Metabolism of 3-indolylacetic acid during percutaneous absorption in human skin

Drug transporters OAT1 and OAT3 have specific effects on multiple organs and gut microbiome as revealed by contextualized metabolic network reconstructions

In vitro and in vivo studies have established the organic anion transporters OAT1 (SLC22A6, NKT) and OAT3 (SLC22A8) among the main multi-specific "drug" transporters. They also transport numerous endogenous metabolites, raising the possibility of drug-metabolite interactions (DMI). To help understand the role of these drug transporters on metabolism across scales ranging from organ systems to organelles, a formal multi-scale analysis was performed. Metabolic network reconstructions of the omics-alterations resulting from Oat1 and Oat3 gene knockouts revealed links between the microbiome and human metabolism including reactions involving small organic molecules such as dihydroxyacetone, alanine, xanthine, and p-cresol-key metabolites in independent pathways. Interestingly, pairwise organ-organ interactions were also disrupted in the two Oat knockouts, with altered liver, intestine, microbiome, and skin-related metabolism. Compared to older models focused on the "one transporter-one organ" concept, these more sophisticated reconstructions, combined with integration of a multi-microbial model and more comprehensive metabolomics data for the two transporters, provide a considerably more complex picture of how renal "drug" transporters regulate metabolism across the organelle (e.g. endoplasmic reticulum, Golgi, peroxisome), cellular, organ, inter-organ, and inter-organismal scales. The results suggest that drugs interacting with OAT1 and OAT3 can have far reaching consequences on metabolism in organs (e.g. skin) beyond the kidney. Consistent with the Remote Sensing and Signaling Theory (RSST), the analysis demonstrates how transporter-dependent metabolic signals mediate organ crosstalk (e.g., gut-liver-kidney) and inter-organismal communication (e.g., gut microbiome-host).

Xenobiotic-metabolizing enzymes in the skin of rat, mouse, pig, guinea pig, man, and in human skin models

The exposure of the skin to medical drugs, skin care products, cosmetics, and other chemicals renders information on xenobiotic-metabolizing enzymes (XME) in the skin highly interesting. Since the use of freshly excised human skin for experimental investigations meets with ethical and practical limitations, information on XME in models comes in the focus including non-human mammalian species and in vitro skin models. This review attempts to summarize the information available in the open scientific literature on XME in the skin of human, rat, mouse, guinea pig, and pig as well as human primary skin cells, human cell lines, and reconstructed human skin models. The most salient outcome is that much more research on cutaneous XME is needed for solid metabolism-dependent efficacy and safety predictions, and the cutaneous metabolism comparisons have to be viewed with caution. Keeping this fully in mind at least with respect to some cutaneous XME, some models may tentatively be considered to approximate reasonable closeness to human skin. For dermal absorption and for skin irritation among many contributing XME, esterase activity is of special importance, which in pig skin, some human cell lines, and reconstructed skin models appears reasonably close to human skin. With respect to genotoxicity and sensitization, activating XME are not yet judgeable, but reactive metabolite-reducing XME in primary human keratinocytes and several reconstructed human skin models appear reasonably close to human skin. For a more detailed delineation and discussion of the severe limitations see the “Overview and Conclusions” section in the end of this review.

Phase II metabolism in human skin: skin explants show full coverage for glucuronidation, sulfation, N-acetylation, catechol methylation, and glutathione conjugation

Although skin is the largest organ of the human body, cutaneous drug metabolism is often overlooked, and existing experimental models are insufficiently validated. This proof-of-concept study investigated phase II biotransformation of 11 test substrates in fresh full-thickness human skin explants, a model containing all skin cell types. Results show that skin explants have significant capacity for glucuronidation, sulfation, N-acetylation, catechol methylation, and glutathione conjugation. Novel skin metabolites were identified, including acyl glucuronides of indomethacin and diclofenac, glucuronides of 17β-estradiol, N-acetylprocainamide, and methoxy derivatives of 4-nitrocatechol and 2,3-dihydroxynaphthalene. Measured activities for 10 μM substrate incubations spanned a 1000-fold: from the highest 4.758 pmol·mg skin(-1)·h(-1) for p-toluidine N-acetylation to the lowest 0.006 pmol·mg skin(-1)·h(-1) for 17β-estradiol 17-glucuronidation. Interindividual variability was 1.4- to 13.0-fold, the highest being 4-methylumbelliferone and diclofenac glucuronidation. Reaction rates were generally linear up to 4 hours, although 24-hour incubations enabled detection of metabolites in trace amounts. All reactions were unaffected by the inclusion of cosubstrates, and freezing of the fresh skin led to loss of glucuronidation activity. The predicted whole-skin intrinsic metabolic clearances were significantly lower compared with corresponding whole-liver intrinsic clearances, suggesting a relatively limited contribution of the skin to the body's total systemic phase II enzyme-mediated metabolic clearance. Nevertheless, the fresh full-thickness skin explants represent a suitable model to study cutaneous phase II metabolism not only in drug elimination but also in toxicity, as formation of acyl glucuronides and sulfate conjugates could play a role in skin adverse reactions.

Importance of UDP-glucuronosyltransferase 1A1 expression in skin and its induction by UVB in neonatal hyperbilirubinemia

UDP-glucuronosyltransferase (UGT) 1A1 is the sole enzyme that can metabolize bilirubin. Human infants physiologically develop hyperbilirubinemia as the result of inadequate expression of UGT1A1 in the liver. Although phototherapy using blue light is effective in preventing jaundice, sunlight has also been suggested, but without conclusive evidence, to reduce serum bilirubin levels. We investigated the mRNA expression pattern of human UGT1A1 in human skin, human skin keratinocyte (HaCaT) cells, and skin of humanized UGT1 mice. The effects of UVB irradiation on the expression of UGT1A1 in the HaCaT cells were also examined. Multiple UGT1A isoforms, including UGT1A1, were expressed in human skin and HaCaT cells. When HaCaT cells were treated with UVB-exposed tryptophan, UGT1A1 mRNA and activity were significantly induced. Treatment of the HaCaT cells with 6-formylindolo[3,2-b]carbazole, which is one of the tryptophan derivatives formed by UVB, resulted in an induction of UGT1A1 mRNA and activity. In neonates, the expression of UGT1A1 was greater in the skin; in adults, UGT1A1 was expressed mainly in the liver. Treatment of humanized UGT1 mice with UVB resulted in a reduction of serum bilirubin levels, along with increased UGT1A1 expression and activity in the skin. Our data revealed a protective role of UGT1A1 expressed in the skin against neonatal hyperbilirubinemia. Sunlight, a natural and free source of light, makes it possible to treat neonatal jaundice while allowing mothers to breast-feed neonates.

Xenobiotic metabolism capacities of human skin in comparison with a 3D-epidermis model and keratinocyte-based cell culture as in vitro alternatives for chemical testing: phase II enzymes

The 7th Amendment to the EU Cosmetics Directive prohibits the use of animals in cosmetic testing for certain endpoints, such as genotoxicity. Therefore, skin in vitro models have to replace chemical testing in vivo. However, the metabolic competence neither of human skin nor of alternative in vitro models has so far been fully characterized, although skin is the first-pass organ for accidentally or purposely (cosmetics and pharmaceuticals) applied chemicals. Thus, there is an urgent need to understand the xenobiotic-metabolizing capacities of human skin and to compare these activities to models developed to replace animal testing. We have measured the activity of the phase II enzymes glutathione S-transferase, UDP-glucuronosyltransferase and N-acetyltransferase in ex vivo human skin, the 3D epidermal model EpiDerm 200 (EPI-200), immortalized keratinocyte-based cell lines (HaCaT and NCTC 2544) and primary normal human epidermal keratinocytes. We show that all three phase II enzymes are present and highly active in skin as compared to phase I. Human skin, therefore, represents a more detoxifying than activating organ. This work systematically compares the activities of three important phase II enzymes in four different in vitro models directly to human skin. We conclude from our studies that 3D epidermal models, like the EPI-200 employed here, are superior over monolayer cultures in mimicking human skin xenobiotic metabolism and thus better suited for dermatotoxicity testing.

Drug-metabolizing enzymes in the skin of man, rat, and pig

The mammalian skin has long been considered to be poor in drug metabolism. However, many reports clearly show that most drug metabolizing enzymes also occur in the mammalian skin albeit at relatively low specific activities. This review summarizes the current state of knowledge on drug metabolizing enzymes in the skin of human, rat, and pig, the latter, because it is often taken as a model for human skin on grounds of anatomical similarities. However only little is known about drug metabolizing enzymes in pig skin. Interestingly, some cytochromes P450 (CYP) have been observed in the rat skin which are not expressed in the rat liver, such as CYP 2B12 and CYP2D4. As far as investigated most drug metabolizing enzymes occur in the suprabasal (i.e. differentiating) layers of the epidermis, but the rat CYP1A1 rather in the basal layer and human UDP-glucuronosyltransferase rather in the stratum corneum. The pattern of drug metabolizing enzymes and their localization will impact not only the beneficial as well as detrimental properties of drugs for the skin but also dictate whether a drug reaches the blood flow unchanged or as activated or inactivated metabolite(s).

Sulfation of indoxyl by human and rat aryl (phenol) sulfotransferases to form indoxyl sulfate

The aim of this study was to identify sulfotransferase (SULT) isoform(s) responsible for the formation of indoxyl sulfate from indoxyl (3-hydroxyindole). Indoxyl was incubated together with the co-substrate 3'-phosphoadenosine 5'-phosphosulfate (PAPS) and either human or rat liver cytosol or recombinant sulfotransferase enzymes. Formation of indoxyl sulfate from indoxyl was measured by HPLC and used for determination of sulfonation rates. Both cytosols sulfonated indoxyl with apparent Km values of 6.8 +/- 0.9 microM for human and 3.2 +/- 0.6 microM for rat cytosol. To help identify the isoform(s) of SULT responsible for indoxyl sulfate formation, indoxyl was incubated with human and rat liver cytosols and PAPS in the presence of isoform-specific SULT inhibitors. No inhibition was observed by DHEA, a specific hydroxysteroid sulfotransferase inhibitor, nor by oestrone, an inhibitor of oestrogen sulfotransferase. However, an aryl (phenol) sulfotransferase inhibitor, 2,6-dichloro-4-nitrophenol (DCNP), inhibited the formation of indoxyl sulfate with a IC50 values of 3.2 microM for human and 1.0 microM for rat cytosol indicating that human and rat aryl (phenol) sulfotransferases are responsible for the formation of indoxyl sulfate. When indoxyl was incubated with SULT1A1*2, a human recombinant aryl SULT, an apparent Km value of 5.6 +/- 1.8 microM was obtained. Kinetic studies with human and rat cytosols and human recombinant SULT1A1*2 gave similar kinetic values indicating that human and rat aryl sulfotransferases efficiently catalyze the formation of indoxyl sulfate, an important uremic toxin metabolite.