Synthesis of bile acid 24-acyl glucuronides

Focused metabolomics using liquid chromatography/electrospray ionization tandem mass spectrometry for analysis of urinary conjugated cholesterol metabolites from patients with Niemann-Pick disease type C and 3β-hydroxysteroid dehydrogenase deficiency

BACKGROUND

Various conjugated cholesterol metabolites are excreted in urine of the patients with metabolic abnormalities and hepatobiliary diseases. We aimed to examine the usefulness of precursor ion scan and neutral loss scan for the characterization of conjugated cholesterol metabolites in urine.

METHODS

A mixture of authentic standards of conjugated cholesterol metabolites was used for investigating the performance of the present method. The urine of patients with Niemann-Pick diseases type C and 3β-hydroxysteroid dehydrogenase deficiency were analysed by precursor ion scan of m/z 97, 74, and 124.

RESULTS

A precursor ion scan of m/z 97 was effective for identifying conjugates with ester sulphates on hydroxyl groups whereas ester sulphates on phenolic alcohols were signalled by a neutral loss scan of 80 Da. Monosaccharide-conjugated cholesterol metabolites were signalled by a precursor ion scan of m/z 113. Although precursor ion scan of m/z 74 and 124 was effective for finding glycine- and taurine-conjugated metabolites, high intensity of product ions (m/z 74 and 124) disturbed measurement of other multiply conjugated metabolites. The urine samples contained many conjugated cholesterol metabolites, and there were several disease-specific intense peaks. We found several unknown intense peaks with three known peaks in urine of the Niemann-Pick type C patient. In the patient with 3β-hydroxysteroid dehydrogenase deficiency, intense peaks that were tentatively identified as 5-cholenoic acid sulphates and their glycine and taurine conjugates were present.

CONCLUSION

The method should lead to the discovery of new urinary biomarkers for these disturbances of cholesterol catabolism and transport.

Tandem mass spectrometric characterization of bile acids and steroid conjugates based on low-energy collision-induced dissociation

We examined the characteristics of several bile acids and some steroid conjugates under low-energy-collision-induced dissociation conditions using a triple quadrupole tandem mass spectrometer. According to conjugation types, we observed characteristic product ions and/or neutral losses in the product ion spectra. Amino acid conjugates afforded specific product ions. For example, glycine-conjugated metabolites routinely produced a product ion at m/z 74, and taurine-conjugated metabolites produced product ions at m/z 124, 107, and 80. When a strong peak appeared at m/z 97, the molecule contained a sulfate group. In contrast to amino acid conjugates, carbohydrate conjugates required a combination of product ions and neutral losses for identification. We could discriminate a glucoside from an acyl galactoside according to the presence or absence of a product ion at m/z 161 and a neutral loss of 180 Da. Discrimination among esters, aliphatic ethers, and phenolic ether types of glucuronides was based upon differences in the intensities of a product ion at m/z 175 and a neutral loss of 176 Da. Furthermore, N-acetylglucosamine conjugates showed a characteristic product ion at m/z 202 and a neutral loss of 203 Da, and the appearance of a product ion at m/z 202 revealed the existence of N-acetylglucosamine conjugated to an aliphatic hydroxyl group without a double bond in the immediate vicinity. Together, the data presented here will help to enable the identification of unknown conjugated cholesterol metabolites by using low-energy collision-induced dissociation.

LC/ESI-MS/MS analysis of urinary 3β-sulfooxy-7β-N-acetylglucosaminyl-5-cholen-24-oic acid and its amides: new biomarkers for the detection of Niemann-Pick type C disease

We developed a sensitive, reliable, and accurate LC/ESI-MS/MS method for measurement of 3β-sulfooxy-7β-N-acetylglucosaminyl-5-cholen-24-oic acid and its glycine and taurine amides in urine. This atypical C24 bile acid has been reported previously to be present in the urine of patients with Niemann-Pick Type C (NPC) disease. In the method, targeted analytes are concentrated at the front edge of a trapping column, Shim-pack MAYI-C8, which permits elimination of contaminating molecules in the urinary matrix. The trapped analytes are then eluted, separated on a YMC-Pack Pro C18, and quantified with MS/MS using selected reaction monitoring. The method could detect (as amount injected) 2pg of nonamidated 3β-sulfooxy-7β-N-acetylglucosaminyl-5-cholen-24-oic acid, 2pg of its glycine-amide, and 0.6pg of its taurine-amide, and is linear up to 300pg. The method was then used to measure the three analytes in the urine of NPC patients (N=2), 3β-hydroxysteroid dehydrogenase deficiency patients (N=2), and healthy volunteers (N=8). Measurable concentrations of all three analytes were present in all subjects. The urinary concentration of the sum of all three analytes was four hundred times greater in the 3month NPC patient and 40times greater in the adult patient than that of healthy volunteers. The markedly elevated urinary concentration of 3β-sulfooxy-7β-N-acetylglucosaminyl-5-cholen-24-oic acid and its amides in NPC patients suggests that these compounds may be valuable biomarkers for detection of NPC disease.

Chemical and metabolic transformations of selected bile acids

This article surveys chemical transformations of selected bile acids. Chemical transformations were initially carried out with the aim of determining the structure of bile acids. More recently they have been concerned with bile acid interconversions as well as with the synthesis of steroid hormones, vitamins and therapeutc agents. Studies of similarities and differences in the biosynthesis of bile acids from cholesterol have occupied many researches. However, this article reviews only papers dealing with the synthesis of potential intermediates in the biosynthesis of bile acids. Steroid hormones such as pregnenolone, progesterone and testosterone are synthesized from methyl thiodeoxycholate whereas cortisone is synthesized from methyl deoxycholiate. Numerous papers and patents devoted to the synthesis of ursodeoxycholic acid from cholic or chenodeoxycholic acid testify to its effectiveness in the treatment of cholelithiasis. Chenodeoxycholic acid appears to be an excellent precursor in the synthesis of steroid plant growth regulators, as well as in the synthesis of metabolites and vitamin D analogues. Chirality of bile acids has been exploited in the synthesis of cyclic and acyclic receptors and solvents. Cholic and deoxycholic acids have been used to create new macrocyclic structures which show different capacities to bind and transport other compounds. Another important trend in the chemistry of bile acids is their application in combinatorial chemistry.

Synthesis of 1-β-O-acyl glucuronides of diclofenac, mefenamic acid and (S)-naproxen by the chemo-selective enzymatic removal of protecting groups from the corresponding methyl acetyl derivatives

Using a straightforward chemo-enzymatic procedure, 1-beta-O-acyl glucuronides of three non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs, diclofenac (DF) 5, mefenamic acid (MF) 6 and (S)-naproxen (NP) 7, were prepared. Caesium salts of these carboxylic acid drugs reacted with commercially available methyl 2,3,4-tri-O-acetyl-1-bromo-1-deoxy-alpha-D-glucopyranuronate 4 to give exclusively the corresponding 1-beta-O-acyl glucuronides 8-10 in moderate yields. The protecting acetyl (for -OH group) and methyl ester (for -CO2H group) groups of each sugar moiety were easily removed to provide the corresponding free 1-beta-O-acyl glucuronides 1-3 in high yields. Deprotection was achieved through effective enzyme-catalysed chemo-selective hydrolyses of the acetyl groups using lipase AS Amano (LAS), and of the methyl ester group using esterase from porcine liver (PLE).

Chemical synthesis of 24-β-d-galactopyranosides of bile acids: a new type of bile acid conjugates in human urine

A method is reported for the preparation of the C-24 carboxyl-linked beta-D-galactopyranosides of lithocholic, deoxycholic, chenodeoxycholic, ursodeoxycholic, and cholic acids, two of which were recently identified as a novel type of the metabolites of bile acids excreted in human urine. Direct esterification (galactosidation) of the unprotected bile acids with 2,3,4,6-tetra-O-benzyl-D-galactopyranose in the presence of 2-chloro-1,3,5-trinitrobenzene as a coupling agent and subsequent hydrogenolysis of the resulting benzyloxy-protected bile acid 24-beta-D-galactopyranosides over 10% palladium on charcoal under atmospheric pressure afforded the title compounds. The structures of the bile acid acyl galactosides were confirmed by measuring several (1)H-(1)H and (1)H-(13)C shift correlated 2D NMR.

Inhibition of the rat hepatic microsomal flurbiprofen acyl glucuronidation by bile acids

Glucuronidation of carboxylic acids, primarily catalyzed by hepatic UDP-glucuronosyltransferases, is an important phase II metabolic pathway functioning in detoxification. Acyl glucuronides of 2-aryl propionates, however, can form covalently bound protein adducts, which may generate hypersensitive reactions. We previously identified and quantified R- and S-flurbiprofen acyl glucuronides in human urine following the oral administration of flurbiprofen by liquid chromatography/electrospray ionization mass spectrometry. Recent studies also demonstrated the inhibitory effect of bile acids and their metabolites toward rat hepatic bile acid acyl glucuronidation, which may also be the target of the flurbiprofen isoenzyme. We therefore performed a kinetic analysis of rat hepatic flurbiprofen UDP-glucuronosyltransferase using bisubstrate kinetic analysis and inhibition studies. The results indicated that both bile acid and its metabolites clearly inhibited flurbiprofen acyl glucuronidation. The inhibitory effect on flurbiprofen was more efficient than the effect seen on bile acid acyl glucuronidation. Unconjugated, glycine- and taurine-conjugated chenodeoxycholic acids inhibited glucuronidation using a noncompetitive mechanism, whereas the inhibition by chenodeoxycholic acid 24-acyl glucuronide occurred according to a mixed type mechanism. The inhibition by bile acids and their metabolites may be responsible for the suppression of the toxicity of carboxy-linked glucuronides.

Synthesis and characterization of deoxycholyl 2-deoxyglucuronide: A water-soluble affinity labeling reagent

Acyl glucuronides, which are biosynthesized by the action of glucuronosyltransferases to material for detoxification, are water-soluble and chemically active; they produce irreversible protein adducts via both the transacylation mechanism and the imine mechanism. The acyl group at the C-1 position migrates from the anomeric carbon to the C-2 position of the glucuronic acid moiety, producing the aldehyde group at the C-1 position, where the protein easily condenses through a Schiff's base, in the open-chain aldose form. The elimination of the hydroxyl group at the C-2 position therefore may prevent a protein-bound adduct via the imine mechanism. In this paper, we describe the synthesis and characterization of an acyl 2-deoxyglucuronide of deoxycholic acid as a model compound to investigate its possible utility as a water-soluble affinity labeling reagent for lipophilic carboxylic acids. The solubility of deoxycholyl 2-deoxyglucuronide in an aqueous solution was sufficient under physiological conditions, and the desired material reacted with model peptides to produce covalently bound adducts only via the transacylation mechanism.

Characterization of rat liver bile acid acyl glucuronosyltransferase

Recent studies have suggested that bile acid acyl glucuronides form covalently bound protein adducts which may cause hypersensitivity reactions and increased morbidity in patients. Although the preferential biosynthesis of the acyl glucuronides has been known, the characterization of hepatic bile acid acyl glucuronosyltransferase has not yet been clearly elucidated. We have investigated the substrate specificity of the hepatic bile acid acyl glucuronosyltransferase using five common bile acids as substrates. The glucuronidation rate was dependent on the number of the hydroxy group on the steroid nucleus and mono-hydroxylated lithocholic acid, the more lipophilic common bile acid, was most effectively metabolized into its acyl glucuronide. The tri-hydroxylated cholic acid, the more water-soluble common bile acid, barely transformed into its glucuronide. Results showed decreasing of the initial velocity of the acyl glucuronidation with increasing of the concentration of substrate, lithocholic acid, owing to the substrate inhibition of the hepatic bile acid acyl glucuronosyltransferase. The substrate analogues, glycine and taurine conjugated bile acids, which exist in the body fluids in high concentrations, also inhibited the enzyme's activity. In addition, enzymatic reaction products, bile acid acyl glucuronides, also inhibited the activity. These inhibitory mechanisms may be responsible for the low concentration of bile acid acyl glucuronides in urine and may be an important detoxification system in the body.

Separation and Determination of Diastereomeric Flurbiprofen Acyl Glucuronides in Human Urine by LC/ESI-MS with a Simple Column-Switching Technique

Endogenous and exogenous compounds having a carboxyl group, such as alpha-arylpropionic acid derivatives, undergo a phase II metabolic reaction to produce an amino acid conjugate through the acyl CoA thioester as well as the acyl glucuronide. It was previously shown that flurbiprofen, one of the nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs, is not subjected to activation of the carboxyl group by the CoA thioester ligase, suggesting that acyl glucuronidation is the main phase II metabolic pathway. Recent observations, however, have demonstrated that the nonenzymatic formation of a covalently protein-bound drug, which is produced by the action of the acyl glucuronide, may cause hypersensitive reactions. Accordingly, a reliable method to measure diastereomeric flurbiprofen glucuronides in human biological fluids is required. In this study, we describe a liquid chromatographic/mass spectrometric method with a simple column switching technique to determine diastereomeric flurbiprofen acyl glucuronides in human urine specimens. The optimal conditions for the electrospray ionization were established based on the effects of orifice and ring lens voltages as well as mobile phase additives. The proposed method applied to urine specimens demonstrates high accuracy and reproducibility for the determination of flurbiprofen glucuronides in a quantitative range from 0.74 to 146.5 microg/mL, with a detection limit of 7.4 pg (17.6 fmol)/injection of S-flurbiprofen glucuronide, at a signal-to-noise ratio of 10 under the selected ion-monitoring mode. The urinary concentration of R-flurbiprofen glucuronides in healthy subjects determined by the proposed method were 6.8-29.4 microg/mL, and those values were slightly higher than that of S-flurbiprofen glucuronides (3.9-18.0 microg/mL).

Potential bile acid metabolites. 24. An efficient synthesis of carboxyl-linked glucosides and their chemical properties

A facile and efficient synthesis of the carboxyl-linked glucosides of bile acids is described. Direct esterification of unprotected bile acids with 2,3,4,6-tetra-O-benzyl-D-glucopyranose in pyridine in the presence of 2-chloro-1,3,5-trinitrobenzene as a coupling agent afforded a mixture of the alpha- and beta-anomers (ca. 1:3) of the 1-O-acyl-D-glucoside benzyl ethers of bile acids, which was separated effectively on a C18 reversed-phase chromatography column (isolated yields of alpha- and beta-anomers are 4-9% and 12-19%, respectively). Subsequent hydrogenolysis of the alpha- and beta-acyl glucoside benzyl ethers on a 10% Pd-C catalyst in acetic acid/methanol/EtOAc (1:2:2, by vol) at 35 degrees C under atmospheric pressure gave the corresponding free esters in good yields (79-89%). Chemical specificities such as facile hydrolysis and transesterification of the acyl glucosides in various solvents were also discussed.

Ergosteroids IV: synthesis and biological activity of steroid glucuronosides, ethers, and alkylcarbonates

The 7-oxo derivative of dehydroepiandrosterone is more active than the parent steroid and is devoid of adverse side effects in rats, monkeys and humans. In anticipation of possible therapeutic use we have sought more active, longer lasting forms of 7-oxo- and 7beta-hydroxydehydroepiandrosterones. The 7-oxo- and 7-hydroxy steroids have been converted to glucuronides, ethers and carbonate esters. The syntheses of these compounds are described and their ability to induce the formation of liver thermogenic enzymes when fed to rats is reported. Some of the new derivatives were found to be somewhat more effective than the equimolar amounts of 7-oxo-DHEA with which they were compared in each experiment.

A method for the determination of the hepatic enzyme activity catalyzing bile acid acyl glucuronide formation by high-performance liquid chromatography with pulsed amperometric detection

A method for the determination of the activity of hepatic glucuronyltransferase catalyzing formation of bile acid 24-glucuronides using high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) with pulsed amperometric detection (PAD) has been developed. Bile acid 24-glucuronides were simultaneously separated on a semimicrobore column, Capcell Pak C18UG120, using 20 mM ammonium phosphate (pH 6.0)-acetonitrile (27:10 and 16:10) as the mobile phase in the stepwise gradient elution mode. A 1 M potassium hydroxide solution for the hydrolysis of the 24-glucuronides, which liberates the corresponding bile acids and glucuronic acid, was mixed with the mobile phase in a post-column mode, and the resulting eluant was heated at 90 degrees C, the 24-glucuronides being monitored using a pulsed amperometric detector; the limit of detection was 10 ng. The proposed method was applied to the determination of the hepatic enzyme activity catalyzing bile acid 24-glucuronide formation and the result exhibited the efficient 24-glucuronide formation of the monohydroxylated bile acid, lithocholic acid.