Cumene hydroperoxide-dependent oxidation of NNN'N'-tetramethyl-p-phenylenediamine and 7-ethoxycoumarin by cytochrome P-450. Comparison between the haemoproteins from liver and olfactory tissue

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.

Neurotoxic exposure and impairment of the chemical senses of taste and smell

The chemical senses of taste and smell determine the flavor of foods and beverages, guide appropriate food intake, and warn of such environmental hazards as spoiled or poisonous food, leaking natural gas, smoke, and airborne pollutants. This chapter addresses the influences of neurotoxic exposures on human chemoreception and provides basic information on the adverse influences of such exposures on rodent epithelia. The focus of the chapter is in olfaction, given dearth of empiric research on the effects of neurotoxic chemical exposures on the sense of taste, i.e., sweet, sour, bitter, salty, and savory sensations. As will be apparent from the chapter, numerous neurotoxins--many of which are encountered in industrial workplaces--alter the ability to smell, including solvents, metals, and particulate matter. The olfactory system is particularly vulnerable to such agents since its receptors are more or less directly exposed to the outside environment. Importantly, some such agents can enter the brain via the olfactory nerve or surrounding perineural spaces, bypassing the blood-brain barrier and damaging central nervous system structures and inducing pathologic processes that appear to be similar to those seen in neurodegenerative diseases such as Alzheimer's and Parkinson's.

Cytochrome P450 dependent xenobiotic activation by physiological hydroperoxides in intact hepatocytes

Xenobiotic metabolic activation by intact hepatocytes was recently shown to be enhanced by the addition of nontoxic concentrations of t-butyl hydroperoxide and prevented by cytochrome P450 inhibitors. Furthermore, H2O2 (Km = 103 microM) was found to be highly effective in supporting the human microsomal CYP1A2 catalyzed metabolic activation of the heterocyclic aromatic amine 2-amino-3-methylimidazo (4,5-f) quinoline (IQ) to mutagenic metabolites and the DNA adduct formed was the same as that formed by the mixed-function oxidase catalyzed activation system. In the following, it is shown that the cytotoxicity of other xenobiotics including carcinogenic arylamines and their N-hydroxyarylamine metabolites were markedly enhanced by hydroperoxide addition but not in the presence of cytochrome P450 inhibitors. The CYP1A2 dependent O-demethylation of methoxyresorufin in 3-methylcholanthrene induced hepatocytes was also markedly enhanced when intracellular H2O2 was generated by the mitochondrial monoamine oxidase (MAO) substrates tyramine or kynurenamine. Linoleic acid hydroperoxide also dramatically enhanced the cytotoxicity of phenelzine towards isolated hepatocytes and the microsomal metabolism of phenelzine to form ethylbenzene. The P450 inhibitors phenylimidazole, benzylimidazole prevented the metabolic activation of phenelzine but not lipid peroxidation. These results suggest that linoleic acid hydroperoxide can activate hydrazines via a cytochrome P450 peroxidase catalyzed one electron oxidation to form highly cytotoxic reactive intermediates. Furthermore, increased hydrogen peroxide formation, e.g. as a result of oxidative stress, would also be expected to enhance the metabolic activation of carcinogenic arylamines via the peroxygenase function of CYP1A2.

Reactivity of lipophilic diSchiff-Base coordinated copper in rat hepatocytes

The membrane permeability and intracellular fate of ([N,N'-bis(2 pyridyl-phenyl-methylene)-1,4-butanediamine](N,N ',N",N"')-copper(II))-diperchlorate (CuPuPhePy), a copper-diSchiff-base complex of superoxide dismutase(SOD)-mimetic activity surviving biochelation, were examined using rat hepatocytes. Lipophilicity was quantified by determining the octanol/water partition coefficients (K(p)) employing PBS as the aqueous phase. K(p)(octanol/water) was close to 1 (0.7 +/- 0.31) for Cu-PuPhePy. The complex associates with phosphatidylcholine liposomes, as deduced from ultracentrifugation and gel filtration experiments. The ability of the complex to permeate cellular membranes was proven by correlating copper release and viability of rat hepatocytes preincubated with CuPuPhePy and treated with digitonin and diethylmaleate (DEM), respectively. The toxicity and reactivity of CuPuPhePy (LD (50) approximately 10 muM for rat hepatocytes under the given conditions) were higher than those of CuSO (4)(LD(50) approximately 16 mu M) and CuZn-SOD (no toxicity in the tested range of concentration). Unlike CuSO(4) and CuZn-SOD, the toxicity and reactivity of the diSchiff-base complex were increased (LD(50) approximately 5 muM) when the concentration of intracellular glutathione was reduced to 16% of the initial content, by preincubating the cells with DEM. The toxicity of Cu-PuPhePy paralleled lipid peroxidation. This phenomenon was strongly enhanced when Cu-PuPhePy and cumene hydroperoxide (CumOOH) were simultaneously allowed to react with rat hepatocytes. This effect was intensified following preincubation with DEM. A decline in Cu(II)-EPR signals was indicative of the reduction of CuPuPhePy by GSH and liver extract, respectively. The concomitant formation of the Cu(I)-GSH complex during this reduction was monitored by the formation of luminescent Cu(I)-thiolate chromophores.

Immunolocalization of cytochromes P-450olf1 and P-450olf2 in rat olfactory mucosa

Previously, we described two olfactory-specific cytochromes P-450: rat cytochrome P-450olf1 (IIG1), identified by cDNA cloning, and bovine cytochrome P-450olf2 (IIA), identified by peptide microsequencing of a transmembranal polypeptide (p52). Here we describe the preparation of polyclonal antisera against peptide sequences of these proteins and their use in the immunolocalization of cytochromes P-450olf1 and P-450olf2 in rat olfactory mucosa. Immunoreactivities related to both enzymes are found in the subepithelial Bowman's glands of olfactory mucosa. Practically no immunoreactivity was found in other rat tissues, including liver, lung, kidney and respiratory mucosa. In addition, double-labeling experiments demonstrated that cytochromes P-450olf1 and P-450olf2 are present in the same population of Bowman's glands. The olfactory-specific localization of cytochromes P-450olf1 and P-450olf2 is consistent with a role for these enzymes in the modification or clearance of odorants from the chemosensory tissue.