Characterization of alkyl-cobalamins formed on trapping of epoxide metabolites of 1,3-butadiene

The inorganic chemistry of the cobalt corrinoids - an update

The inorganic chemistry of the cobalt corrinoids, derivatives of vitamin B₁₂, is reviewed, with particular emphasis on equilibrium constants for, and kinetics of, their axial ligand substitution reactions. The role the corrin ligand plays in controlling and modifying the properties of the metal ion is emphasised. Other aspects of the chemistry of these compounds, including their structure, corrinoid complexes with metals other than cobalt, the redox chemistry of the cobalt corrinoids and their chemical redox reactions, and their photochemistry are discussed. Their role as catalysts in non-biological reactions and aspects of their organometallic chemistry are briefly mentioned. Particular mention is made of the role that computational methods - and especially DFT calculations - have played in developing our understanding of the inorganic chemistry of these compounds. A brief overview of the biological chemistry of the B₁₂-dependent enzymes is also given for the reader's convenience.

DNA as an in vitro trapping agent for detection of bulky genotoxic metabolites

The instability of electrophilic reactive metabolites in in vitro metabolism studies makes their accurate analysis challenging. To stabilise the reactive compounds prior to their analysis, different trapping agents, such as thiols, amines and cob(I)alamin, have earlier been tested depending on the metabolites to be analysed and the type of study. In the present work, DNA is introduced as a trapping agent for measuring the formation of bulky electrophilic metabolites. Benzo[a]pyrene (B[a]P), a polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon (PAH), was used as a model compound in a rat liver S9 metabolic system. Under physiological incubation conditions, B[a]P metabolises to diol epoxide (BPDE) metabolites which were trapped by DNA resulting in the formation of covalently bound DNA adducts. The methodology for analysis of these adducts included extraction of the DNA from the metabolic system, digestion of the DNA to yield nucleosides and analysis of the BPDE-adduct to deoxyguanosine (BPDE-dG) by liquid chromatography coupled to high resolution mass spectrometry (HRMS). The chromatographic conditions in combination with the high mass accuracy data (±3 ppm) was useful in resolving BPDE-dG in its protonated form from the complex set of ions present in the metabolic matrix. The method was validated in terms of sensitivity, specificity, accuracy, precision and recovery, and applied to provide a preliminary estimate of BPDE-dG levels from the metabolism of B[a]P in rat S9. The use of DNA as a trapping agent for in vitro metabolites has a potential to aid in cancer risk assessment procedure of PAHs, for instance, in inter-species comparison of metabolism to reactive metabolites and can be adapted for screening of genotoxic metabolites, e.g., from emerging environmental contaminants.

Cob(I)alamin for trapping butadiene epoxides in metabolism with rat S9 and for determining associated kinetic parameters

The reduced state of vitamin B(12), cob(I)alamin, acts as a supernucleophile that reacts ca. 10(5) times faster than standard nucleophiles, for example, thiols. Methods have been developed for trapping electrophilically reactive compounds by exploiting this property of cob(I)alamin. 1,3-Butadiene (BD) has recently been classified as a group 1 human carcinogen by the International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC). The carcinogenicity of BD is considered to be dependent on the activation or deactivation of the reactive metabolites of BD, that is, the epoxides (oxiranes) 1,2-epoxy-3-butene (EB), 1,2:3,4-diepoxybutane (DEB), and 1,2-epoxy-3,4-butanediol (EBdiol). Cytochrome P450 (P450) isozymes are involved in oxidation of BD to EB and further activation to DEB. EB and DEB are hydrolyzed by epoxide hydrolases (EH) to 3,4-dihydroxy-1-butene (BDdiol) and EBdiol, respectively. EBdiol can also be formed by oxidation of BDdiol. In the present study, cob(I)alamin was used for instant trapping of the BD epoxide metabolites generated in in vitro metabolism to study enzyme kinetics. The substrates EB, DEB, and BDdiol were incubated with rat S9 liver fraction, and apparent K(m) and apparent V(max), were determined. The ratio of conversion of EB to DEB (by P450) to the rate of deactivation of DEB by EH was 1.09. Formation of EBdiol from hydrolysis of DEB was ca. 10 times faster than that from oxidation of BDdiol. It was also found that the oxidation of EB to DEB was much faster than that of BDdiol to EBdiol. The study offers comparative enzyme kinetic data of different BD metabolic steps, which is useful for quantitative interspecies comparison. Furthermore, a new application of cob(I)alamin was demonstrated for the measurement of enzyme kinetics of compounds that form electophilically reactive metabolites.

New analytical strategies in studying drug metabolism

Identification and elucidation of the structures of metabolites play major roles in drug discovery and in the development of pharmaceutical compounds. These studies are also important in toxicology or doping control with either pharmaceuticals or illicit drugs. This review focuses on: new analytical strategies used to identify potential metabolites in biological matrices with and without radiolabeled drugs; use of software for metabolite profiling; interpretation of product spectra; profiling of reactive metabolites; development of new approaches for generation of metabolites; and detection of metabolites with increased sensitivity and simplicity. Most of the new strategies involve mass spectrometry (MS) combined with liquid chromatography (LC).

Cobalamin as an analytical tool for analysis of oxirane metabolites of 1,3-butadiene: Development and validation of the method

The reduced form of vitamin B12 [cob(I)alamin] is known to be a supernucleophile, with the ability to react 10(5) times faster than standard nucleophiles. Procedures have been developed where cob(I)alamin is used as an analytical tool for the trapping of electrophilically reactive compounds. In the present work, a sensitive and accurate method for determination of reactive metabolites produced in vitro has been developed and validated. Diepoxybutane (DEB), a metabolite of 1,3-butadiene, was used as a model compound. The intermediate precursor 1,2-epoxybutene (EB) was incubated in a mouse liver S9 metabolic system and the formation of DEB was studied. Samples were taken at different times from the incubation mixture and added to the cob(I)alamin. The alkyl-cobalamins (alkyl-Cbl) formed were directly analysed by a miniaturized LC-MS/MS method and column switching. The assay was linear over the concentration range of 1.5-500 microM with acceptable precision and accuracy.