Actions of two highly potent organophosphorus neuropathy target esterase inhibitors in mammalian cell lines

Further studies toward a mouse model for biochemical assessment of neuropathic potential of organophosphorus compounds

Inhibition and aging of neuropathy target esterase (NTE) by neuropathic organophosphorus (OP) compounds triggers OP compound-induced delayed neuropathy (OPIDN), whereas inhibition of acetylcholinesterase (AChE) produces cholinergic toxicity. The neuropathic potential of an OP compound is defined by its relative inhibitory potency toward NTE vs. AChE assessed by enzyme assays following dosing in vivo or after incubations of direct-acting compounds or active metabolites with enzymes in vitro. The standard animal model of OPIDN is the adult hen, but its large size and high husbandry costs make this species a burdensome model for assessing neuropathic potential. Although the mouse does not readily exhibit clinical signs of OPIDN, it displays axonal lesions and expresses brain AChE and NTE. Therefore, the present research was performed as a further test of the hypothesis that inhibition of mouse brain AChE and NTE could be used to assess neuropathic potential using mouse brain preparations in vitro or employing mouse brain assays following dosing of OP compounds in vivo. Excellent correlations were obtained for inhibition kinetics in vitro of mouse brain enzymes vs. hen brain and human recombinant enzymes. Furthermore, inhibition of mouse brain AChE and NTE after dosing with OP compounds afforded ED(50) ratios that agreed with relative inhibitory potencies assessed in vitro. Taken together, results with mouse brain enzymes demonstrated consistent correspondence between in vitro and in vivo predictors of neuropathic potential, thus adding to previous studies supporting the validity of a mouse model for biochemical assessment of the ability of OP compounds to produce OPIDN.

Motor neuron disease due to neuropathy target esterase mutation: enzyme analysis of fibroblasts from human subjects yields insights into pathogenesis

Recently, we identified neuropathy target esterase (NTE) mutation as the cause of an autosomal recessive motor neuron disease (NTE-MND). Subsequently, we showed that NTE-MND mutations reduced specific activity (SA) and altered inhibitory kinetics of NTE catalytic domain constructs. Recent preliminary results showed that NTE is expressed in cultured human skin fibroblasts, and others have used mutant forms of neuronal proteins expressed in fibroblasts as biomarkers of neurogenetic diseases. Therefore, the present study was carried out to test the hypothesis that NTE in cultured skin fibroblasts from NTE-MND subjects also exhibit altered enzymological properties assessed by SA and IC(50) values of mipafox (MIP) and chlorpyrifos oxon (CPO). NTE SA was reduced to 65% of control (wild-type NTE from commercially obtained fibroblasts) in homozygous M1012V fibroblasts and 59-61% of control in compound heterozygous R890H/c2946_2947InsCAGC fibroblasts. MIP IC(50) values were unaffected by the NTE mutations, but the CPO IC(50) increased 4.5-fold in homozygous M1012V fibroblasts. Interestingly, markedly reduced NTE SAs (40-43% of control) were observed in fibroblasts from asymptomatic subjects heterozygous for NTE insertion c2946_2947InsCAGC. This insertion is predicted to produce truncated NTE missing the last 235 residues of its catalytic domain. These observations confirm that NTE-MND mutations reduce NTE SA in vitro. Moreover, to the extent observations made in cultured fibroblasts may be generalized to events in the nervous system, lack of correlation between reduced fibroblast NTE SA and the occurrence of NTE-MND in NTE insertion mutation heterozygotes indicates that reduction of NTE SA alone is insufficient to cause MND.

Stereoisomeric separation and bioassay of a new organophosphorus compound, O,S-dimethyl-N-(2,2,2-trichloro-1-methoxyethyl)phosphoramidothioate: some implications for chiral switch

The manufacture and use of single- or enriched-enantiomer pesticides are green-chemistry developments advocated in the 21st century, but predictive work for chiral switch of newly produced chiral active ingredients is limited. In the present study, the stereoselective separation, target activity, and nontarget toxicity of O,S-dimethyl-N-(2,2,2-trichloro-1-methoxyethyl)phosphoramidothioate (MCP), a new organophosphorus compound, were investigated. Because being highly active and safe is a prerequisite for marketing single-isomer products, the above studies were used to offer some implications for the chiral switch of racemic MCP. The results showed that all four stereoisomers of MCP were successfully separated with a Chiralpak AD column on HPLC. The resolved isomers and the pairs of enantiomers were further distinguished using a circular dichroism detector, designating the first and third eluted peaks as one pair of enantiomers and the second and fourth peaks as the other pair. Then, the insecticidal activities and acute and delayed toxicities of the resolved isomers of MCP were evaluated by their acute lethal efficacy against Daphina magna , their inhibitory potentials to acetylcholinesterase (AChE), and axon-like outgrowth of the SH-SY5Y cells, respectively. The inhibition potencies of the isomers against AChE in SH-SY5Y cells were low and slightly stereoselective. On the other hand, a significant difference was observed among the isomers in their activities and delayed neurotoxicities. The 48 h acute toxicities of isomers to D. magna followed the order peak 1 approximately pair 1 (i.e., equimolar mixture of peaks 1 and 3) > peak 4 approximately racemate > pair 2 (i.e., equimolar mixture of peaks 2 and 4) > peak 2 > peak 3, with 1.0-6.3-fold differences among them. In comparison, the inhibitory potentials of the isomers toward axon growth of SH-SY5Y cells decreased in the order peak 2 > pair 2 > peak 4 > racemate > peak 3 > pair 1 approximately peak 1, with at least a 60-fold difference between the strongest and weakest inhibitors. Those results imply that peak 1 has the optimal target selectivity and ecological profile among the four stereoisomers. It was calculated that two-thirds of the usual pesticide usage can be saved concomitantly with a substantial decrease in neuropathic risk if MCP is present only as peak 1 rather than the racemate. When considering the absence of the economically feasible synthetic methods and techniques to produce optically pure isomers of organophosphorus pesticides, pair 1 of MCP shows considerable worth for future applications on the basis of its biological predominance and cost effectiveness.

Chloropicrin dechlorination in relation to toxic action

Chloropicrin (CCl3NO2) is a widely used soil fumigant with an unknown mechanism of acute toxicity. We investigated the possible involvement of dechlorination in CCl3NO2 toxicity by considering its metabolism, inhibition of pyruvate and succinate dehydrogenases, cytotoxicity in cultured cells, and interaction with hemoproteins. In a newly discovered pathway, CCl3NO2 is metabolized to thiophosgene, which is characterized as the cyclic cysteine adduct (raphanusamic acid) in the urine of mice. CCl3NO2 inhibits porcine heart pyruvate dehydrogenase complex (IC-50 4 microM) and mouse liver succinate dehydrogenase complex (IC-50 13 microM), whereas its dehalogenated metabolites (CHCl2NO2 and CH2ClNO2) are more than 10 times less effective. The inhibitory potency of CCl3NO2 for these dehydrogenase complexes is similar to that of captan, folpet, and dichlone fungicides (IC-50 2-6 microM). CCl3NO2 cytotoxicity with Hepa 1c1c7+ mouse hepatoma cells (IC-50 9 microM) is not correlated with glutathione depletion. Mice treated intraperitoneally with CCl3NO2 at 50 mg/kg but not with an equivalent dose of CHCl2NO2 show increased concentrations of oxyhemoglobin in liver. The acute toxicity of CCl3NO2 in mice is due to the parent compound or metabolites other than CHCl2NO2 or CH2ClNO2 and may be associated with inhibition of the pyruvate dehydrogenase complex and elevated oxyhemoglobin.