Influence of synthetic and natural food dyes on activities of CYP2A6, UGT1A6, and UGT2B7.

Synthetic or natural food dyes are typical xenobiotics, as are drugs and pollutants. After ingestion, part of these dyes may be absorbed and metabolized by phase I and II drug-metabolizing enzymes and excreted by transporters of phase III enzymes. However, there is little information regarding the metabolism of these dyes. It was investigated whether these dyes are substrates for CYP2A6 and UDP-glucuronosyltransferase (UGT). The in vitro inhibition of drug-metabolizing enzymes by these dyes was also examined. The synthetic food dyes studied were amaranth (food red no. 2), erythrosine B (food red no. 3), allura red (food red no. 40), new coccine (food red no. 102), acid red (food red no. 106), tartrazine (food Yellow no. 4), sunset yellow FCF (food yellow no. 5), brilliant blue FCF (food blue no. 1), and indigo carmine (food blue no. 2). The natural additive dyes studied were extracts from purple sweet potato, purple corn, cochineal, monascus, grape skin, elderberry, red beet, gardenia, and curthamus. Data confirmed that these dyes were not substrates for CYP2A6, UGT1A6, and UGT2B7. Only indigo carmine inhibited CYP2A6 in a noncompetitive manner, while erythrosine B inhibited UGT1A6 (glucuronidation of p-nitrophenol) and UGT2B7 (glucuronidation of androsterone). In the natural additive dyes just listed, only monascus inhibited UGT1A6 and UGT2B7.

Autoantibodies against CYP2D6 and other drug-metabolizing enzymes in autoimmune hepatitis type 2.

Autoimmune hepatitis (AIH) is a disease of unknown etiology, characterized by liver-related autoantibodies. Autoimmune hepatitis is subdivided into two major types: AIH type 1 is characterized by the detection of ANA, SMA, ANCA, anti-ASGP-R, and anti-SLA/LP. Autoimmune hepatitis type 2 is characterized to be mainly related with drug-metabolizing enzymes as autoantigens, such as anti-LKM (liver-kidney microsomal antigen)-1 against CYP2D6, anti-LKM-2 against CYP2C9-tienilic acid, anti-LKM-3 against UGT1A, and anti-LC1 (liver cytosol antigen)-1 and anti-APS (autoimmune polyglandular syndrome type-1) against CYP1A2, CYP2A6, and others. Anti-LKM-1 sera inhibited CYP2D6 activity in vitro but did not inhibit cellular drug metabolism in vivo. CYP2D6 is the major target autoantigen of LKM-1 and expressed on plasma membrane (PM) of hepatocytes, suggesting a pathogenic role for anti-LKM-1 in liver injury as a trigger. Anti-CYP1A2 was observed in dihydralazine-induced hepatitis, and radiolabeled CYP1A2 disappeared from the PM with a half-life of less than 30 min, whereas microsomal CYP1A2 was stably radiolabeled for several hours. Main antigenic epitopes on CYP2D6 are aa 193-212, aa 257-269, and aa 321-351; and D263 is essential. The third epitope is located on the surface of the protein CYP2D6 and displays a hydrophobic patch that is situated between an aromatic residue (W316) and histidine (H326). Some drugs such as anticonvulsants (phenobarbital, phenytoin, and carbamazepine) and halothane are suggested to induce hepatitis with anti-CYP3A and anti-CYP2E1, respectively. Autoantibodies against CYP11A1, CYP17, and/or CYP21 involved in the synthesis of steroid hormones are also detected in patients with adrenal failure, gonadal failure, and/or Addison disease.