Development and validation of a sensitive method for tetracycline in gingival crevicular fluid by HPLC using fluorescence detection.

Increased interest in the clinical use of antibiotics for periodontal therapy required the development of a sensitive assay for the quantitation of tetracycline in gingival crevicular fluid (GCF). An HPLC method was developed and validated for tetracycline which separates and identifies the degradation component epi-tetracycline. The HPLC assay employs a C18 reversed-phase Hypersil column with a mobile phase composed of methanol and sodium acetate buffer containing CaCl2 and EDTA disodium salt. The chromatographic separation was monitored by a fluorescent detector with an excitation wavelength of 375 nm and an emission wavelength of 512 nm. Tetracycline was extracted from GCF collected on Periopapers by addition of a methanol solution containing the internal standard, doxycycline, and the mobile phase buffer (25:75, v/v). The mean percent recovery for the extraction method was 107.8% with all the % R.S.D. below 7.5%. The mean inter- and intra-batch accuracy was 104.1 and 105.3%, respectively with a coefficient of variation of less than 9.5%. The lower limit of detection was 2.5 ng on the Periopapers. The typical GCF volumes collected were 0.1-1 microliter. The method was validated for the linear concentration range 2.5-1000 ng of tetracycline on the Periopaper. This assay for tetracycline was shown to be an accurate, precise and rugged method.

Potential genoprotective role for UDP-glucuronosyltransferases in chemical carcinogenesis: initiation of micronuclei by benzo(a)pyrene and benzo(e)pyrene in UDP-glucuronosyltransferase-deficient cultured rat skin fibroblasts.

UDP-glucuronosyltransferases (UGTs) are cytoprotective and may also be genoprotective. Since over 10% of the population have hereditary deficiencies in UGTs, this family of enzymes could constitute an important determinant of susceptibility to chemical carcinogenesis, teratogenesis, and neurodegeneration. Fibroblasts contain Phase I and II drug-metabolizing enzymes, including UGTs, and undergo mitosis, rendering them susceptible to xenobiotic genotoxicity associated with micronucleus formation, which is thought to reflect carcinogenic initiation. Accordingly, skin fibroblasts may provide an accessible model for elucidating genoprotective mechanisms in both animals and humans and for characterizing the potential role of UGTs as determinants of individual toxicological susceptibility. To test this hypothesis, the carcinogen/teratogen benzo(a)pyrene [B(a)P], or its noncarcinogenic B(e)P isomer, was incubated with cultured skin fibroblasts obtained from male RHA-J/J rats. These rats have a hereditary homozygous deficiency in bilirubin UGT and demonstrate reduced xenobiotic glucuronidation, enhanced cytochrome P-450-catalyzed bioactivation, covalent binding, and toxicity of acetaminophen and B(a)P. Control fibroblasts were cultured from UGT-normal congenic homozygous male RHA-(+/+) rats and male Wistar rats. The cells were incubated with 10 microM B(a)P or B(e)P either for assessment of micronucleus formation or for quantifying the bioactivation and covalent binding of B(a)P and the glucuronidation of its hydroxylated metabolites. Compared to control fibroblasts incubated only with buffer, micronucleus formation was not enhanced by either DMSO vehicle or B(e)P. In contrast, B(a)P significantly enhanced micronucleus formation in all cells, and UGT-deficient cells (RHA-J/J) had a > 2-fold higher B(a)P-initiated micronucleus formation compared to UGT-normal cells (RHA-(+/+)) (P < 0.05). Glucuronidation of total B(a)P metabolites was 10% lower in RHA-J/J UGT-deficient fibroblasts, and the covalent binding of B(a)P to protein, reflective of an electrophilic reactive intermediate and DNA-alkylating agent, was up to 3-fold higher in RHA-J/J UGT-deficient fibroblasts or fibroblast homogenates compared to UGT-normal controls (P < 0.05). In fibroblast homogenates, addition of the UGT cosubstrate UDP-glucuronic acid reduced B(a)P covalent binding, corroborating the cytoprotective importance of UGTs. There was a highly significant correlation between decreasing glucuronidation of B(a)P metabolites and increasing bioactivation and covalent binding of B(a)P (r = -0.889; P = 0.018) in fibroblasts from RHA-J/J and RHA-(+/+) rat strains, indicating an important genoprotective role for UGT. These results provide the first evidence that hereditary UGT deficiencies may enhance susceptibility to chemical carcinogenesis and suggest that skin fibroblasts may provide a useful and highly sensitive model for human risk assessment.