N-glucuronidation of 2-amino-1-methyl-6-phenylimidazo[4,5-b]pyridine (PhIP) and N_hydroxy-PhIP by specific human UDP-glucuronosyltransferases.

Glucuronidation is a major metabolic pathway in the biotransformation of many xenobiotics. Recent studies have shown that in humans, UDP-glucuronosyltransferase (UGT)-mediated glucuronidation plays a critical role in the detoxification of food-borne carcinogenic heterocyclic amines. 2-Amino-1-methyl-6-phenylimidazo[4,5-b]pyridine (PhIP), the most abundant carcinogenic heterocyclic amine found in well-cooked meats, has been shown to be extensively glucuronidated in humans. To determine which UGT isozymes are involved in the biotransformation of PhIP and the cytochrome P4501A2-mediated reactive intermediate N-hydroxy-PhIP, microsomes expressing human UGT1A1, -1A4, -1A6 or -1A9 were incubated with PhIP and N-hydroxy-PhIP and the reaction products analyzed by HPLC and ESI-MS. Incubations containing N-hydroxy-PhIP and UGT1A1 expressing microsomes, with an apparent Km of 4.58 microM and a Vmax of 4.18 pmol/min/mg protein, had the highest capacity to convert N-hydroxy-PhIP to N-hydroxy-PhIP-N2-glucuronide. Microsomes expressing UGT1A9 produced N-hydroxy-PhIP-N3-glucuronide at the highest rate with an apparent Km and Vmax of 3.73 microM and 4.07 pmol/min/mg, respectively. A third previously undefined glucuronide accounted for 31% of the total glucuronides formed from the UGT1A4 expressing microsomes. No glucuronide conjugates were detected from microsomes expressing UGT1A6. Incubations containing PhIP as substrate formed direct PhIP-glucuronides in microsomes expressing UGT1A1, UGT1A4 and UGT1A9 but at levels averaging 53-fold lower than when N-hydroxy-PhIP was used as the substrate. Knowing the glucuronidation capacity of the specific UGT isozymes involved in PhIP and N-hydroxy-PhIP glucuronidation should help in determining the individual susceptibility to the potential cancer risk from exposure to PhIP.

Liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry method of urine analysis for determining human variation in carcinogen metabolism.

We developed a solid-phase extraction LC-MS-MS method for the analysis of the four major metabolites of PhIP (2-amino-1-methyl-6-phenylimidazo[4,5-b]pyridine) in human urine after a meal of well-done chicken. Ten volunteers each ate either 150 or 200 g of well-done chicken breast containing 9-21 microg of PhIP. Among the individual volunteers there is 8-fold variation in the total amount of metabolites and 20-fold variation in the relative amounts of individual metabolites, showing individual differences in carcinogen metabolism. PhIP metabolites were also detected in urine from a subject consuming chicken in a restaurant meal, demonstrating the method's sensitivity after real-life exposures.

Identification of urine metabolites of 2-amino-1-methyl-6-phenylimidazo[4,5-b]pyridine following consumption of a single cooked chicken meal in humans.

Many studies suggest that mutagenic/carcinogenic chemicals in the diet, like 2-amino-1-methyl-6-phenylimidazo[4,5-b]pyridine (PhIP), may play a role in human cancer initiation. We have developed a method to quantify PhIP metabolites in human urine and have applied it to samples from female volunteers who had eaten a meal of cooked chicken. For this analysis, urine samples (5 ml) were spiked with a deuterium-labeled internal standard, adsorbed to a macroporous polymeric column and then eluted with methanol. After a solvent exchange to 0.01 M HCl, the urine extracts were passed through a filter, applied to a benzenesulfonic acid column, washed with methanol/acid and eluted with ammonium acetate and concentrated on a C(18) column. The metabolites were eluted from the C(18) column and quantified by LC/MS/MS. In our studies of human PhIP metabolism, eight volunteers were fed 200 g of cooked chicken containing a total of 27 microg PhIP. Urine samples were collected for 24 h after the meal, in 6 h aliquots. Although no metabolites could be found in urine collected from volunteers before eating the chicken, four major human PhIP metabolites, N:(2)-OH-PhIP-N:(2)-glucuronide, PhIP-N:(2)-glucuronide, 4'-PhIP-sulfate and N:(2)-OH-PhIP-N:3-glucuronide, were found in the urine after the chicken meal. The volunteers in the study excreted 4-53% of the ingested PhIP dose in the urine. The rate of metabolite excretion varied among the subjects, however, in all of the subjects the majority of the metabolites were excreted in the first 12 h. Very little metabolite was detected in the urine after 18 h. In humans, N:(2)-OH-PhIP-N:(2) glucuronide is the most abundant urinary metabolite, followed by PhIP-N:(2)-glucuronide. The variation seen in the total amount, excretion time and metabolite ratios with our method suggests that individual digestion, metabolism and/or other components of the diet may influence the absorption and amounts of metabolic products produced from PhIP.

In vivo human metabolism of [2-14C]2-amino-1-methyl-6-phenylimidazo[4,5-b]pyridine (PhIP).

To better understand the interactions of the pathways of activation and detoxification on the metabolism of the putative carcinogen, PhIP, we administered a dose of 70-84 microg [2-14C] PhIP (17.5 [microCi 14C) 48-72 h before scheduled colon surgery. Blood and urine collected for the next 48-72 h was evaluated by linear accelerator mass spectroscopy (AMS) and scintillation counting LC-MS to identify specific PhIP metabolites. The thermostable phenol sulfotransferase (SULT1A1) phenotype was correlated with the 4'-PhIP-SO4 levels in the urine at 0-4 h (R = 0.86, P = 0.059). The CYP1A2 activity had a negative correlation with PhIP serum levels at 1 h (R = 0.94, P = 0.06) and a positive correlation with urine N-OH-PhIP levels at 0-4 h (R = 0.85, P = 0.15). This low level radioisotope method of determining the influence of phenotype on metabolism will significantly improve our understanding of the interrelationships of these pathways and provide a critical foundation for the development of individual risk assessment.

Macromolecular adduct formation and metabolism of heterocyclic amines in humans and rodents at low doses.

2-Amino-3,8-dimethylimidazo[4,5-f]quinoxaline (MeIQx) and 2-amino-1-methyl-6-phenylimidazo[4,5-b]pyridine (PhIP) are heterocyclic amines formed during the cooking of meat and fish. Both are genotoxic in a number of test systems and are carcinogenic in rats and mice. Human exposure to these compounds via dietary sources has been estimated to be under 1 microg/kg body wt. per day, although most laboratory animal studies have been conducted at doses in excess of 10 mg/kg body wt. per day. We are using accelerator mass spectrometry (AMS), a tool for measuring isotopes with attomole sensitivity, to study the dosimetry of protein and DNA adduct formation by low doses of MeIQx and PhIP in rodents and comparing the adduct levels to those formed in humans. The results of these studies show: 1, protein and DNA adduct levels in rodents are dose-dependent; 2, adduct levels in human tissues and blood are generally greater than in rodents administered equivalent doses; and 3, metabolite profiles differ substantially between humans and rodents for both MeIQx and PhIP, with more N-hydroxylation (bioactivation) and less ring oxidation (detoxification) in humans. These data suggest that rodent models do not accurately represent the human response to heterocyclic amine exposure.

The identification of [2-(14)C]2-amino-1-methyl-6-phenylimidazo[4,5-b]pyridine metabolites in humans.

[2-(14)C]2-amino-1-methyl-6-phenylimidazo[4,5-b]pyridine ([14C]PhIP), a putative human carcinogenic heterocyclic amine found in well-done cooked meat, was administered orally to three colon cancer patients undergoing a partial colonectomy. Forty-eight to seventy-two hours prior to surgery, subjects received a 70-84 microg dose of 14C. Urine and blood were analyzed by HPLC for PhIP and PhIP metabolites. Metabolites were identified based on HPLC co-elution with authentic PhIP metabolite standards, mass spectral analysis and susceptibility to enzymatic cleavage. In two subjects, approximately 90% of the administered [14C]PhIP dose was eliminated in the urine, whereas in the other, only 50% of the dose was found in the urine. One subject excreted three times more radioactivity in the first 4 h than did the others. Twelve radioactive peaks associated with PhIP were detected in the urine samples. The relative amount of each metabolite varied by subject, and the amounts of each metabolite within subjects changed over time. In all three subjects the most abundant urinary metabolite was identified as 2-hydroxyamino-1-methyl-6-phenylimidazo[4,5-b]pyridine-N2-glucuron ide (N-hydroxy-PhIP-N2-glucuronide), accounting for 47-60% of the recovered counts in 24 h. PhIP accounted for <1% of the excreted radiolabel in all three patients. Other metabolites detected in the urine at significant amounts were 4-(2-amino-1-methylimidazo[4,5-b]pyrid-6-yl)phenyl sulfate, N-hydroxy-PhIP-N3-glucuronide and PhIP-N2-glucuronide. In the plasma, N-hydroxy-PhIP-N2-glucuronide accounted for 60, 18 and 20% of the recovered plasma radioactivity at 1 h post PhIP dose in subjects 1, 2 and 3 respectively. Plasma PhIP was 56-17% of the recovered dose at 1 h post exposure. The relatively high concentration of N-hydroxy-PhIP-N2-glucuronide and the fact that it is an indicator of bioactivation make this metabolite a potential biomarker for PhIP exposure and activation. Determining the relative differences in PhIP metabolites among individuals will indicate metabolic differences that may predict individual susceptibility to carcinogenic risk from this suspected dietary carcinogen.

Health risks of heterocyclic amines.

Common cooking procedures such as broiling, frying, barbecuing (flame-grilling), heat processing and pyrolysis of protein-rich foods induce the formation of potent mutagenic and carcinogenic heterocyclic amines. These same compounds produce tumors at multiple organ sites in both mice and rats. One example of these induced tumors has also been seen in nonhuman primates. Risk assessment for the human population consuming these compounds requires the integration of knowledge of dosimetry, metabolism, carcinogenic potency, and epidemiology. When this integration is done in even a preliminary way as is done here, the range of risk for an individual from these compounds is enormous. Exposure contributes a range of 200-fold or more and metabolism and DNA repair differences among individuals could easily be an additional 10-fold between individuals. This indicates that differences in human cancer risk for heterocyclic amines could range more than a thousandfold between individuals based on exposure and genetic susceptibility.

The capability of rat colon tissue slices to metabolize the cooked-food carcinogen 2-amino-1-methyl-6-phenylimidazo[4,5-b]pyridine.

A major target tissue for carcinogenesis from the cooked-food carcinogen 2-amino-l-methyl-6-phenylimidazo[4,5-b]pyridine (PhIP) in rodents is the colon, yet the role of colon metabolism on the carcinogenicity of PhIP is not clearly understood. The mutagenic potency of PhIP is highly dependent upon cytochrome P450 N-hydroxylation. In the present study, the ability of rat colon tissue to activate PhIP to a mutagen was investigated in Salmonella typhimurium (strains TA98 and YGI024) and rat colon tissue slices. In the Ames/Salmonella assay, using rat colon S9 as the activating system, no mutations were evident from bacteria exposed to PhIP at any concentration tested. However, mutations were observed when bacteria were exposed to 2-aminoanthracene (2AA) and colon S9, indicating sufficient P450 activity in the S9 to activate 2AA but not PhIP. In rat colon slice preparations, the sulfotransferase and acetyltransferase inhibitors pentachlorophenol (PCP) and 2,6-dichloro-4-nitrophenol (DCNP) were used to modulate DNA adduct and metabolite formation. Incubations of 3-methylcholanthrene-induced colon slices dosed with 50 microMolar [(3)H]PhIP produced no detectable metabolites. However, incubations of uninduced slices exposed to 10 microMolar of the reactive intermediate, [(3)H]2-(hydroxyamino)-l-methyl-6-phenylimidazo[4,5-b]pyridine (N-hydroxy-PhIP), produced a single detectable metabolite, a glucuronide conjugate of N-hydroxy-PhIP. This metabolite decreased when PCP or DCNP was added to the incubation medium. DNA adducts were detected in colon slices exposed to N-hydroxy-PhIP at approximately 33 adducts/10(7) nucleotides. Interestingly, when PCP was added to the incubation mixture, an increase in DNA adduct levels was detected, whereas DCNP produced a decrease in adducts. Because these inhibitors are thought to have similar mechanisms with regard to sulfotransferase inhibition, the inverse relationship in DNA adduct levels due to PCP or DCNP treatment is at present unexplainable. The formation of DNA adducts and metabolites from colon slices exposed to N-hydroxy-PhIP but not PhIP implies that there is insufficient P450 activity in the rat colon to activate PhIP to hydroxylated metabolites, suggesting that the rat colon is a site of Phase II metabolism for PhIP and that the liver is the primary source for hydroxylation.

A correlation of Salmonella mutagenicity with DNA adducts induced by the cooked-food mutagen 2-amino-1-methyl-6-phenylimidazo[4,5-b]pyridine.

The correlation of bacterial mutagenicity with DNA adducts from the heterocyclic amine cooked-food mutagen 2-amino-1-methyl-6-phenylimidazo[4,5-b]pyridine (PhIP) was investigated in Salmonella typhimurium strains TA98 (uvrB deficient) and TA1978 (uvrB proficient). Bacterial cells were exposed to PhIP using a modification of the Ames/Salmonella microsuspension assay. Half of the cells, generated from a 90 min pre-incubation and washing, were plated for revertant formation while the remaining half was subjected to DNA adduct analysis via 32P-postlabeling. In TA98, DNA adducts were detected at an RAL (relative adduct labeling) of 10 x 10(-7) and 21 x 10(-7) at PhIP concentrations of 5.5 and 17 microM, respectively. This corresponded to 28.8 and 20.9 adducts/revertant, respectively. These values were based on the assumption that only four repeating GC bases within a 75 DNA base region is the gene target site for PhIP induced mutations. In TA1978, no revertants above background were detected at any concentration of PhIP tested. DNA adducts, however, were detected at 11 x 10(-7) and 21 x 10(-7) adducts per nucleotide at 223 and 1116 microM PhIP, respectively. The lack of detectable revertants, but the presence of DNA adducts, suggests pre-mutational lesions did occur during the 90 min pre-incubation. Presumably, when the S9 activating system and PhIP were removed (via washing with phosphate buffered saline) prior to plating, the cells containing an intact uvrB repair system repaired the lesions during the incubation time on the plates. In conclusion, the induction of revertants by adducts appears quite efficient, as approximately 25 adducts are required for one mutational event in the excision repair deficient bacteria.

The metabolism and DNA binding of the cooked-food mutagen, 2-amino-1-methyl-6-phenylimidazo[4,5-b]pyridine (PhIP) in precision-cut rat liver slices.

Precision-cut liver slices prepared from Aroclor 1254 pretreated male rats were used to investigate the metabolism of 2-amino-1-methyl-6-phenylimidazo[4,5-b]pyridine (PhIP). The acetyltransferase and sulfotransferase inhibitors, pentachlorophenol (PCP) and 2,6-dichloro-4-nitrophenol (DCNP), and the cytochrome P450 inhibitor, alpha-naphthoflavone (ANF), were used to modulate PhIP metabolism and DNA and protein adduct formation. PCP and DCNP had similar effects on the formation of some PhIP metabolites. PCP and DCNP decreased the formation of 4'-(2-amino-1-methylimidazo[4,5-b]pyrid-6-yl)phenyl sulfate (4'-PhIP-sulfate) and 2-(hydroxyamino)-1-methyl-6-phenylimidazo[4,5-b]pyridine (N-hydroxy-PhIP)-glucuronide to 10% and 55% of controls, respectively. 2-Amino-1-methyl-4'-hydroxy-6-phenylimidazo[4,5-b]pyridine (4'-hydroxy-PhIP) was increased by 50% relative to control levels due to PCP and DCNP treatment. PCP and DCNP had different effects on the formation of other PhIP metabolites. Metabolite formation as percent of control for the uncharacterized metabolite, 'Peak A', was 50% and 100% in incubations with PCP and DCNP, respectively. Formation of 4'-hydroxy-PhIP-glucuronide was decreased to 10% of controls with PCP and increased to 147% of controls with DCNP. PCP and DCNP had no effect on the formation of an unidentified metabolite, 'Peak B'. ANF decreased metabolite formation by 60-95%. None of the enzyme inhibitors had a statistically significant effect on PhIP-DNA binding. Covalent binding of PhIP to protein was slightly decreased in incubations containing DCNP or PCP. The lack of significant changes in covalent binding to either DNA or protein suggests that additional pathways may be important in PhIP bioactivation in rat liver slices. With ANF, there was a significant decrease (35%) in protein binding. These observations on the effects of PCP, DCNP and ANF on PhIP metabolism as well as on covalent binding of PhIP to tissue macromolecules are in close agreement with what was reported earlier in hepatocytes. This indicates that tissue slices from various target tissues for tumorigenesis will be a useful in vitro tool for future studies on heterocyclic amine metabolism. This study provides another important example of the utility of precision-cut tissue slices to investigate xenobiotic metabolism and toxicity.

The role of sulfation and/or acetylation in the metabolism of the cooked-food mutagen 2-amino-1-methyl-6-phenylimidazo[4,5-b]pyridine in Salmonella typhimurium and isolated rat hepatocytes.

Mutagenic activity of the cooked-food mutagen/carcinogen 2-amino-1-methyl-6-phenylimidazo-[4,5-b]pyridine (PhIP) is highly dependent upon cytochrome P450 activation to the N-hydroxylated intermediate. In the present study the bioactivation pathways of PhIP were investigated in Salmonella typhimurium and isolated rat hepatocyte preparations. In the Ames/S. typhimurium assay, the acetyltransferase and sulfotransferase enzyme inhibitors pentachlorophenol (PCP) and 2,6-dichloro-4-nitrophenol (DCNP) were used to modulate mutagenicity. DCNP, but not PCP, produced a concentration-dependent decrease in mutagenic activity of 2-(hydroxyamino)-1-methyl-6-phenylimidazo[4,5-b]pyridine (N-hydroxy-PhIP). In rat hepatocyte preparations, PCP and DCNP, as well as the cytochrome P450 IA1 and IA2 inhibitor alpha-naphthoflavone (ANF), were used to modulate metabolite, protein adduct, and DNA adduct formation. Incubations of [3H]PhIP (100 microM) with Aroclor 1254-induced or uninduced hepatocytes resulted in the formation of several metabolites, including 4'-(2-amino-1-methylimidazo[4,5-b]pyrid-6-yl)phenyl sulfate (4'-PhIP-sulfate), 2-amino-1-methyl-4'-hydroxy-6- phenylimidazo[4,5-b]pyridine (4'-hydroxy-PhIP), a glucuronide conjugate of 2-(hydroxyamino)-1-methyl-6-phenylimidazo[4,5-b]pyridine, and other uncharacterized metabolites. While PCP or DCNP pretreatment produced a significant decline in sulfate-dependent conjugation of 4'-hydroxy-PhIP to 4'-PhIP-sulfate, these inhibitors produced only slight decreases in PhIP-dependent covalent binding to proteins in hepatocytes derived from either Aroclor 1254-induced or uninduced rats. PhIP DNA adduct levels were relatively unchanged by PCP or DCNP pretreatment of Aroclor 1254-induced hepatocytes. DNA adducts from hepatocytes dosed with N-hydroxy-PhIP, however, resulted in a decrease in adduct levels from cells pretreated with PCP or DCNP.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)