Activation of peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor gamma in brain inhibits inflammatory pain, dorsal horn expression of Fos, and local edema.

Systemic administration of thiazolidinediones reduces peripheral inflammation in vivo, presumably by acting at peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor gamma (PPARgamma) in peripheral tissues. Based on a rapidly growing body of literature indicating the CNS as a functional target of PPARgamma actions, we postulated that brain PPARgamma modulates peripheral edema and the processing of inflammatory pain signals in the dorsal horn of the spinal cord. To test this in the plantar carrageenan model of inflammatory pain, we measured paw edema, heat hyperalgesia, and dorsal horn expression of the immediate-early gene c-fos after intracerebroventricular (ICV) administration of PPARgamma ligands or vehicle. We found that ICV rosiglitazone (0.5-50 microg) or 15d-PGJ(2) (50-200 microg), but not vehicle, dose-dependently reduced paw thickness, paw volume and behavioral withdrawal responses to noxious heat. These anti-inflammatory and anti-hyperalgesia effects result from direct actions in the brain and not diffusion to other sites, because intraperitoneal and intrathecal administration of rosiglitazone (50 microg) and 15d-PGJ(2) (200 microg) had no effect. PPARgamma agonists changed neither overt behavior nor motor coordination, indicating that non-specific behavioral effects do not contribute to PPAR ligand-induced anti-hyperalgesia. ICV administration of structurally dissimilar PPARgamma antagonists (either GW9662 or BADGE) reversed the anti-inflammatory and anti-hyperalgesic actions of both rosiglitazone and 15d-PGJ(2). To evaluate the effects of PPARgamma agonists on a classic marker of noxious stimulus-evoked gene expression, we quantified Fos protein expression in the dorsal horn. The number of carrageenan-induced Fos-like immunoreactive profiles was less in rosiglitazone-treated rats as compared to vehicle controls. We conclude that pharmacological activation of PPARgamma in the brain rapidly inhibits local edema and the spinal transmission of noxious inflammatory signals.

Synthesis of new pyridoquinoxalines, thienopyridoquinoxalines and pyrimidothienopyridoquinoxalines.

Synthesis of 3-chloro-2-cyanoquinoxaline (1) and its reactions with sodium azide, guanidine hydrochloride, semicarbazide and thioheterocycles have been investigated (2-7). Also, the reaction of the chloro compound 1 with cyanoacetamide or cyanothioacetamide gave the pyrido[2,3-b]quinoxaline derivatives 8, 9. Compound 9 was used as a key intermediate to produce the more polyheterocyclic systems 10-18.

Disposition of cosalane, a novel anti-HIV agent, in isolated perfused rat livers.

Cosalane is a potent inhibitor of HIV replication with a broad range of activity. In this study, the hepatic disposition of cosalane was investigated with a noncirculating isolated perfused rat liver technique. When 6 microM cosalane was infused into livers from untreated rats, the drug was highly extracted by the liver (only 2. 5% of influent cosalane concentration appeared in the effluent perfusate). Pretreatment of rats with various inducers of cytochrome P-450 before perfusion neither altered the effluent cosalane concentration nor resulted in the appearance of detectable metabolites in the effluent perfusate or liver homogenates. Hepatic uptake of cosalane was negligible when the drug was infused in the presence of BSA, and infusion of albumin after cosalane resulted in a significant displacement of the drug into the effluent perfusate. Furthermore, permeabilization of perfused livers with digitonin significantly diminished effluent cosalane concentration while enhancing cosalane uptake by the liver. Based on our data, it appears that a significant proportion of cosalane does not penetrate the hepatocyte membrane and may accumulate in the lipid bilayer of the cell membrane. This finding supports the proposed mechanism explaining the antiviral effect of cosalane which stipulates that this compound appears to imbed perpendicularly in the lipid bilayer of the cell membrane and the viral envelope. Also, cosalane does not seem to be metabolized by the liver as evidenced by the lack of detectable metabolites in the effluent perfusate, liver homogenates, and liver microsomal incubations.

Enhanced potential for oxidative stress in hyperinsulinemic rats: imbalance between hepatic peroxisomal hydrogen peroxide production and decomposition due to hyperinsulinemia.

Oxidative stress is involved in aging and age-related diseases. Several metabolic alterations similar to those encountered with aging and age-related diseases have been observed in response to hyperinsulinemia. Surprisingly, this metabolic derangement diminished hepatic peroxisomal beta-oxidation which is a major source of H2O2 production in the liver, suggesting a protective effect against oxidative stress. However, the impact of hyperinsulinemia on the balance between H2O2 production and elimination in the liver is not known. Consequently, this study was undertaken to evaluate the effect of sustained high serum insulin levels on the activity of hepatic catalase, a peroxisomal antioxidant enzyme involved in the decomposition of H2O2. Male Sprague-Dawley rats received intravenous infusion of either 30% glucose, 30% galactose or normal saline for seven days. Activity of hepatic peroxisomal beta-oxidation and catalase decreased 58% and 74%, respectively, in glucose-infused rats compared with galactose- or saline-infused animals. When infused simultaneously with glucose, diazoxide blocked glucose-enhanced insulin secretion and prevented the decrease in peroxisomal enzyme activities, without altering blood glucose concentration. Neither diazoxide alone nor galactose, which did not alter serum insulin levels, had any effect on enzyme activities. These results suggest that hyperinsulinemia is responsible for the decreased enzyme activities observed in glucose-infused rats. Indeed, a strong negative correlation between serum insulin levels and hepatic peroxisomal enzyme activities was found. To investigate the mechanism by which insulin modulates catalase activity, we studied rates of synthesis and degradation of catalase in saline- and glucose-infused rats. Data show that insulin diminishes rates of catalase synthesis, while exhibiting no effect on its degradation. Upsetting the balance between the cellular capacity to produce and eliminate H2O2 may be a contributing factor to the known deleterious effects of hyperinsulinemia.

Mitochondrial, but not peroxisomal, beta-oxidation of fatty acids is conserved in coenzyme A-deficient rat liver.

Hepatic coenzyme A (CoA) plays an important role in cellular lipid metabolism. Because mitochondria and peroxisomes represent the two major subcellular sites of lipid metabolism, the present study was designed to investigate the specific impact of hepatic CoA deficiency on peroxisomal as well as mitochondrial beta-oxidation of fatty acids. CoA deficiency (47% decrease in free CoA and 23% decrease in total CoA) was produced by maintaining weanling male Sprague-Dawley rats on a semipurified diet deficient in pantothenic acid (the precursor of CoA) for 5 weeks. Hepatic mitochondrial fatty acid oxidation of short-chain and long-chain fatty acids were not significantly different between control and CoA-deficient rats. Conversely, peroxisomal beta-oxidation was significantly diminished (38% inhibition) in livers of CoA-deficient rats compared to control animals. Peroxisomal beta-oxidation was restored to normal levels when hepatic CoA was replenished. It is postulated that since the role of hepatic mitochondrial beta-oxidation is energy production while peroxisomal beta-oxidation acts mainly as a detoxification system, the mitochondrial pathway of beta-oxidation is spared at the expense of the peroxisomal pathway when liver CoA plummets. The present study may offer an animal model to investigate mechanisms involved in peroxisomal diseases.

Evidence against peroxisome proliferation-induced hepatic oxidative damage.

It has been proposed that nongenotoxic peroxisome proliferators may cause hepatocellular cancer by an oxidative damage-mediated mechanism(s). The argument for this hypothesis is based mainly on the noted ability of peroxisome proliferators to induce significantly H2O2-producing peroxisomal beta-oxidation while causing a minimal induction of H2O2-degrading catalase. The recent discovery, accurate determination, and use of isoprostanes as a sensitive indicator of oxidative damage prompted us to investigate whether induction of hepatic peroxisomal beta-oxidation in male B6C3F1 mice is accompanied by elevated levels of isoprostanes in those livers. The data show that while 7 days of feeding mice a diet containing 100 ppm [4-chloro-6-(2,3-xylidino)-2-pyrimidinylthio]acetic acid (WY-14,643) increased peroxisomal beta-oxidation by 16-fold and catalase activity by only 2-fold, hepatic levels of esterified F2-isoprostanes were not altered. These levels were 2.8 +/- 0.5 ng/g liver in control mice and 2.4 +/- 0.1 ng/g liver in mice fed the experimental diet for 7 days. Consequently, it is concluded that oxidative stress does not appear to occur in response to peroxisome proliferation, as evidenced by the lack of increase in hepatic levels of F2-isoprostanes in livers of mice treated with the potent peroxisome proliferator WY-14,643.

Rotenone, an anticarcinogen, inhibits cellular proliferation but not peroxisome proliferation in mouse liver.

In previous National Toxicology Program (NTP) studies, rotenone reduced the background incidence of hepatocellular carcinoma in male B6C3F1 mice. In the present studies, rotenone reduced the basal hepatic labeling index of male B6C3F1 mice in a dose-dependent fashion and inhibited hepatocellular proliferation, but not peroxisome proliferation, induced by the peroxisome proliferator Wy-14,643. These results indicate that reduction of hepatic tumors by rotenone may have been due to decreased liver cell replication, that peroxisome proliferation can be induced in the absence of hepatocellular proliferation and suggest rotenone as a potential tool in studies of relationships of cell proliferation, peroxisomal proliferation and hepatocarcinogenesis.

Mechanism of phthalate-induced inhibition of hepatic mitochondrial beta-oxidation.

Studies show that peroxisome proliferators inhibit mitochondrial beta-oxidation of fatty acids. However, mechanism(s) of this inhibitory effect has not been identified. This study was undertaken to delineate such mechanism(s). Ketogenesis was significantly diminished in perfused livers from rats pre-treated with diethylhexyl phthalate (DEHP) compared with livers from control rats. Monethylhexyl phthalate (MEHP; 200 microM), a primary metabolite of DEHP and a known peroxisome proliferator, inhibited the oxidation of palmitic acid as well as its acyl-CoA and acylcarnitine derivatives in isolated mitochondria by about 50-60%. Similar concentrations of MEHP also inhibited mitochondrial respiration of succinate and malate plus glutamate. However, respiration of ascorbate was not influenced by MEHP. Considering the assembly of the mitochondrial respiratory chain, these data indicate that phthalates inhibit fatty acid metabolism as a result of inhibiting the respiratory chain at the level of the cytochrome c reductase. This effect may represent an early step in the mechanism by which phthalates cause hepatic peroxisome proliferation.

Controversial role of intracellular iron in the mechanisms of chemically-induced hepatotoxicity.

Hepatotoxicity induced by various therapeutic agents, industrial chemicals and environmental pollutants is a well-recognized phenomenon. These chemicals are known to cause liver damage that is localized to either periportal or centrilobular regions of the liver lobule (1-3). Depending on dose, duration, and route of exposure, the resultant liver injury may regress or progress and becomes irreversible (1). Mechanisms involved in this selective, localized toxicity have been the target of extensive research efforts, and many studies produced conflicting results. As depicted in Figure 1, although many investigators implicate iron and lipid peroxidation in this process (4-9), others dispute such assertions (10-12).

Effect of propylene glycol on the disposition of Dramamine in the rabbit.

Dimenhydrinate (Dramamine) is the 8-chlorotheophylline salt of diphenhydramine. Dramamine is commercially available as a solution containing 50 mg dimenhydrinate per ml in 50% propylene glycol/5% benzyl alcohol. Studies in which New Zealand albino female rabbits received dimenhydrinate, i.v. and/or im, revealed evidence of inhibition of drug clearance apparently due to exposure to vehicle. Following im administration of 8-chlorotheophylline to naive rabbits, peak drug levels of 420 ng/ml were attained in 60 min which declined exponentially to near baseline levels within 7 hr. Animals treated with an additional im dose 2 days later achieved blood drug levels of > 2000 ng/ml which were sustained for the duration of the experimental period. Initial i.v. administration of 8-chlorotheophylline resulted in peak concentration of about 5000 ng/ml which declined to near baseline levels within 90 min, while 8-chlorotheophylline (i.v.) blood levels in rabbits exposed to im vehicle (2 days prior) appeared to plateau around 250 ng/ml after 60 min. Acute, short-term exposure to im vehicle did not appear to elicit the altered elimination profiles. An investigation of the influence of the recommended vehicle on the bioavailability and clearance of dimenhydrinate in isolated rabbit liver microsomes revealed that vehicle at concentrations > 0.68 mg/ml significantly decreased the percent of drug metabolized. This effect was directly proportional to the concentration of vehicle added. Studies showed this effect to be due to the propylene glycol component of the vehicle.

Induction of peroxisomal enzyme activities by di-(2-ethylhexyl) phthalate in thyroidectomized rats with parathyroid replants.

Previous studies suggest that thyroid hormones are involved in the mechanism of peroxisome proliferation. However, those studies utilized either surgically thyroidectomized animals, which are also parathyroidectomized, without calcium supplementation, or animals pretreated with antithyroid drugs, which are known to produce metabolic as well as morphometric changes in the liver. Therefore, these animal models confound conclusions drawn in previous studies. The purpose of the present study was to investigate the role of thyroid hormones in peroxisomal proliferation by the phthalate ester plasticizer, di-(2-ethylhexyl)phthalate (DEHP) in thyroidectomized rats with parathyroid replants. Using this model, it was found that DEHP-induced hepatomegaly was partially dependent on thyroid hormones. DEHP produced a thyromimetic effect, inducing the activity of malic enzyme and carnitine acetyltransferase in the absence of thyroid hormones. Additionally, DEHP-induced activities of catalase were shown to be dependent on thyroid hormones, whereas the thyroid status of the animal had no effect on DEHP-induced activities of the peroxisomal beta-oxidizing enzymes. These data further confirm that endocrine factors play variable roles in the process of induction of various peroxisomal enzymes caused by peroxisome proliferators.

Disruption of mitochondrial energetics and DNA synthesis by the anti-AIDS drug dideoxyinosine.

The purpose of this study was to clarify the role of the mitochondria as a site for the reported hepatotoxic effects of the anti-AIDS drug dideoxyinosine (ddI). Data show that ddI interfered with the mitochondrial redox state in perfused livers leading to more oxidized mitochondria. This effect was reflected by a significant decrease in the mitochondrial NADH/NAD+ ratios from basal values of 0.40 +/- 0.04 to 0.28 +/- 0.02 within 10 min following the infusion of ddI. In suspensions of isolated mitochondria utilizing succinate as a substrate, ddI diminished state 3 and stimulated state 4 respiration significantly, suggesting an uncoupling effect by ddI. Incubation of mitochondria with ddI resulted in a significant decrease in the mitochondrial respiratory control ratios (state 3/state 4 respiration) to 0.8 +/- 0.02 from corresponding control values of 6.0 +/- 0.40 Data also show that ddI inhibited mitochondrial DNA synthesis as evidenced by the decrease in [3H]thymidine incorporation into mitochondrial DNA. This study confirms the need for a close monitoring of patients receiving the dideoxyinosine anti-AIDS drugs and for prompt discontinuation of these drugs before potential irreversible liver damage occurs.

Pharmacokinetics of the anti-AIDS drug 2',3'-dideoxyinosine in the rat.

The pharmacokinetics of 2',3'-dideoxyinosine (ddlno) was examined in the male Fischer 344 rat using reversed phase HPLC with UV and radiochemical detection. Following iv doses of 12, 25, and 100 mg/kg, the parent drug was rapidly eliminated from plasma (mean residence time, 6.3 min; systemic clearance, 64 ml/min/kg). The mean terminal elimination half-life was 28 min and the volume of distribution at steady state was 0.39 liter/kg. Orally administered [3H]ddlno (100 mg/kg) was not significantly bioavailable in the rat, with only 8-11% of the dose absorbed as the parent compound over a 2 hr period. Peak plasma drug concentrations occurred 10 to 20 min following oral administration. Solution stability data suggested that ddlno was unstable at gastric pH (pH 1, t1/2 less than 30 sec). However, elevation of gastric pH with sodium bicarbonate prior to oral administration of ddlno was not effective in increasing the bioavailability of the parent drug. The drug and its metabolic products were extensively distributed into rat tissue 48 hr after iv or oral administration. Following iv infusion of [3H]ddlno to steady state conditions, the highest tissue-to-plasma ratios of radioactivity were found in the kidney (2.2), liver (1.7), and spleen (1.5). Renal clearance accounted for 99% of the eliminated dose. Liver perfusion studies showed that ddlno was not subject to significant hepatic clearance (less than 10%) and that the metabolism was not inducible with phenobarbital.

Interactions between plasticizers and fatty acid metabolism in the perfused rat liver and in vivo. Inhibition of ketogenesis by 2-ethylhexanol.

Rates of ketone body (beta-hydroxybutyrate plus acetoacetate) production by perfused livers from starved rats were decreased about 60% from 39 +/- 2 to 17 +/- 3 mumol/g/hr by 2-ethylhexanol (200 microM), a primary metabolite of the plasticizer diethylhexyl phthalate. Inhibition of ketogenesis by ethylhexanol was dose dependent (half-maximal inhibition occurred with 25 microM) in the presence or absence of 4-methylpyrazole, an inhibitor of alcohol dehydrogenase. Concentrations of beta-hydroxybutyrate relative to acetoacetate (B/A) increased in a step-wise manner from 0.32 to 0.75 in the effluent perfusate when ethylhexanol was infused. In contrast, the B/A ratio decreased in parallel with inhibition of ketone body production when alcohol dehydrogenase was inhibited. Pretreatment of rats with phenobarbital, an inducer of omega and omega-1 hydroxylases, diminished inhibition of ketone body production by low (less than 50 microM) of ethylhexanol. Thus, ethylhexanol is oxidized via phenobarbital-inducible pathways to metabolites which do not inhibit ketogenesis. Studies were conducted to determine the site of inhibition of fatty acid oxidation by ethylhexanol. Rates of ketone body production in the presence of oleate (250 microM), which requires transport of the corresponding CoA compound into mitochondria, were reduced from 80 +/- 6 to 58 +/- 8 mumol/g/hr by ethylhexanol. In contrast, ketone body production from hexanoate, which is activated in the mitochondria, was not affected by ethylhexanol. Basal and oleate-stimulated rates of H2O2 production were not affected by ethylhexanol, indicating that peroxisomal beta-oxidation was not altered by the compound. Based on these data it is concluded that 2-ethylhexanol inhibits beta-oxidation of fatty acids in mitochondria but not in peroxisomes. Treatment of rats with ethylhexanol (0.32 g/kg, i.p.) decreased plasma ketone bodies from 1.6 to 0.8 mM, increased hepatic triglycerides and increased lipid predominantly in periportal regions of the liver lobule. These data indicate that alterations in hepatic fatty acid metabolism in periportal regions of the liver lobule may be early events in peroxisome proliferation.

Effect of epinephrine on glycogen phosphorylase-alpha in various preparations of rat liver.

1. Glycogen phosphorylase-alpha, a commonly used index of cytosolic free calcium, was compared in various preparations of rat liver in the absence and presence of 0.1 microM epinephrine. 2. Total phosphorylase in isolated perfused livers and freshly-isolated hepatocytes were the same as that observed in liver in situ; however, phosphorylase-alpha was 50% higher in perfused liver and 80% higher in hepatocytes than activities measured in situ. Total phosphorylase was reduced approximately 50% in hepatocytes maintained in primary culture for 24 hr. 3. Epinephrine increased phosphorylase-alpha approximately 2-fold in livers perfused for 30 min but only about 20% in hepatocytes incubated for 30 min. After 90 min of perfusion or incubation, epinephrine increased phosphorylase-alpha nearly 4-fold in perfused livers and only 30% in isolated hepatocytes. The results suggest that amounts of free calcium and calcium-dependent coupling of adrenergic receptors to phosphorylase-alpha differ markedly between the intact liver and isolated hepatocytes.

Hepatotoxicity of menadione predominates in oxygen-rich zones of the liver lobule.

This study was designed to investigate the mechanism of zone-specific hepatotoxicity due to menadione. Infusion of menadione (64-1000 microM) into perfused livers from fasted rats caused a concentration-dependent increase in O2 uptake. During perfusion in the anterograde direction, menadione (1 mM) increased O2 uptake from 115 +/- 11 to 142 +/- 10 mumol/g/hr within 30 min, followed by a decrease to 92 +/- 11 mumol/g/hr over the next 30 min. Trypan blue was taken up by 90% of cells in periportal regions reflecting irreversible cell death, whereas cells in pericentral areas were not damaged. When the hepatic O2 gradient was reversed by perfusing in the retrograde direction, menadione increased O2 uptake initially from 114 +/- 11 to 132 +/- 14 mumol/g/hr, followed by a decline to 51 +/- 12 mumol/g/hr, qualitatively similar to data obtained from perfusions in the natural, anterograde direction. During perfusions in the retrograde direction, however, 95% of cells in pericentral regions were stained with trypan blue whereas those in periportal areas were spared. O2 uptake in specific zones of the liver lobule was then measured with miniature O2 electrodes. When menadione was infused during anterograde perfusions, O2 uptake increased in O2-rich periportal areas from 128 +/- 6 to 156 +/- 12 mumol/g/hr, but was not altered in pericentral regions. Conversely, during perfusions in the retrograde direction, menadione did not affect O2 uptake in periportal areas, but stimulated uptake in O2-rich pericentral regions from 120 +/- 4 to 150 +/- 14 mumol/g/hr.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)

Prevention of methotrexate-induced gastrointestinal toxicity by glucose.

The effect of administration of glucose on methotrexate-induced body weight loss and gastrointestinal toxicity in mice was investigated. Using the everted sac technique, control rates (mumol/g/hr) of transport of D-glucose and L-tyrosine were 35.0 and 10.0, respectively. In animals pretreated with methotrexate (25 mg/kg/day i.p. for 4 days), these rates decreased to 10.9 and 6.3 mumol/g/hr, respectively. However, when intestinal sacs from untreated mice were exposed to MTX (10(-3) M), the drug had no significant effect on rates of transport of D-glucose or L-tyrosine. Methotrexate pretreatment in vivo also caused a 15% loss in animal body weights. Administration of glucose (0.5/g/kg. i/p.) 1 hour prior to methotrexate prevented the inhibition of transmucosal transport of both glucose and tyrosine. Glucose also reduced the body weight loss caused by methotrexate. Similar treatment with the nonmetabolizable sugar, 3-O-methylglucose, had no significant effect on the methotrexate-induced toxicity. The data suggest that coadministration of glucose with methotrexate may have a potential clinical value, since glucose may alleviate the toxic effects of methotrexate in patients receiving this drug.