Toxicity of cordycepin in combination with the adenosine deaminase inhibitor 2'-deoxycoformycin in beagle dogs.

For 3 consecutive days, the nucleoside cordycepin (3'-deoxyadenosine) was administered as 1-hr iv infusions (0, 1, 4, 8, 10, or 20 mg/kg/day) to dogs. These doses were given 1 hr after a bolus iv injection (0.25 mg/kg/day) of 2'-deoxycoformycin (dCF), a potent inhibitor of adenosine deaminase. The hypothesis was that dCF would affect the toxicity of cordycepin. Plasma adenosine deaminase activity was strongly inhibited during the dose period and for 5 days following the final dose of dCF. Dogs given cordycepin alone showed no drug-related toxicities. In dogs given only dCF, drug-related toxicity to lymphoid tissue (lymphopenia and thymus lymphoid depletion), thrombocytopenia, and decreases in food consumption were observed. Cordycepin in combination with dCF produced symptoms associated with severe gastrointestinal toxicity (decreased body weights, emesis, diarrhea, decreased food consumption, and necrosis of the gastrointestinal tract) and bone marrow toxicity (lymphopenia, thrombocytopenia, and depletion of hematopoietic cells). The gastrointestinal tract and bone marrow were sites associated with dose-limiting toxicities. In surviving dogs, most of the effects were reversible by Day 30. The maximum tolerated dose of cordycepin administered in combination with dCF was 8 mg/kg/day (160 mg/m2/day) given daily for 3 days.

Chronic toxicity studies of 5-(2-pyrazinyl)-4-methyl-1,2-dithiole-3-thione, a potential chemopreventive agent.

The synthetic compound Oltipraz, 5-(2-pyrazinyl)-4-methyl-1,2-dithiole-3-thione, is related to the 1,2-dithiolthiones naturally found in cruciferous vegetables, the consumption of which has been epidemiologically associated with reduced frequency of colorectal cancers. Oltipraz has shown chemopreventive efficacy in numerous laboratory epithelial cancer models and is a potential chemopreventive, antimutagenic compound that specifically induces Phase II enzymes. Thirteen-week and 1-year toxicity studies in rats and dogs were performed to characterize the toxicities of the compound at high dosages and to support potential further development as a chemopreventive agent in clinical trials. Administration to rats by gavage for 13 weeks at dosages of 5 and 50 mg/kg/day and for 52 weeks at dosages of 10, 30, and 60 mg/kg/day produced effects on the liver and on clinical chemistry and hematology parameters. Absolute and relative liver weight increases correlated with diffuse hypertrophy in the mid- and high-dose males and centrilobular hypertrophy in the high-dose females. Granularity of hepatocyte cytoplasm was also observed. These anatomical findings were associated with dose-associated slight increases in albumin, total protein, and cholesterol in the males and a moderate increase in cholesterol only in the females. In addition, slight decreases in erythrocyte count, hemoglobin, and hematocrit and reticulocyte elevations occurred. The no effect dose was considered 10 mg/kg/day. Administration by capsule to dogs at dosages of 10 and 100 mg/kg/day for 13 weeks and of 5, 15, and 60 mg/kg/day for 52 weeks also produced effects on the same endpoints noted in the rodent studies. In the 13-week study, precipitate was observed in the bile canaliculi, and gonadal atrophy and increased pituitary weights occurred in the males. Cholesterol and alkaline phosphatase activity were slightly elevated in both studies. Decreased hematology parameters in the 13-week study also occurred. The no effect dose was considered to be 5 mg/kg/day. Oltipraz is being carefully evaluated in clinical trials as a potential antimutagenic compound.

Acute and chronic administration of ibogaine to the rat results in astrogliosis that is not confined to the cerebellar vermis.

Acute administration of high doses of ibogaine (IBG) to the male rat results in degeneration of Purkinje cells and reactive gliosis in the cerebellar vermis. We examined whether acute and chronic administration of IBG to male and female rats results in gliosis as determined by quantification of the astroglial intermediate filament protein, glial fibrillary acidic protein (GFAP). After acute administration of IBG, rats of both sexes showed dose-related increases in GFAP that were not confined to the cerebellar vermis. After chronic administration of IBG, female, but not male rats, showed large (as much as 200% of control), dose-related increases in GFAP in hippocampus, olfactory bulbs, brain stem and striatum, but not cerebellum. In hippocampus, the cytoskeletal proteins, neurofilament 68 (NF-68) and beta-tubulin were increased in females treated chronically with IBG, findings consistent with a damage-induced sprouting response. Together, the data indicate that IBG damages areas of the brain outside the cerebellum and that the sites damaged are dependent on sex and dosage regimen.

3,3',4,4'-Tetrabromobiphenyl sensitizes rats to the hepatotoxic effects of endotoxin by a mechanism that involves more than tumor necrosis factor.

To determine whether the cytokine tumor necrosis factor/cachectin might be a mediator of hepatotoxicity seen after exposure to polyhalogenated aromatic hydrocarbons, rats treated with a single dose of 3,3',4,4'-tetrabromobiphenyl (150 mumol/kg intraperitoneally) or corn oil vehicle were studied. The 3,3',4,4'-tetrabromobiphenyl caused the expected anorexia, alterations in organ weights and changes in cytochromes P-450 over 21 days. Although tumor necrosis factor could not be detected in the serum of rats at any time after 3,3',4,4'-tetrabromobiphenyl treatment alone (from 90 min to 21 days), 3,3',4,4'-tetrabromobiphenyl treatment significantly increased peak serum tumor necrosis factor concentrations after intravenous bacterial endotoxin (lipopolysaccharide, 1 mg/kg). This effect was seen with lipopolysaccharide given 24 hr, 48 hr, and 20 days after 3,3',4,4'-tetrabromobiphenyl treatment and increases in peak serum tumor necrosis factor levels ranged from threefold to eightfold over controls in various experiments with no significant differences between the three time points. However, a synergistic increase in hepatic damage (assessed by serum enzymes and liver histological findings 24 hr after lipopolysaccharide injection) was seen in rats given lipopolysaccharide 24 hr and 48 hr after 3,3',4,4'-tetrabromobiphenyl administration, with 75% and 25% lethality, respectively. There was no lethality with lipopolysaccharide given 20 days after 3,3',4,4'-tetrabromobiphenyl administration or with simultaneous administration. A lower dose of lipopolysaccharide (0.1 mg/kg) given 24 hr after 3,3',4,4'-tetrabromobiphenyl also enhanced hepatotoxicity and serum tumor necrosis factor but without lethality. Lipopolysaccharide decreased cytochromes P-450 concentrations and activities to similar extents at all time points tested in both control and 3,3'4,4'-tetrabromobiphenyl-treated rats.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)

Differential potency of atropisomers of polychlorinated biphenyls on cytochrome P450 induction and uroporphyrin accumulation in the chick embryo hepatocyte culture.

The atropisomers of 2,2',3,4,6-pentachlorobiphenyl (PeCB), 2,2',3,4,4',6-hexachlorobiphenyl (HeCB), and 2,2',3,3',4,4',6,6'-octachlorobiphenyl (OCB) were studied in the chick embryo hepatocyte culture to determine if chirality plays a role in the recognition events associated with the induction of cytochromes P450 and the accumulation of uroporphyrin (URO). Concentration-related induction of cytochrome P450 content, ethoxyresorufin-O-deethylase (EROD) and benzphetamine N-demethylase (BPDM) activities were measured. The rank order of potency for total cytochrome P450 induction was HeCB greater than OCB greater than or equal to PeCB. The (+)- and (-)-enantiomers of PeCB and OCB were of equal potencies as inducers of cytochromes P450, whereas the (+)-HeCB was greater than the (-)-HeCB. HeCB was a much more potent inducer of EROD activity than was either PeCB or OCB. EROD activity was induced to a much greater extent by the (+)-enantiomers of all compounds, with the (-)-enantiomers of PeCB and OCB being inactive. BPDM activity was induced by all three compounds in the order of OCB greater than or equal to HeCB greater than PeCB. The (-)-enantiomers were more potent inducers of BPDM activities than were the (+)-enantiomers, except for HeCB, in which the (+)- was more potent than the (-)-enantiomer. Analysis of porphyrin accumulation in cultures treated with delta-aminolevulinic acid revealed that (+)-HeCB caused the greatest percent URO accumulation, which also correlated with the greatest increase in EROD activity. All other enantiomers caused up to 47% URO accumulation, which did not correlate with an increase in EROD activity.

Effects of polychlorinated biphenyls on cytochrome P450 induction in the chick embryo hepatocyte culture.

The effects of pure synthetic polychlorinated biphenyl (PCB) congeners on the induction of cytochrome P450 and associated activities were examined in cultured chick embryo hepatocytes. Dose-response effects for the induction of total cytochrome P450 ethoxyresorufin-O-deethylase (EROD) activity, and benzphetamine demethylase (BPDM) activity were studied using 10 selected tetra- to hexachlorinated PCB congeners. These studies revealed that PCBs caused effects in the chick hepatocyte culture different from previously observed effects in rat liver. Based on their effects in chick hepatocytes, the PCBs could be categorized into two groups. The first group (consisting of 3,3',4,4'-PCB, 3,3',4,4',5-PCB, 3,3',4,4',5,5'-PCB, 2',3,3',4,5-PCB, 2,3,3',4,4',5'-PCB, and 2,3,4,4',5-PCB) induced total cytochrome P450 2.4- to 2.9-fold and EROD activity from 1-2 pmol/min/mg protein to 162-247. There was marked variation in potency, but all these congeners had a maximal inducing dose above which cytochrome P450 concentrations and EROD activities declined. BPDM activities were increased only slightly (1.2- to 1.6-fold) at the maximal cytochrome P450 inducing dose. The second group of congeners (consisting of 2,2',4,5,5'-PCB. 2,2',4,4',5,5'-PCB, and 2,2',3,4,4',6-PCB) induced total cytochrome P450 concentrations 4.0-fold and BPDM activities 2.2- to 2.6-fold with greatest activity occurring at the highest doses which could be added (10-50 microM). However, EROD activities were also increased by these congeners to 60-112 pmol/min/mg protein with declining activities seen at the highest PCB doses (i.e., resembling EROD induction patterns of the first group). The EROD induction patterns with these latter PCB congeners are noteworthy since these PCBs do not induce EROD activity in the rat. For both groups of PCB congeners, EROD induction was associated with increased accumulation of uroporphyrin in cultures exposed to exogenous 5-aminolevulinate. Studies investigating the reason for the depression of cytochrome P450 concentrations and/or EROD activities by high doses of the PCBs revealed that with the first group there was slightly decreased total protein synthesis, decreased total cell heme concentrations, and decreased accumulation of radiolabeled heme synthesized from 5-[14C]aminolevulinate. These changes might represent nonspecific toxic effects of the first group of PCBs. However, since these changes were not seen with the second group of PCBs, it is unlikely that either inhibition of heme synthesis or toxicity cause the depression of EROD activity with high PCB doses.

Gas-liquid chromatography of 3-chloropropanediol.

To improve the gas chromatographic properties of 3-chloropropanediol, a phenylboronic acid derivative was prepared. This method appears to be suitable for trace analysis of the title compound. Epichlorohydrin, 1,2-propanediol, and 1,2-dichloropropanol were among the structurally related compounds shown not to interfere. The structure of the derivative was confirmed by gas chromatography-Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy utilizing a matrix isolation interface and gas chromatography-mass spectrometry.