Studies on the muscle toxicant 2,3,5,6-tetramethyl p-phenylenediamine: effects on various biomarkers including urinary creatine and taurine

SOT Symposium Highlight: Translatable Indicators of Testicular Toxicity: Inhibin B, MicroRNAs, and Sperm Signatures

Testicular toxicity is an important safety endpoint in drug development and risk assessment, but reliable and translatable biomarkers for predicting injury have eluded researchers. However, this area shows great potential for improvement, with several avenues currently being pursued. This was the topic of a symposium session during the 2013 Society of Toxicology Annual Meeting in San Antonio, TX, entitled "Translatable Indicators of Testicular Toxicity: Inhibin B, MicroRNAs, and Sperm Signatures." This symposium brought together stakeholders from academia, government, and industry to present the limitations and drawbacks of currently used indicators of injury and discussed the ongoing efforts in developing more predictive biomarkers of injury. The presentations highlighted the early challenges of using circulating inhibin B and microRNA levels, and sperm messenger RNA transcript abundance and DNA methylation profiles, as novel biomarkers of testicular toxicity.

Perturbation of bile acid homeostasis is an early pathogenesis event of drug induced liver injury in rats

Drug-induced liver injury (DILI) is a significant consideration for drug development. Current preclinical DILI assessment relying on histopathology and clinical chemistry has limitations in sensitivity and discordance with human. To gain insights on DILI pathogenesis and identify potential biomarkers for improved DILI detection, we performed untargeted metabolomic analyses on rats treated with thirteen known hepatotoxins causing various types of DILI: necrosis (acetaminophen, bendazac, cyclosporine A, carbon tetrachloride, ethionine), cholestasis (methapyrilene and naphthylisothiocyanate), steatosis (tetracycline and ticlopidine), and idiosyncratic (carbamazepine, chlorzoxasone, flutamide, and nimesulide) at two doses and two time points. Statistical analysis and pathway mapping of the nearly 1900 metabolites profiled in the plasma, urine, and liver revealed diverse time and dose dependent metabolic cascades leading to DILI by the hepatotoxins. The most consistent change induced by the hepatotoxins, detectable even at the early time point/low dose, was the significant elevations of a panel of bile acids in the plasma and urine, suggesting that DILI impaired hepatic bile acid uptake from the circulation. Furthermore, bile acid amidation in the hepatocytes was altered depending on the severity of the hepatotoxin-induced oxidative stress. The alteration of the bile acids was most evident by the necrosis and cholestasis hepatotoxins, with more subtle effects by the steatosis and idiosyncratic hepatotoxins. Taking together, our data suggest that the perturbation of bile acid homeostasis is an early event of DILI. Upon further validation, selected bile acids in the circulation could be potentially used as sensitive and early DILI preclinical biomarkers.

Identification of 1- and 3-methylhistidine as biomarkers of skeletal muscle toxicity by nuclear magnetic resonance-based metabolic profiling

Nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR)-based metabolomic profiling identified urinary 1- and 3-methylhistidine (1- and 3-MH) as potential biomarkers of skeletal muscle toxicity in Sprague-Dawley rats following 7 and 14 daily doses of 0.5 or 1mg/kg cerivastatin. These metabolites were highly correlated to sex-, dose- and time-dependent development of cerivastatin-induced myotoxicity. Subsequently, the distribution and concentration of 1- and 3-MH were quantified in 18 tissues by gas chromatography-mass spectrometry. The methylhistidine isomers were most abundant in skeletal muscle with no fiber or sex differences observed; however, 3-MH was also present in cardiac and smooth muscle. In a second study, rats receiving 14 daily doses of 1mg/kg cerivastatin (a myotoxic dose) had 6- and 2-fold elevations in 1- and 3-MH in urine and had 11- and 3-fold increases in 1- and 3-MH in serum, respectively. Selectivity of these potential biomarkers was tested by dosing rats with the cardiotoxicant isoproterenol (0.5mg/kg), and a 2-fold decrease in urinary 1- and 3-MH was observed and attributed to the anabolic effect on skeletal muscle. These findings indicate that 1- and 3-MH may be useful urine and serum biomarkers of drug-induced skeletal muscle toxicity and hypertrophy in the rat, and further investigation into their use and limitations is warranted.

PPARalpha regulates the hepatotoxic biomarker alanine aminotransferase (ALT1) gene expression in human hepatocytes

In this work, we investigated a potential mechanism behind the observation of increased aminotransferase levels in a phase I clinical trial using a lipid-lowering drug, the peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor (PPAR) alpha agonist, AZD4619. In healthy volunteers treated with AZD4619, serum alanine aminotransferase (ALT) and aspartate aminotransferase (AST) activities were elevated without an increase in other markers for liver injury. These increases in serum aminotransferases have previously been reported in some patients receiving another PPARalpha agonist, fenofibrate. In subsequent in vitro studies, we observed increased expression of ALT1 protein and mRNA in human hepatocytes after treatment with fenofibric acid. The PPAR effect on ALT1 expression was shown to act through a direct transcriptional mechanism involving at least one PPAR response element (PPRE) in the proximal ALT1 promoter, while no effect of fenofibrate and AZD4619 was observed on the ALT2 promoter. Binding of PPARs to the PPRE located at -574 bp from the transcriptional start site was confirmed on both synthetic oligonucleotides and DNA in hepatocytes. These data show that intracellular ALT expression is regulated by PPAR agonists and that this mechanism might contribute to increased ALT activity in serum.

Isoforms of alanine aminotransferases in human tissues and serum--differential tissue expression using novel antibodies

Serum alanine aminotransferase (ALT) is used as a clinical marker of hepatotoxicity. Two forms of ALT have been identified, ALT1 and ALT2, encoded by separate genes. The cellular and tissue distribution of the different ALT proteins has not been characterized in humans, and their relative contribution to serum is unknown. Here, we describe the development of novel isoenzyme specific ALT1 and ALT2 antibodies and the expression of the enzymes in human cells and organs. In normal human tissue, high expression of ALT1 was found in liver, skeletal muscle and kidney and low levels in heart muscle and not detectable in pancreas. High ALT2 reactivity was detected in heart and skeletal muscle, while no ALT2 expression was found in liver or kidney. Using immunohistochemistry, strong ALT1 reactivity was found in hepatocytes, renaltubular epithelial cells and in salivary gland epithelial cells, while ALT2 was expressed in adrenal gland cortex, neuronal cell bodies, cardiac myocytes, skeletal muscle fibers and endocrine pancreas. Immunoprecipitation using ALT antibodies on normal human serums showed ALT1 to be mainly responsible for basal ALT activity. Together, the results points to a differential expression of ALT1 and ALT2 in human organs and substantiate a need for investigations regarding the possible impacts on ALT measurements.

An hypothesis for a mechanism underlying hepatotoxin-induced hypercreatinuria

As part of a wider metabonomic investigation into the early detection and discrimination of site-specific hepatotoxicity, male Sprague-Dawley rats were dosed with the model hepatotoxins allyl formate, ethionine and alpha-naphthylisothiocyanate (ANIT). Urine samples collected pre- and post-dose were examined by (1)H nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) spectroscopy and the toxin-induced changes in urinary taurine and creatine excretion were quantified. Hypertaurinuria and hypercreatinuria were observed following allyl formate dosing, hypertaurinuria with no change in creatine excretion was observed after ethionine dosing, and hypotaurinuria and hypercreatinuria were observed after ANIT dosing. These changes are indicative of different effects on liver and it has been previously suggested that some hepatotoxin-induced changes in urinary taurine excretion may be due to altered hepatic cysteine utilisation. A related hypothesis is now presented that would explain the selective hypercreatinuria in terms of increased cysteine synthesis.

Application of surface-enhanced laser desorption/ionization technology to the detection and identification of urinary parvalbumin-α: A biomarker of compound-induced skeletal muscle toxicity in the rat

In toxicity studies, compound-induced changes are typically evaluated using a combination of endpoints and there are often a number of potential markers in biological fluids which can indicate toxic change in tissues and organs. However, some biomarkers are not specific to the organ of injury and therefore there is a continuing search for more sensitive and specific indicators of target organ toxicity. In experiments to assess the potential diagnostic usefulness of surface-enhanced laser desorption/ionization (SELDI) ProteinChip technology, skeletal muscle toxicity was induced in Wistar Han rats by administering 2,3,5,6-tetramethyl-p-phenylenediamine (TMPD). The skeletal muscle toxicity was monitored using established endpoints such as increase in serum aldolase (Aldol), aspartate aminotransferase (AST) and histopathology, and also using SELDI retentate chromatography mass spectrometry of urine samples. Clear differences in urinary protein patterns between control and TMPD-treated animals were observed on the ProteinChip surfaces. Additionally a specific urine marker protein of 11.8 kDa was identified in TMPD-dosed rats, and the detection of the marker was related to the degree of skeletal muscle toxicity assessed by recognized clinical pathology endpoints. The 11.8 kDa protein was identified as parvalbumin-alpha. These experiments demonstrated the potential of urinary parvalbumin-alpha as a specific, noninvasive, and easily detectable biomarker for skeletal muscle toxicity in the rat and the potential of SELDI technology for biomarker detection and identification in toxicology studies.

Phenylenediamine induced hepatocyte cytotoxicity redox. Cycling mediated oxidative stress without oxygen activation

Muscle necrosis induced by various phenylenediamine derivatives has been correlated with their autoxidation rate. However, a more detailed investigation of the cytotoxic mechanism using a model system of isolated hepatocytes and 2,3,5,6-tetramethylphenylenediamine (DD) shows little oxygen activation as indicated by the absence of cyanide resistant respiration, lipid peroxidation and lack of cytoprotection by iron chelators, superoxide dismutase mimics and xanthine oxidase inhibitors. Cytotoxicity was however attributed to oxidative stress as GSH was not only rapidly oxidized to GSSG but mixed protein disulfide formation also occurred. Furthermore, the disulfide reductant dithiothreitol added some time after DD restored protein thiols and prevented further cytotoxicity. This oxidative stress was attributed to a futile two electron redox cycle involving oxidation of DD to the corresponding diimine by the mitochondrial electron transport chain and rereduction by DT diaphorase. Evidence suggesting this was that both diimine accumulation and the ensuing cytotoxicity were markedly increased by inactivating hepatocyte DT diaphorase but were prevented by a subtoxic concentration of the mitochondrial respiratory inhibitor cyanide. Furthermore, addition of NADH generating substrates such as lactate, sorbitol, xylitol or ethanol prevented DD induced GSH oxidation and cytotoxicity. This suggests that DD undergoes intracellular redox cycling without oxygen activation until the hepatocyte is unable to maintain redox homeostasis and mixed protein disulfide cytotoxicity ensues.

Changes in taurine as an indicator of hepatic dysfunction and biochemical perturbations. Studies in vivo and in vitro

We have shown that urinary taurine level may be used as a biomarker of pathological and biochemical lesions. Detection of changes in the urinary concentration of this low molecular weight metabolite indicates biochemical lesions which may also be associated with pathological damage. Hepatotoxic compounds such as CCl4, galactosamine and thioacetamide that cause hepatic necrosis and compounds such as hydrazine and ethionine that cause fatty liver all result in elevated urinary taurine levels in rats. However compounds which do not cause liver damage, such as cycloheximide, also raise urinary taurine levels. All of these substances are known to or are believed to inhibit protein synthesis. Conversely, compounds which increase protein synthesis, such as phenobarbital and clenbuterol, significantly decrease urinary taurine levels. Compounds which interfere with hepatic GSH synthesis will also change urinary taurine levels. Thus, depletion of GSH with diethyl maleate or phorone decreases urinary taurine whereas inhibition of GSH synthesis with compounds such as buthionine sulphoximine increases urinary taurine levels. In isolated hepatocytes in vitro, leakage of taurine occurs in response to cytotoxic compounds such as hydrazine and allyl alcohol. However, total taurine levels were increased by the hepatotoxicant CCl4. Taurine synthesis is decreased by depletion of GSH with allyl alcohol in isolated hepatocytes. Therefore taurine levels are an important potential biomarker for biochemical lesions induced by chemicals both in vivo and in vitro, in particular changes in protein and GSH synthesis.

Interaction of a nonspecific wheat lipid transfer protein with phospholipid monolayers imaged by fluorescence microscopy and studied by infrared spectroscopy

The interaction of a nonspecific wheat lipid transfer protein (LTP) with phospholipids has been studied using the monolayer technique as a simplified model of biological membranes. The molecular organization of the LTP-phospholipid monolayer has been determined by using polarized attenuated total internal reflectance infrared spectroscopy, and detailed information on the microstructure of the mixed films has been investigated by using epifluorescence microscopy. The results show that the incorporation of wheat LTP within the lipid monolayers is surface-pressure dependent. When LTP is injected into the subphase under a dipalmytoylphosphatidylglycerol monolayer at low surface pressure (< 20 mN/m), insertion of the protein within the lipid monolayer leads to an expansion of dipalmytoylphosphatidylglycerol surface area. This incorporation leads to a decrease in the conformational order of the lipid acyl chains and results in an increase in the size of the solid lipid domains, suggesting that LTP penetrates both expanded and solid domains. By contrast, when the protein is injected under the lipid at high surface pressure (> or = 20 mN/m) the presence of LTP leads neither to an increase of molecular area nor to a change of the lipid order, even though some protein molecules are bound to the surface of the monolayer, which leads to an increase of the exposure of the lipid ester groups to the aqueous environment. On the other hand, the conformation of LTP, as well as the orientation of alpha-helices, is surface-pressure dependent. At low surface pressure, the alpha-helices inserted into the monolayers are rather parallel to the monolayer plane. In contrast, at high surface pressure, the alpha-helices bound to the surface of the monolayers are neither parallel nor perpendicular to the interface but in an oblique orientation.