzed retrospectively. We classified SAM in all patients by echocardiography. Nineteen patients improved with medical treatment (medical group), and 10 patients underwent surgical treatment because of ineffectiveness of medication (surgical group). We studied the relation between types of SAM and medical/surgical groups, and examined the relation between types of SAM and the surgical methods. RESULTS: Type I SAM was significantly more frequent in the medical group, while type II SAM was more frequent in the surgical group (p = 0.047). Patients in the surgical group underwent mitral valve replacement (MVR), myectomy, or a combination of MVR and myectomy. Left ventricular outflow gradient (LVOG) of over 100 mmHg was recognized in almost all patients with type II SAM. CONCLUSIONS: It was suggested that patients with medication-responsive HOCM tended to have type I SAM and those with refractory HOCM tended to have type II SAM. We consider that in type I SAM, if the position of the papillary muscles changed with medication or myectomy, shift of the chordae and type I SAM were reduced or disappeared. However, in type II SAM, even if the position of the papillary muscles changed, SAM did not disappear because lifting of the mitral leaflets remained. It is therefore suggested that patients with type II SAM should undergo at least MVR.
Previous work has shown a consistent fall in S-adenosyl-L-methionine (SAM) in the liver of diethylnitrosamine-initiated rats, during the development of preneoplastic lesions, in persistent nodules (PNs), and hepatocellular carcinomas. The injection of SAM into rats causes the reconstitution of the SAM pool, coupled with growth restraint, remodeling, and apoptosis of preneoplastic cells, and inhibits the development of PNs and hepatocellular carcinomas. To evaluate if SAM treatment causes a long-term prevention of preneoplastic and neoplastic liver lesions or merely causes a delay in their development, we evaluated the effect of a relatively short SAM treatment on the development of preneoplastic and neoplastic lesions in a long-term study. Male Wistar rats were subjected to initiation with diethylnitrosamine, followed by selection and then by the administration of phenobarbital for 16 weeks. After selection, the rats were given i.m. injections of a purified SAM preparation (384 mumol/kg/day) for 24 weeks. In SAM-treated rats, a decrease in the incidence of PNs was found 6, 14, and 24-28 months after initiation. At the end of SAM treatment the number of PNs per rat liver, nodule diameter, and labeling and mitotic indices of nodular cells decreased considerably in control rats. Nodule diameter started to increase rapidly again only 8 months after arresting SAM treatment, when complete recovery of DNA synthesis in nodular cells occurred. The majority of nodules present in the liver 6-28 months after initiation belonged to the clear and acidophilic cell types, with lower percentages of mixed cell and basophilic cell types. A decrease in basophilic nodules occurred in SAM-treated rats. Fourteen and 24-28 months after initiation hepatocellular carcinoma incidence was 11 of 12 and 10 of 10 in control rats, respectively, and only 1 of 12 and 3 of 11 in SAM-treated rats. At the 24th-28th month all control rats had tumors identified as 2 poorly differentiated carcinomas, 6 trabecular carcinomas, or 3 adenocarcinomas, while only 2 relatively small trabecular carcinomas and 1 small glandular tumor developed in SAM-treated rats. In 3 of 11 SAM-treated rats, but in none of the control rats, leukemic infiltration of liver occurred 24-28 months after initiation. Leukemic infiltration of the spleen occurred in 5 and 3 control and SAM-treated rats, respectively.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 400 WORDS)
Senescence-accelerated mice (SAM) were established as a kind of group of related inbred strains that have been used as animal models for accelerated senescence and age-associated disorders. To analyze the characteristics of skin in SAM, the present study examined its morphology at the histological and ultrastructural levels. Histologic comparison of skin from senescence-accelerated-prone (SAM P10) and -resistant (SAM R1) mice revealed that the most characteristic features of SAM P10 were remarkable increases in the number of mast cells and in the density of collagen fibers in the dermis. Therefore, cutaneous allergic responsiveness and the proliferative activity of fibroblasts were also examined. Ultrastructurally, mast cells in the skin of SAM P10 possessed specific granules which exhibited considerable heterogeneity in electron density and various degrees of degranulation. In contrast, mast cells in the skin of control SAM R1 possessed a population of stable granules. Mast cell granules were frequently in contact with fibroblasts and were in close apposition to collagen fibers in the dermis of SAM P10. The collagen bundles were disorganized, and various diameters of collagen fibers were observed. SAM P10 demonstrated a significantly reduced wheal-and-flare reaction to histamine and tachykinins such as substance P, which suggests that skin aging may cause reduced sensitivity of mast cells and/or blood vessels to extrinsic stimuli. An in-vitro study using organ and monolayer culture demonstrated that the proliferative capacity of fibroblasts in the skin of SAM P10 was reduced in comparison with SAM R1. This is the first report that demonstrates the detailed morphological characteristics of skin in SAM P10. The findings obtained suggest that SAM P10 is a useful animal model of aged human skin, because of its many similar morphological features, including the reduction of the cutaneous allergic response, represented by neurogenic inflammation via the axon reflex, and its decreased fibroblast proliferation.
The objective of this work was to evaluate the possible in vitro interactions of S-adenosyl-l-methionine (SAM) and its metabolites S-(5'-Adenosyl)-l-homocysteine (SAH), 5'-Deoxy-5'-(methylthio)adenosine (MTA) and methionine with cytochrome P450 enzymes, in particular CYP2E1. SAM (but not SAH, MTA or methionine) produced a type II binding spectrum with liver microsomal cytochrome P450 from rats treated with acetone or isoniazid to induce CYP2E1. Binding was less effective for control microsomes. SAM did not alter the carbon monoxide binding spectrum of P450, nor denature P450 to P420, nor inhibit the activity of NADPH-P450 reductase. However, SAM inhibited the catalytic activity of CYP2E1 with typical substrates such as p-nitrophenol, ethanol, and dimethylnitrosamine, with an IC(50) around 1.5-5mM. SAM was a non-competitive inhibitor of CYP2E1 catalytic activity and its inhibitory actions could not be mimicked by methionine, SAH or MTA. However, SAM did not inhibit the oxidation of ethanol to alpha-hydroxyethyl radical, an assay for hydroxyl radical generation. In microsomes engineered to express individual human P450s, SAM produced a type II binding spectrum with CYP2E1-, but not with CYP3A4-expressing microsomes, and SAM was a weaker inhibitor against the metabolism of a specific CYP3A4 substrate than a specific CYP2E1 substrate. SAM also inhibited CYP2E1 catalytic activity in intact HepG2 cells engineered to express CYP2E1. These results suggest that SAM interacts with cytochrome P450s, especially CYP2E1, and inhibits the catalytic activity of CYP2E1 in a reversible and non competitive manner. However, SAM is a weak inhibitor of CYP2E1. Since the K(i) for SAM inhibition of CYP2E1 activity is relatively high, inhibition of CYP2E1 activity is not likely to play a major role in the ability of SAM to protect against the hepatotoxicity produced by toxins requiring metabolic activation by CYP2E1 such as acetaminophen, ethanol, carbon tetrachloride, thioacetamide and carcinogens.
S-Adenosylmethionine (SAM) is protective against a variety of toxic agents that promote oxidative stress. One mechanism for this protective effect of SAM is increased synthesis of glutathione. We evaluated whether SAM is protective via possible antioxidant-like activities. Aerobic Hepes-buffered solutions of Fe2+ spontaneously oxidize and consume O2 with concomitant production of reactive oxygen species and oxidation of substrates to radical products, e.g., ethanol to hydroxyethyl radical. SAM inhibited this oxidation of ethanol and inhibited aerobic Fe2+ oxidation and consumption of O2. SAM did not regenerate Fe2+ from Fe3+ and was not consumed after incubation with Fe2+. SAM less effectively inhibited aerobic Fe2+ oxidation in the presence of competing chelating agents such as EDTA, citrate, and ADP. The effects of SAM were mimicked by S-adenosylhomocysteine, but not by methionine or methylthioadenosine. SAM did not inhibit Fe2+ oxidation by H2O2 and was a relatively poor inhibitor of the Fenton reaction. Lipid peroxidation initiated by Fe2+ in liposomes was associated with Fe2+ oxidation; these two processes were inhibited by SAM. However, SAM did not show significant peroxyl radical scavenging activity. SAM also inhibited the nonenzymatic lipid peroxidation initiated by Fe2+ + ascorbate in rat liver microsomes. These results suggest that SAM inhibits alcohol and lipid oxidation mainly by Fe2+ chelation and inhibition of Fe2+ autoxidation. This could represent an important mechanism by which SAM exerts cellular protective actions and reduces oxidative stress in biological systems.