Dehydrogenation of indoline by cytochrome P450 enzymes: a novel "aromatase" process.

Indoline derivatives possess therapeutic potential within a variety of drug candidates. In this study, we found that indoline is aromatized by cytochrome P450 (P450) enzymes to produce indole through a novel dehydrogenation pathway. The indole products can potentially be bioactivated to toxic intermediates through an additional dehydrogenation step. For example, 3-substituted indoles like 3-methylindole and zafirlukast [4-(5-cyclopentyloxy-carbonylamino-1-methyl-indol-3-ylmethyl)-3-methoxy-N-o-tolylsulfonylbenzamide] are dehydrogenated to form 3-methyleneindolenine electrophiles, which react with protein and/or DNA nucleophilic residues to cause toxicities. Another potentially significant therapeutic consequence of indoline aromatization is that the product indoles might have dramatically different therapeutic potency than the parent indolines. In this study, indoline was indeed efficiently aromatized by human liver microsomes and by several P450s, but not by flavin-containing monooxygenase (FMO) 3. CYP3A4 had the highest aromatase activity. Four additional indoline metabolites [2,3,4,7-tetrahydro-4,5-epoxy-1H-indole (M1); N-hydroxyindole (M2), N-hydroxyindoline (M3), and M4 ([1,4,2,5]dioxadiazino[2,3-a:5,6-a']diindole)] were characterized; none was a metabolite of indole. M1 was an arene oxide from P450 oxidation, and M2, M3, and M4 were produced by FMO3. Our data indicated that indoline was oxidized to M3 and then to an intermediate indoline nitrone, which tautomerized to form M2, and subsequently dimerized to a di-indoline. This dimer was immediately oxidized by FMO3 or atmospheric oxygen to the final product, M4. No evidence was found for the P450-mediated production of an aliphatic alcohol from indoline that might dehydrate to produce indole. Therefore, P450 enzymes catalyze the novel "aromatase" metabolism of indoline to produce indole. The aromatase mechanism does not seem to occur through N-oxidation or dehydration of an alcohol but rather through a formal dehydrogenation pathway.

Transient receptor potential vanilloid 1 agonists cause endoplasmic reticulum stress and cell death in human lung cells.

Transient receptor potential vanilloid 1 (TRPV1) is a calcium-selective ion channel expressed in human lung cells. We show that activation of the intracellular subpopulation of TRPV1 causes endoplasmic reticulum (ER) stress and cell death in human bronchial epithelial and alveolar cells. TRPV1 agonist (nonivamide) treatment caused calcium release from the ER and altered the transcription of growth arrest- and DNA damage-inducible transcript 3 (GADD153), GADD45alpha, GRP78/BiP, ATF3, CCND1, and CCNG2) in a manner comparable with prototypical ER stress-inducing agents. The TRPV1 antagonist N-(4-tert-butylbenzyl)-N'-(1-[3-fluoro-4-(methylsulfonylamino)-phenyl]ethyl)thiourea (LJO-328) inhibited mRNA responses and cytotoxicity. EGTA and ruthenium red inhibited cell surface TRPV1 activity, but they did not prevent ER stress gene responses or cytotoxicity. Cytotoxicity paralleled eukaryotic translation initiation factor 2, subunit 1 (EIF2alpha) phosphorylation and the induction of GADD153 mRNA and protein. Transient overexpression of GADD153 caused cell death independent of agonist treatment, and cells selected for stable overexpression of a GADD153 dominant-negative mutant exhibited reduced sensitivity. Salubrinal, an inhibitor of ER stress-induced cytotoxicity via the EIF2alphaK3/EIF2alpha pathway, or stable overexpression of the EIF2alpha-S52A dominant-negative mutant also inhibited cell death. Treatment of the TRPV1-null human embryonic kidney 293 cell line with TRPV1 agonists did not initiate ER stress responses. Likewise, n-benzylnonanamide, an inactive analog of nonivamide, failed to cause ER calcium release, an increase in GADD153 expression, and cytotoxicity. We conclude that activation of ER-bound TRPV1 and stimulation of GADD153 expression via the EIF2alphaK3/EIF2alpha pathway represents a common mechanism for cytotoxicity by cell-permeable TRPV1 agonists. These findings are significant within the context of lung inflammatory diseases where elevated concentrations of endogenous TRPV1 agonists are probably produced in sufficient quantities to cause TRPV1 activation and lung cell death.

Effects of the differentiated keratinocyte phenotype on expression levels of CYP1-4 family genes in human skin cells.

Epoxyeicosatrienoic acids produced by mouse CYP2B19 have been implicated in mechanisms regulating epidermal cornification (Ladd, P.A., Du, L., Capdevila, J.H., Mernaugh, R., Keeney, D.S., 2003. Epoxyeicosatrienoic acids activate transglutaminases in situ and induce cornification of epidermal keratinocytes. J. Biol. Chem. 278, 35184-35192). In this study, we aimed to identify CYPs that are up-regulated during keratinocyte differentiation and potentially responsible for epoxyeicosatrienoic acid formation in human skin. The cellular differentiation state of human epidermal cell cultures was manipulated to resemble the basal, spinous, and granular cell phenotypes in vivo. Changes in CYP mRNA levels were measured as a function of differentiation state for a panel of 15 CYPs that included known and putative arachidonate monooxygenases. Quantitative real-time PCR analyses showed that all of the CYPs were expressed in differentiating epidermal cell cultures and in human epidermis, with the exception of CYP2B6, which was poorly expressed in vitro. Six CYPs were strongly up-regulated at Day 6 and Day 8 of in vitro differentiation (CYP4B1, 2W1, 2C18, 3A4, 2C19, 2C9); the increase in mRNA levels ranged from 27- to 356-fold. Only CYP2U1 mRNA levels decreased (6-fold change) during cellular differentiation. Six CYPs showed little variation (<2-fold change) in mRNA levels during in vitro differentiation (CYP2S1, 2J2, 1B1, 1A1, 2E1, 2D6). No single CYP was identifiable as being a functional counterpart to CYP2B19 in mouse skin since none qualified as being mainly responsible for epidermal epoxyeicosatrienoic acid formation. Rather, the data suggest that epoxyeicosatrienoic acids in human skin are formed by several CYPs expressed in different cell layers of the epidermis. This would predict that CYP-derived eicosanoids have different functions in different epidermal cell layers.

Calcium-dependent and independent mechanisms of capsaicin receptor (TRPV1)-mediated cytokine production and cell death in human bronchial epithelial cells.

Activation of the capsaicin receptor (VR1 or TRPV1) in bronchial epithelial cells by capsaicinoids and other vanilloids promotes pro-inflammatory cytokine production and cell death. The purpose of this study was to investigate the role of TRPV1-mediated calcium flux from extracellular sources as an initiator of these responses and to define additional cellular pathways that control cell death. TRPV1 antagonists and reduction of calcium concentrations in treatment solutions attenuated calcium flux, induction of interleukin-6 and 8 gene expression, and IL-6 secretion by cells treated with capsaicin or resiniferatoxin. Most TRPV1 antagonists also attenuated cell death, but the relative potency and extent of protection did not directly correlate with inhibition of total calcium flux. Treatment solutions with reduced calcium content or chelators had no effect on cytotoxicity. Inhibitors of arachidonic acid metabolism and cyclo-oxygenases also prevented cell death indicating that TRPV1 agonists disrupted basal arachidonic acid metabolism and altered cyclo-oxygenase function via a TRPV1-dependent mechanism in order to produce toxicity. These data confirm previous results demonstrating calcium flux through TRPV1 acts as a trigger for cytokine production by vanilloids, and provides new mechanistic insights on mechanisms of cell death produced by TRPV1 agonists in respiratory epithelial cells.

Sp1 and Sp3 regulate basal transcription of the human CYP2F1 gene.

Selective transcription of the human CYP2F1 gene in lung tissues may control the susceptibilities of this organ to diverse pneumotoxicants and lung carcinogens. However, the mechanisms responsible for CYP2F1 organ-selective transcription have not been elucidated. The objectives of the current studies were to identify and characterize basal transcription elements within the TATA-less promoter region of CYP2F1. Four putative Sp1-like sites were identified in the CYP2F1 promoter. Competitive electrophoretic mobility shift assay analysis with mutated oligonucleotide probes and lung A549 cell nuclear extract, along with supershift studies using antibodies to either Sp1 or Sp3 proteins, demonstrated that all four sites formed three specific protein-DNA complexes. Mutations in any of the four core Sp1-like motifs abolished protein-DNA binding. Western blot analysis of both human tissues and cells showed that Sp1 was considerably higher in lung than liver and that Sp3 was much higher in liver than lung. Promoter activation of a luciferase reporter construct was sequentially increased by addition of each of the four Sp1-like motifs in lung A549 cells but not in liver HepG2 cells. Cotransfection of a Sp1 expression vector with the reporter construct dramatically increased luciferase activity in either A549 cells or Sp1-deficient Drosophila Schneider line 2 (SL-2) cells. However, similar cotransfections with an Sp3 expression vector failed to increase activity. Cotransfection of both the Sp1 and Sp3 expression vectors considerably decreased Sp1-mediated activity in A549 cells and abolished activity in SL-2 cells. Thus, these studies demonstrated that four Sp1-dependent proximal promoter elements drive organ-selective CYP2F1 gene transcription, and that Sp1 and Sp3 factors interact to modulate constitutive CYP2F1 transcription in lung cells.

Inflammatory cytokines and cell death in BEAS-2B lung cells treated with soil dust, lipopolysaccharide, and surface-modified particles.

Cultured human lung epithelial cells (BEAS-2B) were treated in vitro with PM(2.5)-enriched particles of soil-derived mineral dust from nine sites in the western United States. The particle samples simulate windblown dust and vehicle-generated emissions from unpaved roads. Five of the sites yielded relatively benign dust. Particles from three sites caused IL-6 release when cells were treated for 24 h at doses from 20 to 80 microg/cm(2), and particles from one site were highly cytotoxic. The particle components or characteristics that caused the IL-6 release were stable at temperatures below 150 degrees C, but were inactivated by treatment at 300-550 degrees C. The active factors were also associated predominantly with the insoluble fraction, and were partially attenuated by leaching with aqueous and organic solvents. The IL-6 release caused by the particles was much greater than the cytokine response to either lipopolysaccharide (LPS) or to surrogate particles of titanium dioxide mixed with LPS, suggesting that endotoxin was not a major factor in the inflammatory response. The release of IL-8 in response to particle treatment was qualitatively similar to the IL-6 response, but release of TNF-alpha was not detected at the 24-h time point. The combined results support the hypothesis that some ambient dusts from geological sources can cause cell death and cytokine release in a lung cell line that is widely used as an in vitro model to study mechanisms of environmental respiratory injury.

Bioactivation of 1,1-dichloroethylene to its epoxide by CYP2E1 and CYP2F enzymes.

1,1-Dichloroethylene (DCE) exposure to mice elicits lung toxicity that selectively targets bronchiolar Clara cells. The toxicity is mediated by DCE metabolites formed via cytochrome P450 metabolism. The primary metabolites formed are DCE epoxide, 2,2-dichloroacetaldehyde, and 2-chloroacetyl chloride. The major metabolite detected is 2-S-glutathionyl acetate [C], a putative conjugate of DCE epoxide with glutathione. In this investigation, studies were undertaken to test the hypothesis that CYP2E1 and CYP2F2 are involved in bioactivation of DCE to the epoxide in murine lung. We have developed a method using liquid chromatography/mass spectrometry (LC/MS) to evaluate the kinetics of the rates of production of conjugate [C] by recombinant CYP2E1 and CYP2F enzymes and lung microsomes. Concentration-dependent formation of conjugate [C] was found in incubations of DCE with recombinant CYP2E1 and CYP2F enzymes and lung microsomes from CD-1, wild-type (mixed 129/Sv and C57BL), and CYP2E1-null mice. Recombinant rat CYP2E1 exhibited greater affinity and catalytic efficiency for DCE metabolism than did recombinant human CYP2E1, mouse CYP2F2, goat CYP2F3 or rat CYP2F4. In the lung microsomal incubations, the rates of conjugate [C] production were higher in CD-1 mice than in either wild-type or CYP2E1-null mice; the level of [C] in CYP2E1-null mice was about 66% of that in wild-type mice. These results demonstrated that LC/MS analysis is a suitable method for detection and quantitation of conjugate [C], and that CYP2E1 and CYP2F2 catalyze the bioactivation of DCE to the epoxide in murine lung. The results also demonstrated that CYP2E1 is the high-affinity enzyme involved in DCE bioactivation.

Capsaicinoids cause inflammation and epithelial cell death through activation of vanilloid receptors.

Capsaicinoids, found in less-than-lethal self-defense weapons, have been associated with respiratory failure and death in exposed animals and people. The studies described herein provide evidence for acute respiratory inflammation and damage to epithelial cells in experimental animals, and provide precise molecular mechanisms that mediate these effects using human bronchiolar and alveolar epithelial cells. Inhalation exposure of rats to pepper sprays (capsaicinoids) produced acute inflammation and damage to nasal, tracheal, bronchiolar, and alveolar cells in a dose-related manner. In vitro cytotoxicity assays demonstrated that cultured human lung cells (BEAS-2B and A549) were more susceptible to necrotic cell death than liver (HepG2) cells. Transcription of the human vanilloid receptor type-1, VR1 or TRPV1, was demonstrated by RT-PCR in all of these cells, and the relative transcript levels were correlated to cellular susceptibility. TRPV1 receptor activation was presumably responsible for cellular cytotoxicity, but prototypical functional antagonists of this receptor were cytotoxic themselves, and did not ameliorate capsaicinoid-induced damage. Conversely, the TRPV1 antagonist capsazepine, as well as calcium chelation by EGTA ablated cytokine (IL-6) production after capsaicin exposure. To address these seemingly contradictory results, recombinant human TRPV1 was cloned and overexpressed in BEAS-2B cells. These cells exhibited dramatically increased cellular susceptibility to capsaicinoids, measured using IL-6 production and cytotoxicity, and an apoptotic mechanism of cell death. Surprisingly, the cytotoxic effects of capsaicin in TRPV1 overexpressing cells were also not inhibited by TRPV1 antagonists or by treatments that modified extracellular calcium. Thus, capsaicin interacted with TRPV1 expressed by BEAS-2B and other airway epithelial cells to cause the calcium-dependent production of cytokines and, conversely, calcium-independent cell death. These results have demonstrated that capsaicinoids contained in pepper spray products produce airway inflammation and cause respiratory epithelial cell death. The mechanisms of these cellular responses to capsaicinoids appear to proceed via distinct cellular pathways, but both pathways are initiated by TRPV1.