Epithelia-Sensory Neuron Cross Talk Underlies Cholestatic Itch Induced by Lysophosphatidylcholine.

BACKGROUND & AIMS: Limited understanding of pruritus mechanisms in cholestatic liver diseases hinders development of antipruritic treatments. Previous studies implicated lysophosphatidic acid (LPA) as a potential mediator of cholestatic pruritus. METHODS: Pruritogenicity of lysophosphatidylcholine (LPC), LPA's precursor, was examined in naïve mice, cholestatic mice, and nonhuman primates. LPC's pruritogenicity involving keratinocyte TRPV4 was studied using genetic and pharmacologic approaches, cultured keratinocytes, ion channel physiology, and structural computational modeling. Activation of pruriceptor sensory neurons by microRNA-146a (miR-146a), secreted from keratinocytes, was identified by in vitro and ex vivo Ca2+ imaging assays. Sera from patients with primary biliary cholangitis were used for measuring the levels of LPC and miR-146a. RESULTS: LPC was robustly pruritic in mice. TRPV4 in skin keratinocytes was essential for LPC-induced itch and itch in mice with cholestasis. Three-dimensional structural modeling, site-directed mutagenesis, and channel function analysis suggested a TRPV4 C-terminal motif for LPC binding and channel activation. In keratinocytes, TRPV4 activation by LPC induced extracellular release of miR-146a, which activated TRPV1+ sensory neurons to cause itch. LPC and miR-146a levels were both elevated in sera of patients with primary biliary cholangitis with itch and correlated with itch intensity. Moreover, LPC and miR-146a were also increased in sera of cholestatic mice and elicited itch in nonhuman primates. CONCLUSIONS: We identified LPC as a novel cholestatic pruritogen that induces itch through epithelia-sensory neuron cross talk, whereby it directly activates skin keratinocyte TRPV4, which rapidly releases miR-146a to activate skin-innervating TRPV1+ pruriceptor sensory neurons. Our findings support the new concept of the skin, as a sensory organ, playing a critical role in cholestatic itch, beyond liver, peripheral sensory neurons, and central neural pathways supporting pruriception.

Butyrylcholinesterase, a stereospecific in vivo bioscavenger against nerve agent intoxication.

Human butyrylcholinesterase (E.C. 3.1.1.8) purified from blood plasma has previously been shown to provide protection against up to five and a half times the median lethal dose of an organophosphorus nerve agent in several animal models. In this study the stoichiometric nature of the protection afforded by human butyrylcholinesterase against organophosphorus nerve agents was investigated in guinea pigs. Animals were administered human butyrylcholinesterase (26.15 mg/kg ≡ 308 nmol/kg) by the intravascular or intramuscular route. Animals were subsequently dosed with either soman or VX in accordance with a stage-wise adaptive dose design to estimate the modified median lethal dose in treated animals. Human butyrylcholinesterase (308 nmol/kg) increased the median lethal dose of soman from 154 nmol/kg to 770 nmol/kg. Comparing the molar ratio of agent molecules to enzyme active sites yielded a stoichiometric protective ratio of 2:1 for soman, likely related to the similar stereoselectivity the enzyme has compared to the toxic target, acetylcholinesterase. In contrast, human butyrylcholinesterase (308 nmol/kg) increased the median lethal dose of VX from 30 nmol/kg to 312 nmol/kg, resulting in a stoichiometric protective ratio of only 1:1, suggesting a lack of stereoselectivity for this agent.

Design, synthesis, and characterization of novel, nonquaternary reactivators of GF-inhibited human acetylcholinesterase.

The goal of this research was to identify structurally novel, non-quaternarypyridinium reactivators of GF (cyclosarin)-inhibited hAChE that possess the capacity to mediate in vitro reactivation of GF-inhibited human acetylcholinesterase (hAChE). New compounds were designed, synthesized and assessed in GF-inhibited hAChE assays. Structure activity relationships for AChE binding and reactivation of GF-inhibited hAChE were developed. Lead compounds from two different chemical series, represented by compounds 17 and 38, displayed proficient in vitro reactivation of GF-inhibited hAChE, while also possessing low inhibition of native enzyme.

Assessing protection against OP pesticides and nerve agents provided by wild-type HuPON1 purified from Trichoplusia ni larvae or induced via adenoviral infection.

Human paraoxonase-1 (HuPON1) has been proposed as a catalytic bioscavenger of organophosphorus (OP) pesticides and nerve agents. We assessed the potential of this enzyme to protect against OP poisoning using two different paradigms. First, recombinant HuPON1 purified from cabbage loopers (iPON1; Trichoplusia ni) was administered to guinea pigs, followed by exposure to at least 2 times the median lethal dose (LD(50)) of the OP nerve agents tabun (GA), sarin (GB), soman (GD), and cyclosarin (GF), or chlorpyrifos oxon, the toxic metabolite of the OP pesticide chlorpyrifos. In the second model, mice were infected with an adenovirus that induced expression of HuPON1 and then exposed to sequential doses of GD, VX, or (as reported previously) diazoxon, the toxic metabolite of the OP pesticide diazinon. In both animal models, the exogenously added HuPON1 protected animals against otherwise lethal doses of the OP pesticides but not against the nerve agents. Together, the results support prior modeling and in vitro activity data which suggest that wild-type HuPON1 does not have sufficient catalytic activity to provide in vivo protection against nerve agents.

Organophosphorus hydrolase as an in vivo catalytic nerve agent bioscavenger.

The use of proteins as a treatment for organophosphorus intoxication has been investigated since A. R. Main demonstrated protective efficacy against parathion with an exogenously administered arylesterase in the late 1950s. His experiments spurred over 60 years of research and progress in the development of enzymes as potential bioscavengers of nerve agents and pesticides. Efforts have been made to broaden the specificity of enzymes to make a universal scavenger that would protect against multiple compounds, and an understanding of the differential isomer toxicity of these compounds has provided the impetus for rational and random mutagenic approaches in the stereospecific design of enzymes. As improved candidate enzymes are continually developed, our understanding of the contributions of the catalytic parameters (k(cat) , K(M) and catalytic efficiency) to efficacy expands. In addition to the scavenging properties of the proteins, another important aspect of development is the pharmacokinetic profile of the drug product. Immunogenicity, absorption, distribution and elimination contribute significantly to the level of protection afforded by the protein. A review of the development of organophosphorus hydrolase (OPH) for use as in vivo catalytic bioscavengers is presented here.

Plant-derived human butyrylcholinesterase, but not an organophosphorous-compound hydrolyzing variant thereof, protects rodents against nerve agents.

The concept of using cholinesterase bioscavengers for prophylaxis against organophosphorous nerve agents and pesticides has progressed from the bench to clinical trial. However, the supply of the native human proteins is either limited (e.g., plasma-derived butyrylcholinesterase and erythrocytic acetylcholinesterase) or nonexisting (synaptic acetylcholinesterase). Here we identify a unique form of recombinant human butyrylcholinesterase that mimics the native enzyme assembly into tetramers; this form provides extended effective pharmacokinetics that is significantly enhanced by polyethylene glycol conjugation. We further demonstrate that this enzyme (but not a G117H/E197Q organophosphorus acid anhydride hydrolase catalytic variant) can prevent morbidity and mortality associated with organophosphorous nerve agent and pesticide exposure of animal subjects of two model species.

Stereoselective hydrolysis of organophosphate nerve agents by the bacterial phosphotriesterase.

Organophosphorus compounds include many synthetic, neurotoxic substances that are commonly used as insecticides. The toxicity of these compounds is due to their ability to inhibit the enzyme acetylcholine esterase. Some of the most toxic organophosphates have been adapted for use as chemical warfare agents; the most well-known are GA, GB, GD, GF, VX, and VR. All of these compounds contain a chiral phosphorus center, with the S(P) enantiomers being significantly more toxic than the R(P) enantiomers. Phosphotriesterase (PTE) is an enzyme capable of detoxifying these agents, but the stereochemical preference of the wild-type enzyme is for the R(P) enantiomers. A series of enantiomerically pure chiral nerve agent analogues containing the relevant phosphoryl centers found in GB, GD, GF, VX, and VR has been developed. Wild-type and mutant forms of PTE have been tested for their ability to hydrolyze this series of compounds. Mutant forms of PTE with significantly enhanced, as well as relaxed or reversed, stereoselectivity have been identified. A number of variants exhibited dramatically improved kinetic constants for the catalytic hydrolysis of the more toxic S(P) enantiomers. Improvements of up to 3 orders of magnitude relative to the value of the wild-type enzyme were observed. Some of these mutants were tested against racemic mixtures of GB and GD. The kinetic constants obtained with the chiral nerve agent analogues accurately predict the improved activity and stereoselectivity against the authentic nerve agents used in this study.

Bisquaternary pyridinium oximes: Comparison of in vitro reactivation potency of compounds bearing aliphatic linkers and heteroaromatic linkers for paraoxon-inhibited electric eel and recombinant human acetylcholinesterase.

Oxime reactivators are the drugs of choice for the post-treatment of OP (organophosphorus) intoxication and used widely for mechanistic and kinetic studies of OP-inhibited cholinesterases. The purpose of the present study was to evaluate new oxime compounds to reactivate acetylcholinesterase (AChE) inhibited by the OP paraoxon. Several new bisquaternary pyridinium oximes with heterocyclic linkers along with some known bisquaternary pyridinium oximes bearing aliphatic linkers were synthesized and evaluated for their in vitro reactivation potency against paraoxon-inhibited electric eel acetylcholinesterase (EeAChE) and recombinant human acetylcholinesterase (rHuAChE). Results herein indicate that most of the compounds are better reactivators of EeAChE than of rHuAChE. The reactivation potency of two different classes of compounds with varying linker chains was compared and observed that the structure of the connecting chain is an important factor for the activity of the reactivators. At a higher concentration (10(-3)M), compounds bearing aliphatic linker showed better reactivation than compounds with heterocyclic linkers. Interestingly, oximes with a heterocyclic linker inhibited AChE at higher concentration (10(-3)M), whereas their ability to reactivate was increased at lower concentrations (10(-4)M and 10(-5)M). Compounds bearing either a thiophene linker 26, 46 or a furan linker 31 showed 59%, 49% and 52% reactivation of EeAChE, respectively, at 10(-5)M. These compounds showed 14%, 6% and 15% reactivation of rHuAChE at 10(-4)M. Amongst newly synthesized analogs with heterocyclic linkers (26-35 and 45-46), compound 31, bearing furan linker chain, was found to be the most effective reactivator with a k(r) 0.042min(-1), which is better than obidoxime (3) for paraoxon-inhibited EeAChE. Compound 31 showed a k(r) 0.0041min(-1) that is near equal to pralidoxime (1) for paraoxon-inhibited rHuAChE.

Orientation specific positioning of organophosphorus hydrolase on solid interfaces for biosensor applications.

Protein immobilization on solid interfaces is a crucial aspect of their successful application in technologies such as biosensing, purification, separation, decontamination, etc. Although immobilization can improve the long-term and operational stability of proteins, this is often at the cost of significant losses in the catalytic activity of the tethered enzyme. Covalent attachment methods take advantage of reactive groups on the amino acid side chains. The distribution of the solvent exposed side chains on an enzyme's molecular surface often results in an ensemble of orientations when the protein is immobilized on a surface or in a matrix through these side chain linkages. Depending on the attachment mechanism and resulting orientation, access to and from the active site could be restricted. This study describes a methodology for the design and implementation of an orientation specific attachment of an enzyme to a surface plasmon resonance sensor surface. The enzyme, organophosphorus hydrolase, was structurally analyzed to identify surface resides as candidates for modification to optimize active site accessibility and, thus, sensitivity of detection. A single surface lysine on the active site face of the enzyme dimer was selected for elimination, thus allowing for the immobilization of the catalyst in the preferred orientation. Kinetic evaluation of the enzymes determined that the surface lysine-to-alanine variant retained 80% of the wild-type activity with the neurotoxin substrates, paraoxon and demeton-S. After immobilization, surfaces bearing the variant were determined to be more active even though the enzyme coverage on the sensor surface was reduced by 17%.

New series of monoquaternary pyridinium oximes: Synthesis and reactivation potency for paraoxon-inhibited electric eel and recombinant human acetylcholinesterase.

The preparation of a series of monoquaternary pyridinium oximes bearing either a heterocyclic side chain or a functionalized aliphatic side chain and the corresponding in vitro evaluation for reactivation of paraoxon-inhibited electric eel acetylcholinesterase (EeAChE) and recombinant human acetylcholinesterase (rHuAChE) are reported. Several newly synthesized compounds efficiently reactivated inhibited EeAChE, but were poor reactivators of inhibited rHuAChE. Compounds bearing a thiophene ring in the side chain (20, 23, 26 and 29) showed better reactivation (24-37% for EeAChE and 5-9% for rHuAChE) compared to compounds with furan and isoxazole heterocycles (0-8% for EeAChE and 2-3% for rHuAChE) at 10(-5)M. The N-pyridyl-CH(2)COOH analog 8 reactivated EeAChE (36%) and rHuAChE (15%) at 10(-4)M with a k(r) value better than 2-pyridine aldoxime methiodide (2-PAM) for rHuAChE.