Down-regulation of P4501A1 and P4501A2 mRNA expression in isolated hepatocytes by oxidative stress.

We have previously shown that the inflammatory mediator interleukin-1 suppressed transcription of CYP1A1 and CYP1A2 mRNAs (Barker, C.W., Fagan, J.B., and Pasco, D.S. (1992) J. Biol. Chem. 267, 8050-8055). Since many of the actions of inflammatory mediators are mimicked by oxidative stress, we treated isolated hepatocytes with 0.25-1.0 mM H2O2 to determine whether expression of these genes is also modulated by oxidative stress. Inducer-dependent accumulation of CYP1A1 and CYP1A2 mRNAs were maximally reduced approximately 50 and 70%, respectively, by 1.0 mM H2O2. Run-on transcription analysis suggested that the effect of H2O2 was mediated transcriptionally. The reduction in CYP1A mRNA levels was not due to a reduction in the levels of all mRNAs due to some general toxic effect since H2O2 did not reduce glyceraldehyde-3-phosphate dehydrogenase, alpha-tubulin, beta-fibrinogen, or albumin mRNA levels, and did not increase lactate dehydrogenase released into the medium. Insulin-mimicked H2O2 action, reducing the expression of both mRNAs, and N-acetylcysteine, which increases intracellular glutathione levels, completely reversed the insulin effect on both mRNAs and the H2O2 effect on CYP1A1 mRNA, but only partially reversed the H2O2 effect on CYP1A2 mRNA. This study indicates that the CYP1A1 and CYP1A2 genes are responsive to oxidative stress and that the majority of this responsiveness can be modified by cellular redox potential.

Interleukin-1 beta suppresses the induction of P4501A1 and P4501A2 mRNAs in isolated hepatocytes.

Animals subjected to immunostimulatory conditions exhibit reduced tissue levels of total cytochrome P450 and P450-dependent drug metabolism. We have investigated the possibility that depressed levels of two carcinogen-metabolizing cytochrome P450s may be due to decreased levels of the mRNAs encoding these enzymes by studying the effect of monocyte-derived cytokines on the induction of CYP1A1 and CYP1A2 mRNAs in isolated rat hepatocytes. Medium conditioned by activated human peripheral blood monocytes or by the U937 monocyte cell line suppressed the induction of both mRNAs by 2,3,7,8-tetrachlorodibenzo-p-dioxin, whereas beta-fibrinogen mRNA levels increased 30-40-fold. CYP1A2 mRNA induction was maximally inhibited more than CYP1A1 mRNA (approximately 95 and 65%, respectively), and lower concentrations of conditioned medium suppressed CYP1A2 mRNA induction (half-maximal at 1.9 and 3.1%, respectively). Low concentrations of recombinant interleukin-1 suppressed the inducer-dependent accumulation of both CYP1A1 and CYP1A2 mRNAs in a dose-dependent fashion (half-maximal at 2 and 0.5 units/ml, respectively), while two other monocyte-derived cytokines, interleukin-6 and transforming growth factor-beta, did not. Run-on transcription analysis demonstrated that conditioned medium and interleukin-1 rapidly suppressed the transcription rate of CYP1A1 and CYP1A2 in inducer-treated hepatocytes. The close correspondence between the reductions in CYP1A1 and CYP1A2 transcription rates and mRNA levels suggest that conditioned medium and interleukin-1 suppress the induction of these mRNAs principally through a transcriptional mechanism.

Glucuronidation of lipophilic substrates: preparation of 3-benzo[a]pyrenyl-beta-D-glucopyranosiduronic acid in multimilligram quantities by microsomal UDP-glucuronyl transferase.

A convenient method for the enzymic conversion of multimilligram quantities of 3-hydroxybenzo[a]pyrene to 3-benzo[a]pyrenyl-beta-D-glucopyranosiduronic acid in 90% yield is described. Commercially available freeze-dried rabbit liver microsomes were incubated in the presence of UDPGA, 3-hydroxybenzo[a]pyrene, and Triton X-100 detergent (Figure 1). The course of the biosynthetic reaction was followed by fluorimetry. The glucuronide product was extracted from the acidified incubation supernate with ethyl acetate and the acid function of the glucuronide was utilized in an acid-base extraction procedure to purify the glucuronide from biological and unreacted starting material. The glucuronide precipitated from ethyl acetate and was collected by centrifugation. High pressure liquid chromatography and spectroscopic techniques were used to verify the structure and purity of 3-benzo[a]pyrenyl-beta-D-glucopyranosiduronic acid.

Preparation, isolation, analysis, and characterization of 3-benzo[a]pyrenyl-beta-D-glucopyranosiduronic acid: a metabolite of 3-hydroxybenzo[a]pyrene with potentially high carcinogenic activity.

The aglycone, 3-hydroxybenzo[a]pyrene, was metabolized to 3-benzo[a]pyrenyl-beta-D-glucopyranosiduronic acid in the presence of uridine 5'-diphosphoglucuronic acid and rabbit liver microsomes. The course of the biosynthetic reaction was followed by fluorimetry and reverse-phase, paired-ion high pressure liquid chromatography (HPLC). Also, the HPLC system was used to analyze for glucuronide and 3-hydroxybenzo[a]pyrene during the isolation procedure. The existence of a glucuronide of 3-hydroxybenzo[a]pyrene was determined by radiotracer and enzymic techniques, utilizing the HPLC system. Field desorption and direct inlet mass spectral techniques were used to characterize the 3-hydroxybenzo[a]pyrene glucuronide.

Preparation and properties of matrix-supported horseradish peroxidase.

A new method of enzyme immobilization has been described using poly(4-methacryloxybenzoic acid) as the carrier. Activation of the polymer, prior to enzyme attachment, was achieved with N-ethoxycarbonyl-2-ethoxy-1,2-dihydroquinoline. The enzyme coupling step proceeded through nucleophilic attack by the protein on a mixed carbonic anhydride. The degree of polymer activation was determined by analysis for quinoline, a by-product of the reaction. The polymer-enzyme complex was compared to the enzyme in solution in terms of pH optimum, substrate kinetics, and thermal denaturation. Potential uses of the polymerenzyme system in chemical synthesis of benzoquinone derivatives are discussed.