Effect of carbonate anion on cytochrome P450 2D6-mediated metabolism in vitro: the potential role of multiple oxygenating species

One small step for cytochrome P450 in its catalytic cycle, one giant leap for enzymology

The intermediates operating in the cytochrome P450 catalytic cycle have been investigated for more than half a century, fascinating many enzymologists. Each intermediate has its unique role to carry out diverse oxidations. Natural time course of the catalytic cycle is quite fast, hence, not all of the reactive intermediates could be isolated during physiological catalysis. Different high-valent iron intermediates have been proposed as primary oxidants: the candidates are compound 0 (Cpd 0, [FeOOH][Formula: see text]P450) and compound I (Cpd I, Fe(IV)[Formula: see text]O por[Formula: see text]P450). Among them, the role of Cpd I in hydroxylation is fairly well understood due the discovery of the peroxide shunt. This review endeavors to put the outstanding research efforts conducted to isolate and characterize the intermediates together. In addition to spectral features of each intermediate in the catalytic cycle, the oxidizing powers of Cpd 0 and Cpd I will be discussed along with most recent scientific findings.

Monooxygenase, peroxidase and peroxygenase properties and reaction mechanisms of cytochrome P450 enzymes

This review examines the monooxygenase, peroxidase and peroxygenase properties and reaction mechanisms of cytochrome P450 (CYP) enzymes in bacterial, archaeal and mammalian systems. CYP enzymes catalyze monooxygenation reactions by inserting one oxygen atom from O2 into an enormous number and variety of substrates. The catalytic versatility of CYP stems from its ability to functionalize unactivated carbon-hydrogen (C-H) bonds of substrates through monooxygenation. The oxidative prowess of CYP in catalyzing monooxygenation reactions is attributed primarily to a porphyrin π radical ferryl intermediate known as Compound I (CpdI) (Por•+FeIV=O), or its ferryl radical resonance form (FeIV-O•). CYP-mediated hydroxylations occur via a consensus H atom abstraction/oxygen rebound mechanism involving an initial abstraction by CpdI of a H atom from the substrate, generating a highly-reactive protonated Compound II (CpdII) intermediate (FeIV-OH) and a carbon-centered alkyl radical that rebounds onto the ferryl hydroxyl moiety to yield the hydroxylated substrate. CYP enzymes utilize hydroperoxides, peracids, perborate, percarbonate, periodate, chlorite, iodosobenzene and N-oxides as surrogate oxygen atom donors to oxygenate substrates via the shunt pathway in the absence of NAD(P)H/O2 and reduction-oxidation (redox) auxiliary proteins. It has been difficult to isolate the historically elusive CpdI intermediate in the native NAD(P)H/O2-supported monooxygenase pathway and to determine its precise electronic structure and kinetic and physicochemical properties because of its high reactivity, unstable nature (t½~2 ms) and short life cycle, prompting suggestions for participation in monooxygenation reactions of alternative CYP iron-oxygen intermediates such as the ferric-peroxo anion species (FeIII-OO-), ferric-hydroperoxo species (FeIII-OOH) and FeIII-(H2O2) complex.

Simultaneous measurement of CYP1A2 activity, regioselectivity, and coupling: Implications for environmental sensitivity of enzyme-substrate binding

The cytochrome P450 (CYP) reaction mechanism often yields a broad array of coupled and uncoupled products from a single substrate. While it is well known that reaction conditions can drastically affect the rate of P450 catalysis, their effects on regioselectivity and coupling are not well characterized. To investigate such effects, the CYP1A2 oxidation of 7-ethoxymethoxy-3-cyanocoumarin (EOMCC) was examined as a function of buffer type, buffer concentration, pH, and temperature. A high-throughput, optical method was developed to simultaneously measure the rate of substrate depletion, NADPH depletion, and generation of the O-dealkylated product. Increasing the phosphate buffer concentration and temperature increased both the NADPH and EOMCC depletion rates by 6-fold, whereas coupling was constant at 7.9% and the regioselectivity of O-dealkylation to other coupled pathways was constant at 21.7%. Varying the buffer type and pH increased NADPH depletion by 2.5-fold and EOMCC depletion by 3.5-fold; however, neither coupling nor regioselectivity was constant, with variations of 14.4% and 21.6%, respectively. Because the enzyme-substrate binding interaction is a primary determinant of both coupling and regioselectivity, it is reasonable to conclude that ionic strength, as varied by the buffer concentration, and temperature alter the rate without affecting binding while buffer type and pH alter both.

New insights into the structural characteristics and functional relevance of the human cytochrome P450 2D6 enzyme

To date, the crystal structures of at least 12 human CYPs (1A2, 2A6, 2A13, 2C8, 2C9, 2D6, 2E1, 2R1, 3A4, 7A1, 8A1, and 46A1) have been determined. CYP2D6 accounts for only a small percentage of all hepatic CYPs (< 2%), but it metabolizes approximately 25% of clinically used drugs with significant polymorphisms. CYP2D6 also metabolizes procarcinogens and neurotoxins, such as 1-methyl-4-phenyl-1,2,3,6-tetrahydropyridine, 1,2,3,4-tetrahydroquinoline, and indolealkylamines. Moreover, the enzyme utilizes hydroxytryptamines and neurosteroids as endogenous substrates. Typical CYP2D6 substrates are usually lipophilic bases with an aromatic ring and a nitrogen atom, which can be protonated at physiological pH. Substrate binding is generally followed by oxidation (5-7 A) from the proposed nitrogen-Asp301 interaction. A number of homology models have been constructed to explore the structural features of CYP2D6, while antibody studies also provide useful structural information. Site-directed mutagenesis studies have demonstrated that Glu216, Asp301, Phe120, Phe481, and Phe483 play important roles in determining the binding of ligands to CYP2D6. The structure of human CYP2D6 has been recently determined and shows the characteristic CYP fold observed for other members of the CYP superfamily. The lengths and orientations of the individual secondary structural elements in the CYP2D6 structure are similar to those seen in other human CYP2 members, such as CYP2C9 and 2C8. The 2D6 structure has a well-defined active-site cavity located above the heme group with a volume of approximately 540 A(3), which is larger than equivalent cavities in CYP2A6 (260 A(3)), 1A2 (375 A(3)), and 2E1 (190 A(3)), but smaller than those in CYP3A4 (1385 A(3)) and 2C8 (1438 A(3)). Further studies are required to delineate the molecular mechanisms involved in CYP2D6 ligand interactions and their implications for drug development and clinical practice.

Anthocyanins and their metabolites are weak inhibitors of cytochrome P450 3A4

The cytochrome P450 enzyme cytochrome P450 3A4 (CYP3A4) controls the metabolism of about 60% of all drugs, and its inhibition may dramatically affect drug safety. Modulation of cytochrome P450 activity has been observed by constituents of fruit extracts including several flavonoids. The present investigation addresses CYP3A4 inhibition by anthocyanins, their aglycons, proanthocyanidins, and phenolic metabolites using a chemiluminescent assay. Test compounds inhibited CYP3A4 activity in a concentration-dependent manner featuring IC(50) values from 12.2 up to 7,842 microM. In the order of decreasing effect size, anthocyanidins were followed by anthocyanins, proanthocyanidins, and phenolic acids. When compared to earlier data on furanocoumarins from grapefruit extract, the inhibitory activity of tested anthocyanins, and anthocyanidins was shown to be about 10,000-fold weaker, and was negligible for phenolic acids (>100 000-fold weaker). Future studies are invited to address effects of the above flavonoids on other CYP isoforms for more detailed toxicity profiles.

Modulation of redox potential and alteration in reactivity via the peroxide shunt pathway by mutation of cytochrome P450 around the proximal heme ligand

In the thermophilic cytochrome P450 from the thermoacidophilic crenarchaeon Sulfolobus tokodaii strain 7 (P450st), a phenylalanine residue at position 310 and an alanine residue at position 320 are located close to the heme thiolate ligand, Cys317. Single site-directed mutants F310A and A320Q and double mutant F310A/A320Q have been constructed. All mutant enzymes as well as wild-type (WT) P450st were expressed at high levels. The substitution of F310 with Ala and of A320 with Gln induced shifts in redox potential and blue shifts in Soret absorption of ferrous-CO forms, while spectral characterization showed that in the resting state, the mutants almost retained the structural integrity of the active site. The redox potential of the heme varied as follows: -481 mV (WT), -477 mV (A320Q), -453 mV (F310A), and -450 mV (F310A/A320Q). The trend in the Soret band of the ferrous-CO form was as follows: 450 nm (WT) < 449 nm (A320Q) < 446 nm (F310A) < 444 nm (F310A/A320Q). These results established that the reduction potential and electron density on the heme iron are modulated by the Phe310 and Ala320 residues in P450st. The electron density on the heme decreases in the following order: WT > A320Q > F310A > F310A/A320Q. The electron density on the heme iron infers an essential role in P450 activity. The decrease in electron density interferes with the formation of a high-valent oxo-ferryl species called Compound I. However, steady-state turnover rates of styrene epoxidation with H2O2 show the following trend: WT approximately equal to A320Q < F310A approximately equal to F310A/A320Q. The shunt pathway which can provide the two electrons and oxygen required for a P450 reaction instead of NAD(P)H and dioxygen can rule out the first and second heme reduction in the catalytic process. Because the electron density on the heme iron might be deeply involved in the k cat values in this system, the intermediate Compound 0 which is the precursor species of Compound I mainly appears to participate dominantly in epoxidation with H2O2.

Multiple-ligand binding in CYP2A6: probing mechanisms of cytochrome P450 cooperativity by assessing substrate dynamics

The contribution of ligand dynamics to CYP allosterism has not been considered in detail. On the basis of a previous study, we hypothesized that CYP2A6 and CYP2E1 accommodate multiple xylene ligands. As a result, the intramolecular ( k H/ k D) obs values observed for some xylene isomers are expected to be dependent on ligand concentration with contributions from [CYP.xylene] and [CYP.xylene.xylene], etc. To explore this possibility and the utility of kinetic isotope effects in characterizing allosteric CYP behavior, steady state kinetics, product ratios, and ( k H/ k D) obs values for CYP2E1 and CYP2A6 oxidation of m-xylene-alpha- (2)H 3 and p-xylene-alpha- (2)H 3 were determined. Evidence is presented that CYP2A6 accommodates multiple ligands and that intramolecular isotope effect experiments can provide insight into the mechanisms of multiple-ligand binding. CYP2A6 exhibited cooperative kinetics for m-xylene-alpha- (2)H 3 oxidation and a concentration-dependent decrease in the m-methylbenzylalcohol:2,4-dimethylphenol product ratio (9.8 +/- 0.1 and 4.8 +/- 0.3 at 2.5 microM and 1 mM, respectively). Heterotropic effects were observed as well, as incubations containing both 15 microM m-xylene-alpha- (2)H 3 and 200 microM p-xylene resulted in further reduction of the product ratio (2.4 +/- 0.2). When p-xylene (60 microM) was replaced with deuterium-labeled d 6- p-xylene (60 microM), an intermolecular competitive inverse isotope effect on 2,4-dimethylphenol formation [( k H/ k D) obs = 0.49] was observed, indicating that p-xylene exerts heterotropic effects by residing in the active site simultaneously with m-xylene. The data indicate that there is a concentration-dependent decrease in the reorientation rate of m-xylene, as no increase in ( k H/ k D) obs was observed in the presence of an increased level of metabolic switching. That is, the accommodation of a second xylene molecule in the active site leads to a decrease in substrate dynamics.

KINETIC ISOTOPE EFFECTS IMPLICATE A SINGLE OXIDANT FOR CYTOCHROME P450-MEDIATEDO-DEALKYLATION,N-OXYGENATION, AND AROMATIC HYDROXYLATION OF 6-METHOXYQUINOLINE

One major point of controversy in the area of cytochrome P450 (P450)-mediated oxidation reactions is the nature of the active-oxygen species. A number of hypotheses have been advanced which implicate a second oxidant besides the iron-oxo species designated as compound I (Cpd 1). This oxygen is thought to be either an iron-hydroperoxy species (Cpd 0) or a second spin-state of Cpd 1. Very little information is available on what fraction of P450 oxidations is mediated by the two different oxidants. Herein, we report results on three cytochrome P450-mediated reactions: O-dealkylation, N-oxygenation, and aromatic hydroxylation, which occur by three distinct chemical mechanisms. We have used kinetic isotope effects to test for branching from O-demethylation to N-oxygenation and aromatic hydroxylation, using 6-methoxyquinoline and 2H3-6-methoxyquinoline as substrates for P4501A2. Identical large inverse isotope effects on Vmax/Km are obtained for the formation of both the N-oxide and the phenol. This indicates that all three reactions occur through the same enzyme-substrate complex and, thus, through a single iron-oxygen species. The nature of the iron-oxygen species is less certain but is more likely to be iron-oxo Cpd 1, given the energetics of these reactions.

Functional interaction of nitrogenous organic bases with cytochrome P450: A critical assessment and update of substrate features and predicted key active-site elements steering the access, binding, and orientation of amines

The widespread use of nitrogenous organic bases as environmental chemicals, food additives, and clinically important drugs necessitates precise knowledge about the molecular principles governing biotransformation of this category of substrates. In this regard, analysis of the topological background of complex formation between amines and P450s, acting as major catalysts in C- and N-oxidative attack, is of paramount importance. Thus, progress in collaborative investigations, combining physico-chemical techniques with chemical-modification as well as genetic engineering experiments, enables substantiation of hypothetical work resulting from the design of pharmacophores or homology modelling of P450s. Based on a general, CYP2D6-related construct, the majority of prospective amine-docking residues was found to cluster near the distal heme face in the six known SRSs, made up by the highly variant helices B', F and G as well as the N-terminal portion of helix C and certain beta-structures. Most of the contact sites examined show a frequency of conservation < 20%, hinting at the requirement of some degree of conformational versatility, while a limited number of amino acids exhibiting a higher level of conservation reside close to the heme core. Some key determinants may have a dual role in amine binding and/or maintenance of protein integrity. Importantly, a series of non-SRS elements are likely to be operative via long-range effects. While hydrophobic mechanisms appear to dominate orientation of the nitrogenous compounds toward the iron-oxene species, polar residues seem to foster binding events through H-bonding or salt-bridge formation. Careful uncovering of structure-function relationships in amine-enzyme association together with recently developed unsupervised machine learning approaches will be helpful in both tailoring of novel amine-type drugs and early elimination of potentially toxic or mutagenic candidates. Also, chimeragenesis might serve in the construction of more efficient P450s for activation of amine drugs and/or bioremediation.

Atypical Cytochrome P450 Kinetics

The Michaelis-Menten model is commonly used to estimate a drug's potential in vivo hepatic clearance based on in vitro data obtained during drug discovery and development. This paradigm assumes that the drug obeys 'typical' enzyme kinetics and thus can be described by this model. However, it is increasingly being recognised that a number of drugs metabolised not only by the cytochrome P450 enzymes but also by other enzymes and transporters can exhibit atypical kinetic profiles, and thus are not accurately modeled with the Michaelis-Menten model. Application of an incorrect model can then lead to mis-estimation of in vitro intrinsic clearance and thus affect the prediction of in vivo clearance. This review discusses several types of atypical kinetic profiles that may be observed, including examples of homotropic cooperativity (i.e. sigmoidal kinetics, biphasic kinetics and substrate inhibition kinetics) as well as heterotropic cooperativity (i.e. activation). Application of the incorrect kinetic model may profoundly affect estimations of intrinsic clearance. For example, incorrectly applying the Michaelis-Menten model to a kinetic profile exhibiting substrate inhibition kinetics will result in an underestimation of Km (Michaelis-Menten constant) and V(max) (maximal velocity), whereas application of the Michaelis-Menten model to sigmoidal kinetic data typically results in an overestimation of Km and V(max) at the lower substrate concentrations that are typically therapeutically relevant. One must also be careful of potential artefactual causes of atypical kinetic profiles, such as enzyme activation by solvents, buffer dependent kinetic profiles, or altered kinetic parameter estimates due to nonspecific binding of the substrate to proteins. Despite a plethora of data on the effects of atypical kinetic profiles in vitro, only modest effects have been noted in vivo (with the exception of substrate dependent inhibition). Thus, the clinical relevance of these phenomena remains inconclusive.

Role of the conserved threonine 309 in mechanism of oxidation by cytochrome P450 2D6

Based on sequence alignments and homology modeling, threonine 309 in cytochrome P450 2D6 (CYP2D6) is proposed to be the conserved I-helix threonine, which is supposed to be involved in dioxygen activation by CYPs. The T309V mutant of CYP2D6 displayed a strong shift from O-dealkylation to N-dealkylation reactions in oxidation of dextromethorphan and 3,4-methylenedioxymethylamphetamine. This may be explained by an elevated ratio of hydroperoxo-iron to oxenoid-iron of the oxygenating species. In consistence, using cumene hydroperoxide, which directly forms the oxenoid-iron, the T309V mutant again selectively catalyzed the O-dealkylation reactions. The changed ratio of oxygenating species can also explain the decreased activity and changed regioselectivity that were observed in 7-methoxy-4-(aminomethyl)-coumarin and bufuralol oxidation, respectively, by the T309V mutant. Interestingly, the T309V mutant always showed a significantly increased, up to 75-fold, higher activity compared to that of the wild-type when using cumene hydroperoxide. These results indicate that T309 in CYP2D6 is involved in maintaining the balance of multiple oxygenating species and thus influences substrate and regioselectivity.

Highly reactive electrophilic oxidants in cytochrome P450 catalysis

The cytochrome P450 enzymes effect a wide range of oxidations in nature including difficult hydroxylation reactions of unactivated C-H. Most of the high energy reactions of these catalysts appear to involve highly electrophilic active species. Attempts to detect the reactive transients in the enzymes have met with limited success, but evidence has accumulated that two distinct electrophilic oxidants are produced in the P450 enzymes. The consensus electrophilic oxidant termed "iron-oxo" is usually thought to be an analogue of Compound I, an iron(IV)-oxo porphyrin radical cation species, but it is possible that a higher energy electronic isomer of Compound I is required to account for the facility of the C-H oxidation reactions. The second electrophilic oxidant of P450 is speculative; circumstantial evidence suggests that this species is iron-complexed hydrogen peroxide, but this oxidant might be a second spin state of iron-oxo. This overview discusses recent studies directed at detection of the electrophilic oxidants in P450 enzymes and the accumulated evidence for two distinct species.

Predicting in vivo drug interactions from in vitro drug discovery data

In vitro screening for drugs that inhibit cytochrome P450 enzymes is well established as a means for predicting potential metabolism-mediated drug interactions in vivo. Given that these predictions are based on enzyme kinetic parameters observed from in vitro experiments, the miscalculation of the inhibitory potency of a compound can lead to an inaccurate prediction of an in vivo drug interaction, potentially precluding a safe drug from advancing in development or allowing a potent inhibitor to 'slip' into the patient population. Here, we describe the principles underlying the generation of in vitro drug metabolism data and highlight commonly encountered uncertainties and sources of bias and error that can affect extrapolation of drug-drug interaction information to the clinical setting.

NON-MICHAELIS-MENTEN KINETICS IN CYTOCHROME P450-CATALYZED REACTIONS

The cytochrome P450 monooxygenases (CYPs) are the dominant enzyme system responsible for xenobiotic detoxification and drug metabolism. Several CYP isoforms exhibit non-Michaelis-Menten, or “atypical,” steady state kinetic patterns. The allosteric kinetics confound prediction of drug metabolism and drug-drug interactions, and they challenge the theoretical paradigms of allosterism. Both homotropic and heterotropic ligand effects are now widely documented. It is becoming apparent that multiple ligands can simultaneously bind within the active sites of individual CYPs, and the kinetic parameters change with ligand occupancy. In fact, the functional effect of any specific ligand as an activator or inhibitor can be substrate dependent. Divergent approaches, including kinetic modeling and X-ray crystallography, are providing new information about how multiple ligand binding yields complex CYP kinetics.

ALTERED AZT (3′-AZIDO-3′-DEOXYTHYMIDINE) GLUCURONIDATION KINETICS IN LIVER MICROSOMES AS AN EXPLANATION FOR UNDERPREDICTION OF IN VIVO CLEARANCE: COMPARISON TO HEPATOCYTES AND EFFECT OF INCUBATION ENVIRONMENT

Human liver microsomes are a reagent commonly used to predict human hepatic clearance of new chemical entities via phase 1 metabolism. Another common metabolic pathway, glucuronidation, can also be observed in human liver microsomes, although the scalability of this process has not been validated. In fact, several groups have demonstrated that clearance estimated from liver microsomes with UDP-glucuronic acid typically underpredicts the actual in vivo clearance more than 10-fold for compounds that are predominantly glucuronidated. In contrast, clearance predicted using human hepatocytes, for these same compounds, provides a more accurate assessment of in vivo clearance. We sought to characterize the kinetics of glucuronidation of the selective UGT2B7 substrate AZT (3'-azido-3'-deoxythymidine), a selective UGT2B7 substrate, in human liver microsomes (HLMs), recombinant UGT2B7, and human hepatocytes. Apparent Km values in these three preparations were 760, 490, and 87 microM with apparent Vmax values highest in hepatocytes. The IC50 for ibuprofen against AZT glucuronidation, when run at its Km concentration in HLMs and hepatocytes, was 975 and 170 microM respectively. Since incubation conditions have been shown to modulate glucuronidation rates, AZT glucuronidation was performed in various physiological and nonphysiological buffer systems, namely Tris, phosphate, sulfate, carbonate, acetate, human plasma, deproteinized human liver cytosol, and Williams E medium. The data showed that carbonate and Williams E medium, more physiologically relevant buffers, yielded the highest rates of AZT glucuronidation. Km observed in HLM/carbonate was 240 microM closer to that found in hepatocytes, suggesting that matrix differences might cause the kinetic differences observed between liver preparations. Caution should be exercised when extrapolating metabolic lability via glucuronidation or inhibition of UGT enzymes from human liver microsomes, since this system appears to underpredict the degree of lability or inhibition, respectively, due in part to an apparent decrease in substrate affinity.

Catalytic turnover of pyrene by CYP3A4: Evidence that cytochrome b5 directly induces positive cooperativity

The metabolism of pyrene to hydroxypyrene by CYP3A4 was investigated to determine the effect of cytochrome b5 (b5) on turnover kinetics. In the absence of b5, formation of hydroxypyrene in in vitro incubations showed a biphasic substrate-velocity curve where K(m1) and V(max1) were 1.3 microM and 0.5 pmol/min/pmol P450, respectively. The addition of testosterone to the incubation mixture completely abolished the second phase to yield a typical, hyperbolic curve, presumably through the disruption in the formation of a pi-pi stacked pyrene complex within the CYP3A4 active site. Finally, the addition of b5 yielded an increase hydroxypyrene formation that resulted in a sigmoidal substrate velocity curve. The V(max) was 15.7 pmol/min/pmol P450, the K(m) was 7.5 microM, and the Hill coefficient was greater than two. This demonstrated that b5 could directly induce positive cooperativity on CYP3A4 and that this biological factor needs to be carefully considered when included in in vitro P450 reactions.

Models and mechanisms of O-O bond activation by cytochrome P450. A critical assessment of the potential role of multiple active intermediates in oxidative catalysis

Cytochrome P450 enzymes promote a number of oxidative biotransformations including the hydroxylation of unactivated hydrocarbons. Whereas the long-standing consensus view of the P450 mechanism implicates a high-valent iron-oxene species as the predominant oxidant in the radicalar hydrogen abstraction/oxygen rebound pathway, more recent studies on isotope partitioning, product rearrangements with 'radical clocks', and the impact of threonine mutagenesis in P450s on hydroxylation rates support the notion of the nucleophilic and/or electrophilic (hydro)peroxo-iron intermediate(s) to be operative in P450 catalysis in addition to the electrophilic oxenoid-iron entity; this may contribute to the remarkable versatility of P450s in substrate modification. Precedent to this mechanistic concept is given by studies with natural and synthetic P450 biomimics. While the concept of an alternative electrophilic oxidant necessitates C-H hydroxylation to be brought about by a cationic insertion process, recent calculations employing density functional theory favour a 'two-state reactivity' scenario, implicating the usual ferryl-dependent oxygen rebound pathway to proceed via two spin states (doublet and quartet); state crossing is thought to be associated with either an insertion or a radicalar mechanism. Hence, challenge to future strategies should be to fold the disparate and sometimes contradictory data into a harmonized overall picture.

Kinetic Isotope Effects Implicate the Iron−Oxene as the Sole Oxidant in P450-Catalyzed N-Dealkylation

Multiple oxidants have been implicated as playing a role in cytochrome P450-mediated oxidations. Herein, we report results on N-dealkylation, one of the most facile reactions mediated by P450 enzymes. We have employed the N-oxides of a series of para-substituted 13C2H2-labeled N,N-dimethylanilines to function as both substrates and surrogate oxygen atom donors for P450cam and P4502E1. Kinetic isotope effect profiles obtained using the N-oxide system were found to closely match the profiles produced using the complete NAD(P)H/NAD(P)-P450 reductase/O2 system. The results are consistent with oxidation occurring solely through an iron-oxene species.

Implications of the allosteric kinetics of cytochrome P450s

Drug metabolites can uniquely contribute to therapeutic efficacy, toxicity and drug-drug interactions. Therefore, the rates of formation and clearance of each metabolite are crucially important parameters in the net therapeutic profile of new drugs. However, the recent appreciation for the importance of drug metabolism has made it apparent that the understanding of the fundamental kinetic and biophysical properties of the enzymes that are responsible for catalyzing these reactions, the cytochrome P450s, is incomplete. The need to fully comprehend the complex allosteric behavior of these enzymes has fostered increased scrutiny of cytochrome P450s, which has subsequently resulted in major changes in the way that these enzymes are perceived at the molecular level.

Hydroxylation by the hydroperoxy-iron species in cytochrome P450 enzymes

Intramolecular and intermolecular kinetic isotope effects (KIEs) were determined for hydroxylation of the enantiomers of trans-2-(p-trifluoromethylphenyl)cyclopropylmethane (1) by hepatic cytochrome P450 enzymes, P450s 2B1, Delta2B4, Delta2B4 T302A, Delta2E1, and Delta2E1 T303A. Two products from oxidation of the methyl group were obtained, unrearranged trans-2-(p-trifluoromethylphenyl)cyclopropylmethanol (2) and rearranged 1-(p-trifluoromethylphenyl)but-3-en-1-ol (3). In intramolecular KIE studies with dideuteriomethyl substrates (1-d(2)) and in intermolecular KIE studies with mixtures of undeuterated (1-d(0)) and trideuteriomethyl (1-d(3)) substrates, the apparent KIE for product 2 was consistently larger than the apparent KIE for product 3 by a factor of ca. 1.2. Large intramolecular KIEs found with 1-d(2) (k(H)/k(D) = 9-11 at 10 degrees C) were shown not to be complicated by tunneling effects by variable temperature studies with two P450 enzymes. The results require two independent isotope-sensitive processes in the overall hydroxylation reactions that are either competitive or sequential. Intermolecular KIEs were partially masked in all cases and largely masked for some P450s. The intra- and intermolecular KIE results were combined to determine the relative rate constants for the unmasking and hydroxylation reactions, and a qualitative correlation was found for the unmasking reaction and release of hydrogen peroxide from four of the P450 enzymes in the absence of substrate. The results are consistent with the two-oxidants model for P450 (Vaz, A. D. N.; McGinnity, D. F.; Coon, M. J. Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. U.S.A. 1998, 95, 3555), which postulates that a hydroperoxy-iron species (or a protonated analogue of this species) is a viable electrophilic oxidant in addition to the consensus oxidant, iron-oxo.