Enantioselective Formation of Ibuprofen-S-Acyl-Glutathione in Vitro in Incubations of Ibuprofen with Rat Hepatocytes

Erjingpill bionic cerebrospinal fluid alleviates LPS-induced inflammatory response in BV2 cells by inhibiting glycolysis via mTOR

ETHNOPHARMACOLOGICAL RELEVANCE

Erjingpill, a well-known prescription documented in the classic Chinese medical text "Shengji Zonglu," has been proven to have effective alleviating effects on neuroinflammation in Alzheimer's disease (AD). Although the alterations in microglial cell glycolysis are known to play a crucial role in the development of neuroinflammation, it remains unclear whether the anti-neuroinflammatory effects of Erjingpill are associated with its impact on microglial cell glycolysis.

AIM OF THE STUDY

This study aims to determine whether Erjingpill exerts anti-neuroinflammatory effects by influencing microglial cell glycolysis.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

Firstly, Erjingpill decoction was prepared into an Erjingpill bionic cerebrospinal fluid (EBCF) through a process of in vitro intestinal absorption, hepatocyte incubation, and blood-brain barrier (BBB) transcytosis. Subsequently, UPLC/Q-TOF-MS/MS technology was used to analyze the compounds in Erjingpill and EBCF. Next, an in vitro neuroinflammation model was established by LPS-induced BV2 cells. The impact of EBCF on BV2 cell proliferation activity was evaluated using the CCK-8 assay, while the NO release was assessed using the Griess assay. Additionally, mRNA levels of pro-inflammatory factors (IL-1β, IL-6, TNF-α, and COX-2), anti-inflammatory factors (IL-10, IL-4, Arg-1, and TGF-β), M1 microglial markers (iNOS, CD86), M2 microglial markers (CD36, CD206), and glycolytic enzymes (HK2, GLUT1, PKM, and LDHA) were measured using qPCR. Furthermore, protein expression of microglial activation marker Iba-1, M1 marker iNOS, and M2 marker CD206 were identified through immunofluorescence, while concentrations of pro-inflammatory cytokines IL-1β and TNF-α were measured using ELISA. Enzymatic activity of glycolytic enzymes (HK, PK, and LDH) was assessed using assay kits, and the protein levels of pro-inflammatory factors (IL-1β, iNOS, and COX-2), anti-inflammatory factors (IL-10 and Arg-1), and key glycolytic proteins GLUT1 and PI3K/AKT/mTOR were detected by Western blot.

RESULTS

Through the analysis of Erjingpill and EBCF, 144 compounds were identified in Erjingpill and 40 compounds were identified in EBCF. The results demonstrated that EBCF effectively inhibited the elevation of inflammatory factors and glycolysis levels in LPS-induced BV2 cells, promoted polarization of M1 microglial cells towards the M2 phenotype, and suppressed the PI3K/AKT/mTOR inflammatory pathway. Moreover, EBCF alleviated LPS-induced BV2 cell inflammatory response by modulating mTOR to inhibit glycolysis.

CONCLUSIONS

EBCF exhibits significant anti-neuroinflammatory effects, likely attributed to its modulation of mTOR to inhibit microglial cell glycolysis. This study furnishes experimental evidence supporting the clinical utilization of Erjingpill for preventing and treating AD.

Identification of an isoform catalyzing the CoA conjugation of nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs and the evaluation of the expression levels of acyl-CoA synthetases in the human liver

Nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) containing carboxylic acid are conjugated with coenzyme A (CoA) or glucuronic acid in the body. It has been suggested that these conjugates are associated with toxicities, such as liver injury and anaphylaxis, through their binding via trans-acylation to cellular proteins. Although studies on glucuronidation have progressed, studies on CoA conjugation of drugs catalyzed by acyl-CoA synthetase (ACS) enzymes are still in the early stages. This study aimed to clarify the human ACS isoforms responsible for CoA-conjugation of NSAIDs through consideration of the hepatic expression levels of ACS isoforms. We found that among 10 types of NSAIDs, propionic acid-class NSAIDs, namely, alminoprofen, flurbiprofen, ibuprofen, ketoprofen, and loxoprofen, were conjugated with CoA in the human liver, whereas NSAIDs in the other classes, including diclofenac and mefenamic acid, were not. qRT-PCR revealed that among the 26 ACS isoforms, ACSL1 was the most highly expressed in the human liver, followed by ACSM2B. The propionic acid-class NSAIDs were conjugated with CoA by recombinant human ACSL1. The protein binding abilities of the CoA conjugates and the glucuronide forms of propionic acid-class NSAIDs were compared as an index of toxicity. The CoA conjugates had stronger adduct formation with liver microsomal proteins than glucuronides for all 5 propionic acid-class NSAIDs. In conclusion, we found that propionic acid-class NSAIDs could be conjugated to CoA by ACSL1 in the human liver to form CoA conjugates, which likely cause toxicity by protein adduct formation.

Determination of ibuprofen enantiomers in human plasma by HPLC–MS/MS: validation and application in neonates

Aim: An adaptive method to determine ibuprofen enantiomers with limited volume of plasma required is necessary for investigating PK of ibuprofen in neonates. Results: Enantiomer separation was achieved on a Lux cellulose 3 column with mobile phase consisting of methanol water (85:15, v/v) and formic acid (0.0075%) at isocratic rate of 0.2 ml/min. Calibration curve is linear for each enantiomer at the range of 0.1–60 μg/ml. Validation was conducted and results met requirements regarding to intra- and inter-run precision, accuracy and recovery. No matrix effect or interference was observed from neonatal plasma or comedications. Only 20 μl of plasma was requested in this study. Conclusion: This assay was specific and reliable to quantify ibuprofen enantiomers in neonate plasma.

Toxicity of Carboxylic Acid-Containing Drugs: The Role of Acyl Migration and CoA Conjugation Investigated

Many carboxylic acid-containing drugs are associated with idiosyncratic drug toxicity (IDT), which may be caused by reactive acyl glucuronide metabolites. The rate of acyl migration has been earlier suggested as a predictor of acyl glucuronide reactivity. Additionally, acyl Coenzyme A (CoA) conjugates are known to be reactive. Here, 13 drugs with a carboxylic acid moiety were incubated with human liver microsomes to produce acyl glucuronide conjugates for the determination of acyl glucuronide half-lives by acyl migration and with HepaRG cells to monitor the formation of acyl CoA conjugates, their further conjugate metabolites, and trans-acylation products with glutathione. Additionally, in vitro cytotoxicity and mitochondrial toxicity experiments were performed with HepaRG cells to compare the predictability of toxicity. Clearly, longer acyl glucuronide half-lives were observed for safe drugs compared to drugs that can cause IDT. Correlation between half-lives and toxicity classification increased when "relative half-lives," taking into account the formation of isomeric AG-forms due to acyl migration and eliminating the effect of hydrolysis, were used instead of plain disappearance of the initial 1-O-β-AG-form. Correlation was improved further when a daily dose of the drug was taken into account. CoA and related conjugates were detected primarily for the drugs that have the capability to cause IDT, although some exceptions to this were observed. Cytotoxicity and mitochondrial toxicity did not correlate to drug safety. On the basis of the results, the short relative half-life of the acyl glucuronide (high acyl migration rate), high daily dose and detection of acyl CoA conjugates, or further metabolites derived from acyl CoA together seem to indicate that carboxylic acid-containing drugs have a higher probability to cause drug-induced liver injury (DILI).

Drug biokinetic and toxicity assessments in rat and human primary hepatocytes and HepaRG cells within the EU-funded Predict-IV project

The overall aim of Predict-IV (EU-funded collaborative project #202222) was to develop improved testing strategies for drug safety in the late discovery phase. One major focus was the prediction of hepatotoxicity as liver remains one of the major organ leading to failure in drug development, drug withdrawal and has a poor predictivity from animal experiments. In this overview we describe the use and applicability of the three cell models employed, i.e., primary rat hepatocytes, primary human hepatocytes and the human HepaRG cell line, using four model compounds, chlorpromazine, ibuprofen, cyclosporine A and amiodarone. This overview described the data generated on mode of action of liver toxicity after long-term repeat-dosing. Moreover we have quantified parent compound and its distribution in various in vitro compartments, which allowed us to develop biokinetic models where we could derive real exposure concentrations in vitro. In conclusion, the complex data set enables quantitative measurements that proved the concept that we can define human relevant free and toxic exposure levels in vitro. Further compounds have to be analyzed in a broader concentration range to fully exploit these promising results for improved prediction of hepatotoxicity and hazard assessment for humans.

Significantly Different Covalent Binding of Oxidative Metabolites, Acyl Glucuronides, and S-Acyl CoA Conjugates Formed from Xenobiotic Carboxylic Acids in Human Liver Microsomes

Xenobiotic carboxylic acids may be metabolized to oxidative metabolites, acyl glucuronides, and/or S-acyl-CoA thioesters (CoA conjugates) in vitro, e.g., in hepatocytes, and in vivo. These metabolites can potentially be reactive species and bind covalently to tissue proteins and are generally considered to mediate adverse drug reactions in humans. Acyl glucuronide metabolites have been the focus of reactive metabolite research for decades, whereas drug-CoA conjugates, which have been shown to be up to 40-70 times more reactive, have been given much less attention. In an attempt to dissect the contribution of different pathways to covalent binding, we utilized human liver microsomes supplemented with NADPH, uridine 5'-diphosphoglucuronic acid (UDPGA), or CoA to evaluate the reactivity of each metabolite separately. Seven carboxylic acid drugs were included in this study. While ibuprofen and tolmetin are still on the market, ibufenac, fenclozic acid, tienilic acid, suprofen, and zomepirac were stopped before their launch or withdrawn. The reactivities of the CoA conjugates of ibuprofen, ibufenac, fenclozic acid, and tolmetin were higher compared to those of their corresponding oxidative metabolites and acyl glucuronides, as measured by the level of covalent binding to human liver microsomal proteins. The highest covalent binding was observed for ibuprofenyl-CoA and ibufenacyl-CoA, to levels of 1000 and 8600 pmol drug eq/mg protein, respectively. In contrast and in agreement with the proposed P450-mediated toxicity for these drug molecules, the reactivities of oxidative metabolites of suprofen and tienilic acid were higher compared to the reactivities of their conjugated metabolites, with NADPH-dependent covalent binding of 250 pmol drug eq/mg protein for both drugs. The seven drugs all formed UDPGA-dependent acyl glucuronides, but none of these resulted in covalent binding. This study shows that, unlike studies with hepatocytes or in vivo, human liver microsomes provide an opportunity to investigate the reactivity of individual metabolites.

The nonenzymatic reactivity of the acyl-linked metabolites of mefenamic acid toward amino and thiol functional group bionucleophiles

Mefenamic acid (MFA), a carboxylic acid-containing nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drug, is metabolized into the chemically-reactive MFA-1-O-acyl-glucuronide (MFA-1-O-G), MFA-acyl-adenylate (MFA-AMP), and the MFA-S-acyl-coenzyme A (MFA-CoA), all of which are electrophilic and capable of acylating nucleophilic sites on biomolecules. In this study, we investigate the nonenzymatic ability of each MFA acyl-linked metabolite to transacylate amino and thiol functional groups on the acceptor biomolecules Gly, Tau, l-glutathione (GSH), and N-acetylcysteine (NAC). In vitro incubations with each of the MFA acyl-linked metabolites (1 μM) in buffer under physiologic conditions with Gly, Tau, GSH, or NAC (10 mM) revealed that MFA-CoA was 11.5- and 19.5-fold more reactive than MFA-AMP toward the acylation of cysteine-sulfhydryl groups of GSH and NAC, respectively. However, MFA-AMP was more reactive toward both Gly and Tau, 17.5-fold more reactive toward the N-acyl-amidation of taurine than its corresponding CoA thioester, while MFA-CoA displayed little reactivity toward glycine. Additionally, mefenamic acid-S-acyl-glutathione (MFA-GSH) was 5.6- and 108-fold more reactive toward NAC than MFA-CoA and MFA-AMP, respectively. In comparison with MFA-AMP and MFA-CoA, MFA-1-O-G was not significantly reactive toward all four bionucleophiles. MFA-AMP, MFA-CoA, MFA-1-O-G, MFA-GSH, and mefenamic acid-taurine were also detected in rat in vitro hepatocyte MFA (100 μM) incubations, while mefenamic acid-glycine was not. These results demonstrate that MFA-AMP selectively reacts with the amino functional groups of glycine and lysine nonenzymatically, MFA-CoA selectively reacts nonenzymatically with the thiol functional groups of GSH and NAC, and MFA-GSH reacts with the thiol functional group of GSH nonenzymatically, all of which may potentially elicit an idiosyncratic toxicity in vivo.

Metabolism of xenobiotic carboxylic acids: focus on coenzyme A conjugation, reactivity, and interference with lipid metabolism

While xenobiotic carboxylic acids (XCAs) have been studied extensively with respect to their enzymatic conversion to potentially reactive acyl glucuronides with implications to drug induced hepatotoxicity, the formation of xenobiotic-S-acyl-CoA thioesters (xenobiotic-CoAs) have been much less studied in spite of data indicating that such conjugates may be equally or more reactive than the corresponding acyl glucuronides. This review addresses enzymes and cell organelles involved in the formation of xenobiotic-CoAs, the reactivity of such conjugates toward biological macromolecules, and in vitro and in vivo methodology to assess consequences of such reactivity. Further, the propensity of xenobiotic-CoAs to interfere with endogenous lipid metabolism, e.g., inhibition of β-oxidation or depletion of the CoA or carnitine pools, adds to the complexity of the potential contribution of XCAs to hepatotoxicity by a number of mechanisms in addition to those in common with the corresponding acyl glucuronides. On the basis of our review of the literature on xenobiotic-CoA conjugates, there appear to be a number of gaps in our understanding of the bioactivation of XCA both with respect to the mechanisms involved and the experimental approaches to distinguish between the role of acyl glucuronides and xenobiotic-CoA conjugates. These aspects are focused upon and described in detail in this review.

Characterization of the acyl-adenylate linked metabolite of mefenamic Acid

Mefenamic acid, (MFA), a carboxylic acid-containing nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drug (NSAID), is metabolized into the chemically reactive conjugates MFA-1-O-acyl-glucuronide (MFA-1-O-G) and MFA-S-acyl-CoA (MFA-CoA), which are both implicated in the formation of MFA-S-acyl-glutathione (MFA-GSH) conjugates, protein-adduct formation, and thus the potential toxicity of the drug. However, current studies suggest that an additional acyl-linked metabolite may be implicated in the formation of MFA-GSH. In the present study, we investigated the ability of MFA to become bioactivated into the acyl-linked metabolite, mefenamyl-adenylate (MFA-AMP). In vitro incubations in rat hepatocytes with MFA (100 μM), followed by LC-MS/MS analyses of extracts, led to the detection of MFA-AMP. In these incubations, the initial rate of MFA-AMP formation was rapid, leveling off at a maximum concentration of 90.1 nM (20 s), while MFA-GSH formation increased linearly, reaching a concentration of 1.7 μM after 60 min of incubation. In comparison, MFA-CoA was undetectable in incubation extracts until the 4 min time point, achieving a concentration of 45.6 nM at the 60 min time point, and MFA-1-O-G formation was linear, attaining a concentration of 42.2 μM after 60 min of incubation. In vitro incubation in buffer with the model nucleophile glutathione (GSH) under physiological conditions showed MFA-AMP to be reactive toward GSH, but 11-fold less reactive than MFA-CoA, while MFA-1-O-G exhibited little reactivity. However, in the presence of glutathione-S-transferase (GST), MFA-AMP mediated formation of MFA-GSH increased 6-fold, while MFA-CoA mediated formation of MFA-GSH only increased 1.4-fold. Collectively, in addition to the MFA-1-O-G, these results demonstrate that mefenamic acid does become bioactivated by acyl-CoA synthetase enzyme(s) in vitro in rat hepatocytes into the reactive transacylating derivatives MFA-AMP and MFA-CoA, both of which contribute to the transacylation of GSH and may be involved in the formation of protein adducts and potentially elicit an idiosyncratic toxicity.

Biosynthesis and stereoselective analysis of (-)- and (+)-zaltoprofen glucuronide in rat hepatic microsomes and its application to the kinetic analysis

Zaltoprofen, available commercially as a racemic mixture, is a propionic acid derivative of non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs). Firstly, (+)- and (-)-zaltoprofen glucuronide was biosynthesized and purified. Then a simple and rapid RP-HPLC analysis method for direct determination of (+)- and (-)-zaltoprofen glucuronide in rat hepatic microsomes was developed and validated. The calibration curves of (+)- and (-)-zaltoprofen glucuronide both showed good linearity in the concentration range from 0.15 to 31.13 μM. The lower limit of quantification was 0.15 μM. Finally, this method was used to investigate the enantioselectivity of zaltoprofen glucuronidation in rat hepatic microsomes. The kinetics of zaltoprofen glucuronidation in rat hepatic microsomes for 40 min incubation fit the Michaelis-Menten model. Kinetic analysis indicated that (-)-zaltoprofen had a higher glucuronidation rate in rat liver microsome than that of (+)-zaltoprofen. The catalyzing efficiency (V(max)/K(m)) ratio of (+)-zaltoprofen to (-)-enantiomer is 0.8 times in rat liver microsomes.

Stereoselective flunoxaprofen-S-acyl-glutathione thioester formation mediated by acyl-CoA formation in rat hepatocytes

Flunoxaprofen (FLX) is a chiral nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drug that was withdrawn from clinical use because of concerns of potential hepatotoxicity. FLX undergoes highly stereoselective chiral inversion mediated through the FLX-S-acyl-CoA thioester (FLX-CoA) in favor of the (R)-(-)-isomer. Acyl-CoA thioester derivatives of acidic drugs are chemically reactive species that are known to transacylate protein nucleophiles and glutathione (GSH). In this study, we investigated the relationship between the stereoselective metabolism of (R)-(-)- and (S)-(+)-FLX to FLX-CoA and the subsequent transacylation of GSH forming FLX-S-acyl-glutathione (FLX-SG) in incubations with rat hepatocytes in suspension. Thus, when hepatocytes (2 million cells/ml) were treated with (R)-(-)- or (S)-(+)-FLX (100 microM), both FLX-CoA and FLX-SG were detected by sensitive liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry techniques. However, these derivatives were observed primarily from (R)-(-)-FLX incubation extracts, for which the formation rates of FLX-CoA and FLX-SG were rapid, reaching maximum concentrations of 42 and 2.8 nM, respectively, after 6 min of incubation. Incubations with (S)-(+)-FLX over 60 min displayed 8.1 and 2.7% as much FLX-CoA and FLX-SG area under the concentration versus time curves, respectively, compared with corresponding incubations with (R)-(-)-FLX. Coincubation of lauric acid (1000 microM) with (R)-(-)-FLX (10 microM) led to the complete inhibition of FLX-CoA formation and a 98% inhibition of FLX-SG formation. Reaction of authentic (R,S)-FLX-CoA (2 microM) with GSH (10 mM) in buffer (pH 7.4, 37 degrees C) showed the quantitative formation of FLX-SG after 3 h of incubation. Together, these results demonstrate the stereoselective transacylation of GSH in hepatocyte incubations containing (R)-(-)-FLX, which is consistent with bioactivation by stereoselective (R)-FLX-CoA formation.