Reduction in CYP1A1 and 2B2 activity at low oxygen tension.

The Cytochrome P450 (CYP) enzyme family comprises a wide array of monooxygenases involved in the oxidation of endobiotic and xenobiotic molecules. The active site of a CYP enzyme contains an iron protoporphyrin center coordinated to a cysteine thiolate, and then, molecular oxygen is associated with the iron to be converted into dioxygen complex plus substrate. Reduction by CYP reductase expedites hydroxylation of the compound. In this oxidation reaction, insufficient oxygen molecules would affect enzyme catalysis. Nevertheless, biochemical data about CYP kinetics at low oxygen concentrations are not available. In this work, we present the results on the variation in rat liver microsomal CYP Vmax app and Km app under normal and hypoxic conditions. Using alkoxyresorufin molecules as substrates, the Vmax/Km ratios for resorufin production decreased from 426 to 393 for CYP1A1 and from 343 to 202 for CYP2B1 at a low oxygen concentration (4.1 ppm) compared to the ratios observed at a normal oxygen concentration (6.5 ppm). Additionally, the bacterial mutagenicity of 2-aminoanthracene and cyclophosphamide, decreased by 32% and 42%, respectively, at low oxygen concentrations. These results support the hypothesis that low oxygen availability is implicated in the low efficiency of substrate oxidation by CYP.

Modulation of the rat hepatic cytochrome P4501A subfamily using biotin supplementation.

Studies have found that biotin favors glucose and lipid metabolism, and medications containing biotin have been developed. Despite the use of biotin as a pharmacological agent, few studies have addressed toxicity aspects including the possible interaction with cytochrome P450 enzyme family. This study analyzed the effects of pharmacological doses of biotin on the expression and activity of the cytochrome P4501A subfamily involved in the metabolism of xenobiotics. Wistar rats were treated daily with biotin (2 mg/kg, i.p.), while the control groups were treated with saline. All of the rats were sacrificed by cervical dislocation after 1, 3, 5, or 7 days of treatment. CYP1A1 and CYP1A2 mRNAs were modified by biotin while enzyme activity and protein concentration were not affected. The lack of an effect of biotin on CYP1A activity was confirmed using other experimental strategies, including (i) cotreatment of the animals with biotin and a known CYP1A inducer; (ii) the addition of biotin to the reaction mixtures for the measurement of CYP1A1 and CYP1A2 activities; and (iii) the use of an S9 mixture that was prepared from control and biotin-treated rats to analyze the activation of benzo[a]pyrene (BaP) into mutagenic metabolites using the Ames test. The results suggest that biotin does not influence the CYP1A-mediated metabolism of xenobiotics.

Bergamottin is a competitive inhibitor of CYP1A1 and is antimutagenic in the Ames test.

Grapefruit juice (GJ) is a well known Cytochrome P450 (CYP) inhibitor; CYP3A is one of the most affected subfamily leading to anticarcinogenic and antimutagenic effects when GJ is administered to experimental animals in combination with mutagenic/carcinogenic agents metabolized by CYP3A. Bergamottin, naringin and dihydroxybergamottin are three main constituents contained within GJ and their inhibitory effect against CYP3A4 has been well documented. Reports suggest that CYP3A is not the only one affected but CYP1A and 2B are also affected by GJ. To explore this last possibility in depth we tested the in vitro capacity of bergamottin, naringin and dihydroxybergamottin to inhibit the activity of CYP1A and 2B subfamilies and found that bergamottin showed the strongest inhibitory effect and naringin showed no inhibition at all. Therefore, we decided to biochemically characterize the inhibitory properties of bergamottin. CYP1A1 Supersome® used in this study showed a Km(app)=0.0723 µM and a Vm(app)=6.141 µU/pmol with substrate ethoxyresorufin, and the biochemical characterization of bergamottin CYP1A1 inhibitory effect revealed that it is a competitive inhibitor with a Ki=10.703 nM. We also confirmed the antimutagenicity of this compound against the mutagenic effect of 3-methylcholanthrene and benzo[a]pyrene in the Ames test.

The antigenotoxic effects of grapefruit juice on the damage induced by benzo(a)pyrene and evaluation of its interaction with hepatic and intestinal Cytochrome P450 (Cyp) 1a1.

We determined the capacity of grapefruit juice (GJ) to inhibit the rate of micronucleated polychromatic erythrocytes (MNPE) in mice treated with benzo(a)pyrene (BaP), an environmental contaminant that is biotransformed by Cyp1a1 and is a strong genotoxic agent. For this study, we administered 4.1, 20.8, and 41.6 µl/g body weight (b.w.) of GJ to BaP-treated mice (340 mg/kg). We found a significant decrease in the frequency of MNPE at 48 and 72 h compared to BaP-only treated animals. In turn, no prevention of the cytotoxic damage induced by BaP was found. We next explored whether GJ's antigenotoxic mechanism of action was related to an inhibitory effect on the activity of the Cyp1a1 enzyme. A reduction in microsomal hepatic and intestinal ethoxyresorufin-O-deethylase (EROD) activity of 20% and 44%, respectively, was found in mice treated with BaP and GJ compared to BaP-only treated animals. Furthermore, when EROD inhibition was tested in vitro, we found a concentration-dependent EROD inhibition by GJ, which reached 85% of the maximum level. Together, these results suggest that the protective effect of GJ against the genotoxicity of BaP may be related to the inhibition of Cyp1a1 enzyme activity.

Modulation of rat liver cytochrome P450 by protein restriction assessed by biochemical and bacterial mutagenicity methods [corrected].

Protein restriction (PR) significantly inhibits spontaneous and chemical carcinogenesis. Several factors seem to be involved in this effect, including a decrease in body weight, cellular proliferation and DNA damage and an increase in antioxidant defenses. The current study was designed to determine modifications in some hepatic cytochromes P450 (CYPs) due to a hypoproteic diet and to investigate its implications on chemical mutagenesis. Western blot analysis showed decreases of 73, 40 and 74% in CYP1A, CYP2B and CYP2E1 protein concentrations in hepatic microsomes from animals fed a protein-restricted (6% protein) diet for 6 weeks in comparison with microsomes from rats fed a 24% protein diet during the same period. In the same way, low protein fed animals showed a 3.5-fold decrease in hepatic CYP1A1-associated ethoxyresorufin O-deethylase activity, a 6-fold decrease in CYP1A2-associated methoxyresorufin O-demethylase activity, a 1.7-fold decrease in CYP2B1-associated penthoxyresorufin O-dealkylase activity, a 9-fold decrease in CYP2B2-associated benzyloxyresorufin O-dealkylase and, finally, a 3.4-fold decrease in CYP2E1-associated 4-nitrophenol hydroxylase activity. As a result of decreased CYP hepatic protein concentrations and enzymatic activities, liver S9 from rats fed a hypoproteic diet was less efficient in activating promutagens than S9 prepared from rats fed a 24% protein diet in the Ames test. Mutagenic potency obtained with protein-restricted S9 was reduced 25-fold for 2-aminoanthracene, 1.5-fold for N-nitrosodipropylamine, 12.5-fold for N-nitrosodibutylamine, 2-fold for cyclophosphamide and N-nitrosopyrrolidine and 71-fold for N-nitrosodimethylamine. However, the mutagenic potency of benzo[a]pyrene was the same (4 revertants/ microg) with S9 derived from rats fed either a 6 or 24% protein diet.

Induction of cytochrome P450 enzymes by albendazole treatment in the rat.

The anthelmintic drug albendazole (ABZ), methyl(5-(propylthio)-1H-benzimidazol-2-yl)carbamate, is a benzimidazole highly efficient in the treatment of neurocysticercosis. The effects of ABZ treatment (i.p. and p.o. administration) on the expression of several cytochrome P450 (CYP) enzymes were evaluated in rat liver in order to characterize the spectrum of altered CYP enzymes involved in the metabolism of environmental mutagens and carcinogens, after drug intake. Intraperitoneal administration of ABZ (50 mg/kg body weight/day/three days in corn oil) to rats, caused an induction of hepatic activities of CYP1A1-associated ethoxyresorufin O-deethylase (EROD) 65 fold, CYP1A2-associated methoxyresorufin O-demethylase (MROD) 6 fold, CYP2B1-associated penthoxyresorufin O-dealkylase (PROD) 4 fold, CYP2B2-associated benzyloxyresorufin O-dealkylase (BROD) 14 fold, as well as a partial reduction of CYP2E1-associated 4-nitrophenol hydroxylase (4-NPH) activity. CYP3A-associated erythromycin N-demethylase (END) activity was not modified under the same treatment conditions. Western blot analysis was conducted to explore if the increased catalytic activity was a result of an increased protein content; only CYP1A1/2 showed a visible increase in protein concentration after ABZ inoculation, therefore, the increased PROD and BROD activities could be attributed to the induction of CYP1A1/2. Results with the two main metabolites of ABZ (15 mg/kg body weight/day/three days, i.p.) indicated that ABZ sulfoxide (ABZSO) but not ABZ sulfone (ABZSO(2)) displayed the same pattern of CYP induction than ABZ. Oral administration of ABZ at the human therapeutic dose of 20 mg/kg body weight/day/three days, produced an increase in CYP1A1/2 protein content 24 h after the first intake. The protein level remained high during the treatment, and up to 72 h after the last administration; basal protein levels were almost recovered 48 h later.

[DNA supercoiling and topoisomerases in Escherichia coli]. / Superenrollamiento del DNA y topoisomerasas de Escherichia coli.

The chromosomal DNA of all cells is under helical tension or supercoiling. There are two classes of DNA supercoiling: plectonemic and toroidal. Plectonemic supercoiling is generated by the action of DNA topoisomerases, while toroidal supercoiling is generated by DNA-protein interactions and by topoisomerase activitities. DNA supercoiling plays an important role in replication, repair, recombination, transposition and transcription. DNA topoisomerases type I are ATP-independent enzymes that cut one DNA strand and relax supercoiled molecules. DNA topoisomerases type II requiere ATP, cut both DNA strands and supercoil relaxed molecules. All organisms have more than one topoisomerase of each, type I and type II. Escherichia coli has two topoisomerases type I: topoisomerase I and topoisomerase III and two topoisomerases type II: topoisomerase II or gyrase and topoisomerase IV. In this review we discuss the concept of DNA supercoiling and present current knowledge on E. coli DNA topoisomerases.

[The bacterial nucleoid]. / El nucleoide bacteriano.

The bacterial genome is present in the cell within a complex structure, the nucleoid. The nucleoid contains the genomic DNA, and molecules of RNA and proteins. The main proteins of the nucleoid are: RNA polymerase, topoisomerases and the histone-like proteins: HU, H-NS (H1), H, HLP1, IHF and FIS. The DNA molecule in the nucleoid is under helical tension or supercoiling and is organized into 43 +/- 10 topodomains. DNA supercoiling is generated by the activity of the topoisomerases and by DNA-protein interactions. In this review, we analize current knowledge in Escherichia coli about genome organization and proteins of the nucleoid.