Biotransformation of 4-(methylnitrosamino)-1-(3-pyridyl)-1-butanone (NNK) in peripheral human lung microsomes

Cytochromes P450: Role in Carcinogenesis and Relevance to Cancers

Abstracts:

Cancer is a leading factor of mortality globally. Cytochrome P450 (CYP) enzymes play a pivotal role in the biotransformation of both endogenous and exogenous compounds. Evidence from numerous epidemiological, animal, and clinical studies points to instrumental role of CYPs in cancer initiation, metastasis, and prevention. Substantial research has found that CYPs are involved in activating different carcinogenic chemicals in the environment, such as polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons and tobacco-related nitrosamines. Electrophilic intermediates produced from these chemicals can covalently bind to DNA, inducing mutation and cellular transformation that collectively result in cancer development. While bioactivation of procarcinogens and promutagens by CYPs has long been established, the role of CYP-derived endobiotics in carcinogenesis has emerged in recent years. Eicosanoids derived from arachidonic acid via CYP oxidative pathways have been implicated in tumorigenesis, cancer progression and metastasis. The purpose of this review is to update on the current state of knowledge about the cancer molecular mechanism involving CYPs with focus on the biochemical and biotransformation mechanisms in the various CYP-mediated carcinogenesis, and the role of CYP-derived reactive metabolites, from both external and endogenous sources, on cancer growth and tumour formation.

Human Family 1-4 cytochrome P450 enzymes involved in the metabolic activation of xenobiotic and physiological chemicals: an update

This is an overview of the metabolic activation of drugs, natural products, physiological compounds, and general chemicals by the catalytic activity of cytochrome P450 enzymes belonging to Families 1-4. The data were collected from > 5152 references. The total number of data entries of reactions catalyzed by P450s Families 1-4 was 7696 of which 1121 (~ 15%) were defined as bioactivation reactions of different degrees. The data were divided into groups of General Chemicals, Drugs, Natural Products, and Physiological Compounds, presented in tabular form. The metabolism and bioactivation of selected examples of each group are discussed. In most of the cases, the metabolites are directly toxic chemicals reacting with cell macromolecules, but in some cases the metabolites formed are not direct toxicants but participate as substrates in succeeding metabolic reactions (e.g., conjugation reactions), the products of which are final toxicants. We identified a high level of activation for three groups of compounds (General Chemicals, Drugs, and Natural Products) yielding activated metabolites and the generally low participation of Physiological Compounds in bioactivation reactions. In the group of General Chemicals, P450 enzymes 1A1, 1A2, and 1B1 dominate in the formation of activated metabolites. Drugs are mostly activated by the enzyme P450 3A4, and Natural Products by P450s 1A2, 2E1, and 3A4. Physiological Compounds showed no clearly dominant enzyme, but the highest numbers of activations are attributed to P450 1A, 1B1, and 3A enzymes. The results thus show, perhaps not surprisingly, that Physiological Compounds are infrequent substrates in bioactivation reactions catalyzed by P450 enzyme Families 1-4, with the exception of estrogens and arachidonic acid. The results thus provide information on the enzymes that activate specific groups of chemicals to toxic metabolites.

Effects of cellular differentiation in human primary bronchial epithelial cells: Metabolism of 4-(methylnitrosamine)-1-(3-pyridyl)-1-butanone

Many of the toxicants in tobacco smoke undergo biotransformation in the lungs of smokers, both to reactive and to detoxified derivatives. Human air-liquid-interface (ALI) airway tissue models have emerged as an advanced in vitro model for evaluating the toxicity of inhaled substances; however, the metabolic potential of these cultures has not been evaluated extensively. In this study, we compared the metabolic activities of an ALI tissue model to the undifferentiated normal human primary bronchial epithelial (NHBE) cells from which it was derived. Measurement of the basal levels of gene expression for 84 phase I drug metabolism enzymes indicated that most genes were upregulated in ALI cultures compared to NHBE cells. Furthermore, the enzymatic activities of three cytochrome P450s involved in the bioactivation of tobacco-specific nitrosamines were higher in the ALI cultures, and the bioactivation of 4-(methylnitrosamine)-1-(3-pyridyl)-1-butanone (NNK), as measured by the formation of two of its major metabolites, i.e., keto acid and 4-(methylnitrosamino)-1-(3-pyridyl)-1-butanol (NNAL), was significantly greater in the ALI cultures. Finally, NNK was a direct-acting genotoxicant in the ALI cultures, while the genotoxicity of NNK was detected in NHBE cells only in the presence of an exogenous liver S9 activation system. Taken together, our findings demonstrate the greater metabolic potential of well-differentiated ALI cultures than primary NHBE cells, supporting the potential use of ALI airway cultures as an alternative in vitro model for evaluating inhaled toxicants that require metabolic transformation.

Pyridylhydroxybutyl and pyridyloxobutyl DNA phosphate adduct formation in rats treated chronically with enantiomers of the tobacco-specific nitrosamine metabolite 4-(methylnitrosamino)-1-(3-pyridyl)-1-butanol

The tobacco-specific lung carcinogen 4-(methylnitrosamino)-1-(3-pyridyl)-1-butanone (NNK) is metabolically converted to 4-(methylnitrosamino)-1-(3-pyridyl)-1-butanol (NNAL) in a reaction which is both stereoselective and reversible. NNAL is also a lung carcinogen, with both (R)-NNAL and (S)-NNAL inducing a high incidence of lung tumours in rats. Both NNAL and NNK undergo metabolic activation to intermediates which react with DNA to form pyridylhydroxybutyl and pyridyloxobutyl DNA adducts, respectively. DNA adduct formation by NNAL and NNK is an important step in their mechanisms of carcinogenesis. In this study, we quantified both pyridylhydroxybutyl and pyridyloxobutyl DNA phosphate adducts in the lung of rats treated with 5 ppm of (R)-NNAL or (S)-NNAL in drinking water for 10, 30, 50 and 70 weeks. In (R)-NNAL-treated rats, the pyridylhydroxybutyl and pyridyloxobutyl phosphate adducts were 4530-6920 fmol/mg DNA and 46-175 fmol/mg DNA, accounting for 45-51% and 0.3-1% of the total measured DNA phosphate and base adducts, respectively. In (S)-NNAL-treated rats, the two types of phosphate adducts were 3480-4180 fmol/mg DNA and 1180-4650 fmol/mg DNA, accounting for 30-36% and 11-38% of the total adducts, respectively. Distinct patterns of adduct formation were observed, with higher levels of NNAL-derived pyridylhydroxybutyl phosphate adducts and lower levels of NNK-derived pyridyloxobutyl phosphate adducts in the (R)-NNAL treatment group than the (S)-NNAL group. The persistence and increase over time of certain pyridylhydroxybutyl phosphate adducts over the course of the study suggest that these adducts could be useful biomarkers of chronic exposure to NNAL and NNK. The results of this study provide important new information regarding DNA damage by NNAL and NNK, and contribute to understanding mechanisms of tobacco-related carcinogenesis.

The inhibition of cytochrome P450 2A13-catalyzed NNK metabolism by NAT, NAB and nicotine

4-(Methylnitrosamino)-1-(3-pyridyl)-1-butanone (NNK) is considered to be the most carcinogenic of the four tobacco-specific nitrosamines (TSNAs) and it needs to be metabolically activated to exert its carcinogenic effect on humans. For the simultaneous intake of NNK and other compounds with similar molecular structures in the context of tobacco smoke, whether (R,S)-N-nitrosoanatabine (NAT), (R,S)-N-nitrosoanabasine (NAB) and nicotine contribute to the inhibitory potency of the cytochrome P450 (CYP) enzyme-catalyzed NNK metabolism or not needs to be investigated. In the in vitro study, 4-oxo-4-(3-pyridyl) butanal (OPB), 4-hydroxy-1-(3-pyridyl)-1-butanone (HPB) and 4-oxo-4-(3-pyridyl) butanoic acid (OPBA) were established as the products of the CYP2A13-catalyzed NNK metabolism and the kinetic parameters were calculated from the Michaelis-Menten equation. Addition of NAT, NAB or nicotine resulted in a competitive inhibition for the NNK metabolism catalyzed by CYP2A13. The inhibition constant K_i values were calculated to be 0.21 μM (NAT), 0.23 μM (NAB) and 8.51 μM (nicotine) for OPB formation; 0.71 μM (NAT), 0.87 μM (NAB) and 25.01 μM (nicotine) for HPB formation and 0.36 μM (NAT), 0.50 μM (NAB) and 6.57 μM (nicotine) for OPBA formation, respectively. In addition, the study of the transformation of the three metabolites revealed OPB was not only an end product but also an intermediate product of the CYP2A13-catalyzed NNK metabolism. These results suggest that structurally similar tobacco constituents with weak or no carcinogenicity influence the metabolic activation of NNK, which interferes with its carcinogenicity to some extent.

Chronic exposure of lung alveolar epithelial type II cells to tobacco-specific carcinogen NNK results in malignant transformation: a new in vitro lung carcinogenesis model

Lung cancer is the leading cause of cancer-related mortality in both men and women throughout the world. This disease is strongly associated with tobacco smoking. The aim of this manuscript was to establish an in vitro model that mimics the chronic exposures of alveolar epithelial type II cells to the tobacco-specific nitrosamine carcinogen, NNK. Immortalized non-neoplastic alveolar epithelial cells type II, (E10 cells), from BALB/c mice were exposed to low concentration of NNK (100 pM) during 5, 10, 15, and 20 cycles of 48 h. NNK-transformed cells showed an increase of proliferation rate and motility. Moreover, these cells underwent epithelial-to-mesenchymal transition (EMT). Increased migratory capacity and EMT were correlated to the time of exposure to NNK. NNK-transformed cells were tested for their growth and metastatic capacity in vivo. Subcutaneous injection of cells exposed to NNK for 20 cycles (E10-NNK20 clone) into BALB/c mice led to the formation of subcutaneous tumors that arose after 40 ± 17 d in all animals, which died 95 ± 18 d after cell inoculation, with lymph nodes and lung metastasis. The morphological characteristics of tumors were compatible with metastatic undifferentiated carcinoma. Cells exposed to NNK for 5-10 cycles did not display metastatic capacity, while those exposed for 15 cycles displayed low capacity. Our results show that prolonged exposures to NNK led the cells to increasingly acquire malignant properties. The cellular model presented in this study is suitable for studying the molecular events involved in the different stages of malignant transformation.

Cytochrome P450 2B6: function, genetics, and clinical relevance

Cytochrome P450 (CYP) 2B6 belongs to the set of important hepatic drug-metabolizing CYPs. It makes up roughly 3%-6% of total hepatic CYP content and metabolizes several pharmaceuticals including bupropion, efavirenz, cyclophosphamide, pethidine, ketamine and propofol. The enzyme is susceptible to drug-drug interactions by enzyme induction and inhibition. In addition to drugs, CYP2B6 is able to both detoxify and bioactivate a number of procarcinogens and environmental agents including pesticides and herbicides. There is an extensive interindividual variability in the expression of CYP2B6, which is in part explained by extensive genetic polymorphism. CYP2B6 is one of the most polymorphic CYP genes in humans with over 100 described SNPs, numerous complex haplotypes and distinct ethnic and racial frequencies. This review summarizes the basic properties of CYP2B6 and the main characteristics of clinical relevance.

Genotoxic bioactivation of constituents of a diesel exhaust particle extract by the human lung

The ability of the human lung to catalyze genotoxic bioactivation of constituents of diesel exhaust particle (DEP) extract (DEPE) and the identity of the lung enzymes involved in the bioactivation were investigated using human lung tissues obtained from surgical resections. Genotoxicity was determined by lung S9-catalyzed mutagenicity of DEPE constituents to Salmonella typhimurium TA98NR in the Ames test and by DEPE-induced pneumocyte DNA damage response as determined by γH2Ax expression in ex vivo tissues. S9 was prepared from lung explants treated ex vivo with either DEPE to induce pulmonary enzymes (DEPE-S9) or vehicle only (CON-S9). TA98NR served as the tester strain for the purpose of enhancing and minimizing the contribution of lung S9 and Salmonella, respectively, to DEPE bioactivation. DEPE-S9 was 2.2-fold more active than CON-S9 or rat liver S9 in DEPE bioactivation and the bioactivation was inhibited 58, 45, 22, and 16% by α-naphthoflavone, dicumarol, ketoconazole, and ticlopidine, respectively. Alveolar S9 was less active than bronchioalveolar S9 in DEPE bioactivation. DEPE and diesel exhaust particles (DEP) induced γ-pH2Ax expression in pulmonary cells. Pulmonary CYP1A1 and NQO1 were induced by DEPE treatment, with the constitutive and induced CYP1A1 distributed throughout all peripheral lung regions, whereas NQO1 was limited in distribution to bronchiolar epithelium. The results show that the human lung is highly active in catalyzing genotoxic bioactivation of diesel emission constituents and that CYP1A and NQO1 play major roles in the reaction. The findings underscore the usefulness of human lung tissues in studies of the pneumotoxicity potential of chemicals to humans.

Pharmacogenetics of cytochrome P450 2B6 (CYP2B6): advances on polymorphisms, mechanisms, and clinical relevance

Cytochrome P450 2B6 (CYP2B6) belongs to the minor drug metabolizing P450s in human liver. Expression is highly variable both between individuals and within individuals, owing to non-genetic factors, genetic polymorphisms, inducibility, and irreversible inhibition by many compounds. Drugs metabolized mainly by CYP2B6 include artemisinin, bupropion, cyclophosphamide, efavirenz, ketamine, and methadone. CYP2B6 is one of the most polymorphic CYP genes in humans and variants have been shown to affect transcriptional regulation, splicing, mRNA and protein expression, and catalytic activity. Some variants appear to affect several functional levels simultaneously, thus, combined in haplotypes, leading to complex interactions between substrate-dependent and -independent mechanisms. The most common functionally deficient allele is CYP2B6*6 [Q172H, K262R], which occurs at frequencies of 15 to over 60% in different populations. The allele leads to lower expression in liver due to erroneous splicing. Recent investigations suggest that the amino acid changes contribute complex substrate-dependent effects at the activity level, although data from recombinant systems used by different researchers are not well in agreement with each other. Another important variant, CYP2B6*18 [I328T], occurs predominantly in Africans (4-12%) and does not express functional protein. A large number of uncharacterized variants are currently emerging from different ethnicities in the course of the 1000 Genomes Project. The CYP2B6 polymorphism is clinically relevant for HIV-infected patients treated with the reverse transcriptase inhibitor efavirenz, but it is increasingly being recognized for other drug substrates. This review summarizes recent advances on the functional and clinical significance of CYP2B6 and its genetic polymorphism, with particular emphasis on the comparison of kinetic data obtained with different substrates for variants expressed in different recombinant expression systems.

Differential distribution of CYP2A6 and CYP2A13 in the human respiratory tract

BACKGROUND

Human CYP2A6 and CYP2A13 play important roles in metabolic activation of many pulmonary carcinogens and thus their expression and distribution may determine the pulmonary susceptibility to metabolically activated carcinogens and the following lung cancer development. Because of the 93.5% of amino acid identity between CYP2A6 and CYP2A13, generation of antibodies specific to CYP2A6 or CYP2A13 has limited immunohistochemical (IHC) analysis of CYP2A6 and CYP2A13 levels in the respiratory tract.

OBJECTIVES

This study aimed to determine the differential distribution of CYP2A6 and CYP2A13 in human respiratory tissue with IHC analysis.

METHODS

With computer-aided protein sequence analyses, candidate epitopes of 15 amino acids in the C-terminal domains of CYP2A6 and CYP2A13 were selected for antibody generation. Specificity of these two antibodies was confirmed with immunoblot and immunofluorescence analyses. With these two selective antibodies, the differential distribution of CYP2A6 and CYP2A13 in human respiratory tissues, including tracheae, bronchi, bronchioles and alveoli, was determined.

RESULTS

IHC results showed that both CYP2A6 and CYP2A13 were markedly expressed in epithelial cells of tracheae and bronchi and that only CYP2A6 was detected in bronchiolar epithelial cells of peripheral lungs. A limitation of the present study is the cross-reactivity of our CYP2A6 antibody to the functional inactive CYP2A7.

CONCLUSIONS

The differential distribution patterns of CYP2A6 and CYP2A13 in the respiratory tract are of importance in considering the pulmonary susceptibility to carcinogens and the following lung cancer development.

Contributions of human enzymes in carcinogen metabolism

Considerable support exists for the roles of metabolism in modulating the carcinogenic properties of chemicals. In particular, many of these compounds are pro-carcinogens that require activation to electrophilic forms to exert genotoxic effects. We systematically analyzed the existing literature on the metabolism of carcinogens by human enzymes, which has been developed largely in the past 25 years. The metabolism and especially bioactivation of carcinogens are dominated by cytochrome P450 enzymes (66% of bioactivations). Within this group, six P450s--1A1, 1A2, 1B1, 2A6, 2E1, and 3A4--accounted for 77% of the P450 activation reactions. The roles of these P450s can be compared with those estimated for drug metabolism and should be considered in issues involving enzyme induction, chemoprevention, molecular epidemiology, interindividual variations, and risk assessment.

Genetic variability in the metabolism of the tobacco-specific nitrosamine 4-(methylnitrosamino)-1-(3-pyridyl)-1-butanone (NNK) to 4-(methylnitrosamino)-1-(3-pyridyl)-1-butanol (NNAL)

Urinary metabolites of the tobacco-specific nitrosamine 4-(methylnitrosamino)-1-(3-pyridyl)-1-butanone (NNK), 4-(methylnitrosamino)-1-(3-pyridyl)-1-butanol (NNAL) and its glucuronides, termed total NNAL, have recently been shown to be good predictors of lung cancer risk, years before diagnosis. We sought to determine the contribution of several genetic polymorphisms to total NNAL output and inter-individual variability. The study subjects were derived from the Harvard/Massachusetts General Hospital Lung cancer case-control study. We analyzed 87 self-described smokers (35 lung cancer cases and 52 controls), with urine samples collected at time of diagnosis (1992-1996). We tested 82 tagging SNPs in 16 genes related to the metabolism of NNK to total NNAL. Using weighted case status least squares regression, we tested for the association of each SNP with square-root (sqrt) transformed total NNAL (pmol per mg creatinine), controlling for age, sex, sqrt packyears and sqrt nicotine (ng per mg creatinine). After a sqrt transformation, nicotine significantly predicted a 0.018 (0.014, 0.023) pmol/mg creatinine unit increase in total NNAL for every ng/mg creatinine increase in nicotine at p < 10E-16. Three HSD11B1 SNPs and AKR1C4 rs7083869 were significantly associated with decreasing total NNAL levels: HSD11B1 rs2235543 (p = 4.84E-08) and rs3753519 (p = 0.0017) passed multiple testing adjustment at FDR q = 1.13E-05 and 0.07 respectively, AKR1C4 rs7083869 (p = 0.019) did not, FDR q = 0.51. HSD11B1 and AKR1C4 enzymes are carbonyl reductases directly involved in the single step reduction of NNK to NNAL. The HSD11B1 SNPs may be correlated with the functional variant rs13306401 and the AKR1C4 SNP is correlated with the enzyme activity reducing variant rs17134592, L311V.

Cytochrome P450-mediated pulmonary metabolism of carcinogens: regulation and cross-talk in lung carcinogenesis

Lung cancer is strongly associated with exogenous risk factors, in particular tobacco smoking and asbestos exposure. New research data are accumulating about the regulation of the metabolism of tobacco carcinogens and the metabolic response to oxidative stress. These data provide mechanistic details about why well known risk factors cause lung cancer. The purpose of this review is to evaluate the present knowledge of the role of cytochrome P450 (CYP) enzymes in the metabolism of tobacco carcinogens and associations with tobacco and asbestos carcinogenesis. Major emphasis is placed on human data and regulatory pathways involved in CYP regulation and lung carcinogenesis. The most exciting new research findings concern cross-talk of the CYP-regulating aryl hydrocarbon receptor with other transcription factors, such as nuclear factor-erythroid 2-related factor 2, involved in the regulation of xenobiotic metabolism and antioxidant enzymes. This cross-talk between transcription factors may provide mechanistic evidence for clinically relevant issues, such as differences in lung cancers between men and women and the synergism between tobacco and asbestos as lung carcinogens.

Metabolic effects of CYP2A6 and CYP2A13 on 4-(methylnitrosamino)-1-(3-pyridyl)-1-butanone (NNK)-induced gene mutation--a mammalian cell-based mutagenesis approach

Both cytochrome P450 2A6 (CYP2A6) and cytochrome P450 2A13 (CYP2A13) are involved in metabolic activation of tobacco-specific nitrosamines and may play important roles in cigarette smoking-induced lung cancer. Unlike CYP2A6, effects of CYP2A13 on the tobacco-specific nitrosamine-induced mutagenesis in lung cells remain unclear. This study uses a supF mutagenesis assay to examine the relative effects of CYP2A6 and CYP2A13 on metabolic activation of a tobacco-specific nitrosamine, 4-(methylnitrosamino)-1-(3-pyridyl)-1-butanone (NNK), and its resulting mutagenesis in human lung cells. A recombinant adenovirus-mediated CYP2A6/CYP2A13 expression system was established to specifically address the relative effects of these two CYPs. Mutagenesis results revealed that both CYP2A6 and CYP2A13 significantly enhanced the NNK-induced supF mutation and that the mutagenic effect of CYP2A13 was markedly higher than that of CYP2A6. Analysis of NNK metabolism indicated that ≥70% of NNK was detoxified to 4-(methylnitrosamino)-1-(3-pyridyl)-1-butanol (NNAL), either with or without CYP2A6/CYP2A13 expression. Both CYP2A6 and CYP2A13 significantly enhanced the α-hydroxylation of NNK; and the α-hydroxylation activity of CYP2A13 was significantly higher than that of CYP2A6. Analysis of the NNK-related DNA adduct formation indicated that, in the presence of CYP2A13, NNK treatments caused marked increases in O(6)-methylguanine (O(6)-MeG). The present results provide the first direct in vitro evidence demonstrating the predominant roles of CYP2A13 in NNK-induced mutagenesis, possibly via metabolic activation of NNK α-hydroxylation.

Polymorphism of human cytochrome P450 enzymes and its clinical impact

Pharmacogenetics is the study of how interindividual variations in the DNA sequence of specific genes affect drug response. This article highlights current pharmacogenetic knowledge on important human drug-metabolizing cytochrome P450s (CYPs) to understand the large interindividual variability in drug clearance and responses in clinical practice. The human CYP superfamily contains 57 functional genes and 58 pseudogenes, with members of the 1, 2, and 3 families playing an important role in the metabolism of therapeutic drugs, other xenobiotics, and some endogenous compounds. Polymorphisms in the CYP family may have had the most impact on the fate of therapeutic drugs. CYP2D6, 2C19, and 2C9 polymorphisms account for the most frequent variations in phase I metabolism of drugs, since almost 80% of drugs in use today are metabolized by these enzymes. Approximately 5-14% of Caucasians, 0-5% Africans, and 0-1% of Asians lack CYP2D6 activity, and these individuals are known as poor metabolizers. CYP2C9 is another clinically significant enzyme that demonstrates multiple genetic variants with a potentially functional impact on the efficacy and adverse effects of drugs that are mainly eliminated by this enzyme. Studies into the CYP2C9 polymorphism have highlighted the importance of the CYP2C9*2 and *3 alleles. Extensive polymorphism also occurs in other CYP genes, such as CYP1A1, 2A6, 2A13, 2C8, 3A4, and 3A5. Since several of these CYPs (e.g., CYP1A1 and 1A2) play a role in the bioactivation of many procarcinogens, polymorphisms of these enzymes may contribute to the variable susceptibility to carcinogenesis. The distribution of the common variant alleles of CYP genes varies among different ethnic populations. Pharmacogenetics has the potential to achieve optimal quality use of medicines, and to improve the efficacy and safety of both prospective and currently available drugs. Further studies are warranted to explore the gene-dose, gene-concentration, and gene-response relationships for these important drug-metabolizing CYPs.

Critical appraisal of the expression of cytochrome P450 enzymes in human lung and evaluation of the possibility that such expression provides evidence of potential styrene tumorigenicity in humans

Styrene is widely used with significant human exposure, particularly in the reinforced plastics industry. In mice it is both hepatotoxic and pneumotoxic, and this toxicity is generally thought to be associated with its metabolism to styrene oxide. Styrene causes lung tumors in mice but not in rats. The question is how the tumorigenic effect in mouse lung may relate to the human. This review examines the comparison of the metabolic activation rates (1) between the liver and lung and (2) for the lung, between the rodent and human. Emphasis is placed on the specific cytochromes P450 present in the lungs of humans and what role they might play in the bioactivation of styrene and other compounds. In general, pulmonary metabolism is very slow compared to hepatic metabolism. Furthermore, metabolic rates in humans are slow compared to those in rats and mice. There is a wide difference in what specific cytochromes P450 investigators have reported as being present in human lung which makes comparisons, both inter-species and inter-organ, difficult. The general low activity for cytochrome P450 activity in the lung, especially for CYP2F1, the human homolog for CYP2F2 which has been identified in mice as being primarily responsible for styrene metabolism, argues against the hypothesis that human lung would produce enough styrene oxide to damage pulmonary epithelial cells leading to cell death, increased cell replication and ultimately tumorigenicity, the presumed mode of action for styrene in the production of the mouse lung tumors.

Inhibition of rat hepatic CYP2E1 by quinacrine: molecular modeling investigation and effects on 4-(methyl nitrosamino)-1-(3-pyridyl)-1-butanone (NNK)-induced mutagenicity

Increased activity of CYP2E1 has been associated with increased risk of chemically-mediated cancers, through enhanced activation of a variety of procarcinogens. In this context, inhibition of CYP2E1 is potentially of significance in xenobiotic toxicity. The aim of the present study was to test the hypothesis that quinacrine inhibits hepatic CYP2E1. For this purpose, disulfiram (75 mg/kg i.p) as an inhibitor and isoniazid (100 mg/kg i.p) as an inducer of CYP2E1, as well as quinacrine (50 mg/kg i.p) were administered to Wistar rats and the hepatic activity of CYP2E1 was measured. The expression of CYP2E1 was further assessed by Western blot analysis. As expected, disulfiram inhibited, while isoniazid induced the activity and expression of the enzyme. Interestingly, treatment with quinacrine resulted in a significant decrease of CYP2E1 activity and expression. To investigate any similarities in the inhibition of CYP2E1 by quinacrine and disulfiram, molecular modeling techniques were adopted and revealed that quinacrine molecule anchors inside the same binding pocket of the protein where disulfiram is also attached. Finally, as assessed by the sister chromatid exchanges (SCE) assay, quinacrine was demonstrated to reduce the mutagenic effects of the tobacco-specific N-nitrosamine 4-(methyl nitrosamino)-1-(3-pyridyl)-1-butanone (NNK), which is known to be converted to active mutagen in the liver principally through CYP2E1. We suggest that these antimutagenic effects of quinacrine could be possibly attributed, at least in part, to its ability to block the bioactivation of NNK, mainly by the inhibition of CYP2E1. Our results, even preliminary, indicate that quinacrine as an inhibitor of CYP2E1 might be protective against chemically-induced toxicities such as NNK-induced mutagenicity.

Inhibition and induction of human cytochrome P450 enzymes: current status

Variability of drug metabolism, especially that of the most important phase I enzymes or cytochrome P450 (CYP) enzymes, is an important complicating factor in many areas of pharmacology and toxicology, in drug development, preclinical toxicity studies, clinical trials, drug therapy, environmental exposures and risk assessment. These frequently enormous consequences in mind, predictive and pre-emptying measures have been a top priority in both pharmacology and toxicology. This means the development of predictive in vitro approaches. The sound prediction is always based on the firm background of basic research on the phenomena of inhibition and induction and their underlying mechanisms; consequently the description of these aspects is the purpose of this review. We cover both inhibition and induction of CYP enzymes, always keeping in mind the basic mechanisms on which to build predictive and preventive in vitro approaches. Just because validation is an essential part of any in vitro-in vivo extrapolation scenario, we cover also necessary in vivo research and findings in order to provide a proper view to justify in vitro approaches and observations.

Repair kinetics of specific types of nitroso-induced DNA damage using the comet assay in human cells

The comet assay is sensitive and can detect DNA damage frequencies less than 1 in 10(7) bases. We have previously shown that several types of DNA damage associated with 4-(methylnitrosamino)-1-(3-pyridyl)-1-butanone (NNK), a tobacco-specific pro-mutagen, can be investigated with some specificity using this technique. Little is known about their repair. We verified the ability of the comet assay to quantify the repair kinetics of specific types of damage in normal fibroblasts, e.g., dimethylsulfate-induced 7-methylguanines (7-mG) and UVB-induced cyclobutane pyrimidine dimers. The time course, formation and repair, of DNA damage after acute doses of NNK reactive metabolites, were then compared in normal human cells (fibroblasts and lymphocytes) and in cells proficient for activating NNK (U937 and NCI-H23). NNK can be activated in cells into reactive metabolites that can either methylate or pyridyloxobutylate DNA. The 7-mG generated by methylation gave post-treatment patterns that were sufficiently different between cell types to conclude that repair of 7-mG in U937 cells was fast, repair in lymphocytes was slow, and repair in NCI-H23 cells and fibroblasts displayed intermediate rates. Pyridyloxobutylation generated formamidopyrimidine (fapy) glycosylase (fpg)-sensitive sites that could be the fapy form of 7-pyridyloxobutylguanines produced in cells. For this type of adducts, the post-treatment patterns of adduct frequency as a function of time depended even more clearly on the cell type: fibroblasts and NCI-H23 cells showed an initial rapid increase in fpg-sensitive damage frequency that did not occur in lymphocytes and U937 cells. This increase seemed associated with p53 proficiency in fibroblasts. Our results show that repair kinetics can be investigated with the comet assay and that differences between cell types can be observed with that technique. But it seems that pro-mutagen activation and/or the way a type of adducts is formed can affect the quantification of the repair.

Analysis of CYP2A Contributions to Metabolism of 4-(Methylnitrosamino)-1-(3-pyridyl)-1-butanone in Human Peripheral Lung Microsomes

The objectives of this study were to determine the contributions of CYP2A13 and CYP2A6 to 4-(methylnitrosamino)-1-(3-pyridyl)-1-butanone (NNK) metabolism in human peripheral lung microsomes and to determine the influence of the genetic polymorphism, CYP2A13 Arg257Cys, on NNK metabolism. 4-(Methylnitrosamino)-1-(3-pyridyl)-1-butanol (NNAL), the keto-reduced metabolite of NNK, was the major metabolite produced, ranging from 0.28 to 0.9%/mg protein/min. Based on total bioactivation of NNK and NNAL by alpha-carbon hydroxylation, subjects could be classified as either high (17 subjects) or low (12 subjects) bioactivators [(5.26 +/- 1.23) x 10(-2) and (6.49 +/- 5.90) x 10(-3)% total alpha-hydroxylation/mg protein/min, P < 0.05]. Similarly, for detoxification, subjects could be grouped into high (9 subjects) and low (20 subjects) categories [(2.03 +/- 1.65) x 10(-3) and (2.50 +/- 3.04) x 10(-4)% total N-oxidation/mg protein/min, P < 0.05]. When examining data from all individuals, no significant correlations were found between levels of CYP2A mRNA, CYP2A enzyme activity, or CYP2A immunoinhibition and the degree of total NNK bioactivation or detoxification (P > 0.05). However, subgroups of individuals were identified for whom CYP2A13 mRNA correlated with total NNK and NNAL alpha-hydroxylation and NNAL-N-oxide formation (P < 0.05). The degree of NNAL formation and CYP2A13 mRNA was also correlated (P < 0.05). Subjects (n = 84) were genotyped for the CYP2A13 Arg257Cys polymorphism, and NNK metabolism for the one variant (Arg/Cys) was similar to that for other subjects. Although results do not support CYP2A13 or CYP2A6 as predominant contributors to NNK bioactivation and detoxification in peripheral lung of all individuals, CYP2A13 may be important in some.

CYP2A13: variable expression and role in human lung microsomal metabolic activation of the tobacco-specific carcinogen 4-(methylnitrosamino)-1-(3-pyridyl)-1-butanone

CYP2A13 is the most efficient cytochrome P450 enzyme in the metabolic activation of 4-(methylnitrosamino)-1-(3-pyridyl)-1-butanone (NNK), a tobacco-specific lung carcinogen. The aims of this study were to determine the levels of CYP2A13 protein in human lung microsomes and to ascertain whether CYP2A13 plays any role in lung microsomal NNK metabolic activation. The expression of CYP2A6 and CYP2A13 was examined using a high-resolution immunoblotting method, following immunopurification with an anti-CYP2A5 antibody. We found that, of 116 human lung microsomal samples analyzed, approximately 90% had detectable CYP2A6, whereas only 12% had detectable CYP2A13 with a detection limit of approximately 2 fmol of CYP2A/mg protein. For the majority of microsomal samples analyzed, the level of CYP2A13 was found to be lower than the level of CYP2A6; overall, the highest level of CYP2A13 found ( approximately 20 fmol/mg protein) was approximately 10-fold lower than the highest level of CYP2A6 detected. Quantitative RNA-polymerase chain reaction analysis confirmed that the highly variable expression of the CYP2A proteins was consistent with variations in the levels of the corresponding CYP2A mRNAs in the same tissue samples. It is noteworthy that the level of CYP2A13, but not CYP2A6, was correlated with lung microsomal NNK metabolic activation activity. Furthermore, the addition of 8-methoxypsoralen, a CYP2A inhibitor, led to greater inhibition of NNK metabolic activation in microsomes containing relatively high levels of CYP2A13 than in samples containing no detectable CYP2A13. Taken together, these data indicate that human lung microsomal CYP2A13 is active in NNK metabolic activation. Therefore, individuals having relatively high levels of CYP2A13 expression will likely have an increased risk of developing smoking-related lung cancer.

Expression of xenobiotic metabolizing enzymes in different lung compartments of smokers and nonsmokers

BACKGROUND

Cytochrome P450 monooxygenases (CYP) play an important role in the defense against inhaled toxicants, and expression of CYP enzymes may differ among various lung cells and tissue compartments.

METHODS

We studied the effects of tobacco smoke in volunteers and investigated gene expression of 19 CYPs and 3 flavin-containing monooxygenases, as well as isoforms of glutathione S-transferases (GST) and uridine diphosphate glucuronosyltransferases (UGT) and the microsomal epoxide hydrolase (EPHX1) in bronchoalveolar lavage cells and bronchial biopsies derived from smokers (n = 8) and nonsmokers (n = 10). We also investigated gene expression of nuclear transcription factors known to be involved in the regulation of xenobiotic metabolism enzymes.

RESULTS

Gene expression of CYP1A1, CYP1B1, CYP2S1, GSTP1, and EPHX1 was induced in bronchoalveolar lavage cells of smokers, whereas expression of CYP2B6/7, CYP3A5, and UGT2A1 was repressed. In bronchial biopsies of smokers, CYP1A1, CYP1B1, CYP2C9, GSTP1, and GSTA2 were induced, but CYP2J2 and EPHX1 were repressed. Induction of CYP1A1 and CYP1B1 transcript abundance resulted in increased activity of the coded enzyme. Finally, expression of the liver X receptor and the glucocorticoid receptor was significantly up-regulated in bronchoalveolar lavage cells of smokers.

CONCLUSIONS

We found gene expression of pulmonary xenobiotic metabolizing enzymes and certain key transcription factors to be regulated in bronchoalveolar lavage cells and bronchial biopsies of smokers. The observed changes demonstrate tissue specificity in xenobiotic metabolism, with likely implications for the metabolic activation of procarcinogens to ultimate carcinogens of tobacco smoke.

De minimus non curat lex--virtual thresholds for cancer initiation by tobacco specific nitrosamines--prospects for harm reduction by smokeless tobacco

Whereas the impact of tobacco specific nitrosamines in smokers is obscured by the presence of numerous other carcinogens and promoters, for smokeless tobacco virtually all the carcinogenic potential is associated with 4-(nitrosomethylamino)-1-(3-pyridyl)-1-butanone (NNK) and N'-nitrosonornicotine (NNN). In some countries exposure to smokeless tobacco with extremely high nitrosamine concentrations have been found to induce cancers in the head-neck region, whereas three recent large epidemiological studies failed to detect any such risk with respect to Swedish low-nitrosamine snuff. This review deals with quantitative aspects of DNA adduct formation from NNN and NNK in relation to the background levels ubiquitously found in healthy humans without known exposures to either tobacco or alkylating agents. The lack of significant increases of pro-mutagenic O6-methylations and DNA pyridyloxobutylations seen in smokers, as well as the negative outcome of the Swedish epidemiological studies, can be expected on basis of extrapolation of the dose response relationships found in rodents to actual exposures to NNK and NNN in Swedish snuff or from smoking. Sweden has the lowest prevalence of male smokers and smoking related diseases in the Western World, which has been ascribed to the fact that more than 20% of the grown up male population uses snuff. Smokeless tobacco represents an inexpensive and effective alternative to nicotine delivering products like nicotine patch, spray or gum. Considering that all other tobacco products are freely marketed, the ban on low-nitrosamine snuff in all countries in EU except Sweden is difficult to defend on either medical or ethical grounds.

Formamidopyrimidine adducts are detected using the comet assay in human cells treated with reactive metabolites of 4-(methylnitrosamino)-1-(3-pyridyl)-1-butanone (NNK)

4-(Methylnitrosamino)-1-(3-pyridyl)-1-butanone (NNK) is the most lung-specific of the carcinogens present in tobacco smoke. Its bioactivation in cells leads to a small amount of methylation or pyridyloxobutylation DNA damage. Considering its great sensitivity, the comet assay seems a technique of choice to investigate NNK-related damage. Several strategies were used to impart some specificity to the assay: (1) using analogs that produce a limited variety of DNA lesions, as they mimic either the methylation or the pyridyloxobutylation pathway; (2) using cells with different bioactivation abilities; (3) using alkali conversion and/or enzymes specific for cleaving particular classes of damage; (4) using different lysis conditions to convert a specific class of DNA lesions into enzyme-sensitive lesions. We determined that several NNK-associated lesions can be detected with some specificity with the comet assay. For the methylation pathway, they are AP sites and the more frequent formamidopyrimidine (fapy) adducts. These fapy adducts correspond to N7-methylguanines generated in the cells that were ring-opened during the assay by the lysis solution at pH 10. For the pyridyloxobutylation pathway, alkylphosphotriesters and a roughly equal frequency of fapy sites were detected. By analogy to the methylation damage, these fapy adducts are thought to be the ring-opened form of N7-pyridyloxobutylguanines (N7-pobG). N7-pobG are unstable and this constitutes the first indirect demonstration of their formation in cells. But contrary to N7-m-fapy, the lysis time or pH did not influence the frequency of N7-pob-fapy adducts detected, suggesting that they already exist in the cells and are not related to the experimental conditions. These N7-pob-fapy have a strong mutagenic potential and we think that the comet assay, in spite of its limitations, is a good way to study them considering their low frequency and the inherent instability of the adduct from which they originate.

Drugs and genotypes: how pharmacogenetic information could improve smoking cessation treatment

Current smoking cessation treatments are not optimal as the long-term abstinence rates are low. Nicotine replacement therapy and bupropion are the only pharmacotherapies widely available to smokers and there is a need to improve current cessation treatments and to develop new drug therapies. Our goal is to use pharmacogenetic information to improve smoking cessation treatments. Candidate genes include those involved in central mechanisms (such as genes encoding the nicotinic acetylcholine receptors, dopamine receptors, dopamine transporters and opioid receptors) and peripheral mechanisms (such as genes encoding the drug-metabolizing enzymes CYP2A6 and CYP2B6). Pharmacogenetics could be used to improve current smoking cessation treatments through two general approaches. The first would be to identify novel drug targets based on genetic variants that are associated with a natural protection against nicotine dependence, decreased smoking behaviour and/or increased smoking cessation. This knowledge could be used to develop drugs that can mimic these advantages, reducing the risk for acquisition, block the rewarding effects of smoking, decreasing the amount smoked and increasing cessation. The second would be to identify smokers with particular genetic variants who are likely to respond better to one treatment (or dose) versus another and to individualize their treatment to maximize long-term abstinence. This review will highlight examples of how pharmacogenetic information from central and peripheral candidate genes could contribute to improving smoking cessation outcomes by these two approaches.

Phenobarbital increases monkey in vivo nicotine disposition and induces liver and brain CYP2B6 protein

1. CYP2B6 is a drug-metabolizing enzyme expressed in the liver and brain that can metabolize bupropion (Zyban), a smoking cessation drug), activate tobacco-smoke nitrosamines, and inactivate nicotine. Hepatic CYP2B6 is induced by phenobarbital and induction may affect in vivo nicotine disposition, while brain CYP2B6 induction may affect local levels of centrally acting substrates. We investigated the effect of chronic phenobarbital treatment on induction of in vivo nicotine disposition and CYP2B6 expression in the liver and brain of African Green (Vervet) monkeys. 2. Monkeys were split into two groups (n=6 each) and given oral saccharin daily for 22 days; one group was supplemented with 20 mg kg(-1) phenobarbital. Monkeys were given a 0.1 mg kg(-1) nicotine dose subcutaneously before and after treatment. 3. Phenobarbital treatment resulted in a significant, 56%, decrease (P=0.04) in the maximum nicotine plasma concentration and a 46% decrease (P=0.003) in the area under the concentration-time curve. Phenobarbital also increased hepatic CYP2B6 protein expression. In monkey brain, significant induction (P<0.05) of CYP2B6 protein levels was observed in all regions tested (caudate, putamen, hippocampus, cerebellum, brain stem and frontal cortex) ranging from 2-fold to 150-fold. CYP2B6 expression was induced in specific cells, such as frontal cortical pyramidal cells and thalamic neurons. 4. In conclusion, chronic phenobarbital treatment in monkeys resulted in increased in vivo nicotine disposition, and induced hepatic and brain CYP2B6 protein levels and cellular expression. This induction may alter the metabolism of CYP2B6 substrates including peripherally acting drugs such as cyclophosphamide and centrally acting drugs such as bupropion, ecstasy and phencyclidine.

CYP2B6 is expressed in African Green monkey brain and is induced by chronic nicotine treatment

CYP2B6 is a drug-metabolizing enzyme expressed in human tissues that can activate bupropion (a smoking cessation drug) and tobacco smoke nitrosamines and can inactivate drugs such as nicotine. Smokers have higher brain CYP2B6 protein levels compared to non-smokers but the cause of this elevation is unknown. We investigated the basal expression and the effect of chronic nicotine treatment on CYP2B6 protein in African Green monkey (Cercopithecus aethiops) brain. Basal expression of brain CYP2B6 was strong in specific cells such as the frontal cortical pyramidal cells, the cerebellar Purkinje cells and the neurons in the substantia nigra. Basal CYP2B6 protein levels varied 2.7-fold (non-significant) among 12 brain regions. All monkeys were given a subcutaneous 0.1 mg/kg nicotine test dose prior to treatment and the maximum plasma concentration achieved was 87 +/- 69 ng/ml and the half-life was 2.6 +/- 1.5 h. Monkeys were treated subcutaneously twice daily with nicotine at 0.05 mg/kg for 2 days, 0.15 mg/kg for 2 days followed by 0.3 mg/kg for 18 days (n = 6) or saline (n = 6). Chronic nicotine treatment induced CYP2B6 expression in specific cells such as astrocytes and neurons in the frontal cortex, caudate, thalamus and hippocampus. CYP2B6 protein levels were induced 1.5-fold in the frontal cortex (p < 0.01). Hepatic CYP2B6 expression was not altered by nicotine. In conclusion, CYP2B6 protein is expressed in specific cells in monkey brain and is induced by chronic nicotine treatment which may impact central metabolism of CYP2B6 substrates such as bupropion and nicotine.

Metabolism and bioactivation of toxicants in the lung. The in vitro cellular approach

Lung is a target organ for the toxicity of inhalated compounds. The respiratory tract is frequently exposed to elevated concentrations of these compounds and become the primary target site for toxicity. Occupational, accidental or prolonged exposure to a great variety of chemicals may result in acute or delayed injury to cells of the respiratory tract. Nevertheless, lung has a significant capability of biotransforming such compounds with the aim of reducing its potential toxicity. In some instances, the biotransformation of a given compound can result in the generation of more reactive, and frequently more toxic, metabolites. Indeed, lung tissue is known to activate pro-carcinogens (i.e. polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons or N-nitrosamines) into more reactive intermediates that easily form DNA adducts. Lungs express several enzymes involved in the metabolising of xenobiotics. Among them, cytochrome P450 enzymes are major players in the oxidative metabolism as well metabolic bioactivation of many organic toxicants, including pro-carcinogens. Xenobiotic-metabolising P450 enzymes are expressed in bronchial and bronchiolar epithelium, Clara cells, type II pneumocytes, and alveolar macrophages Individual CYP isoforms have different patterns of localisation within pulmonary tissue. With the aid of sensitive techniques (i.e. reverse transcriptase-polymerase chain reaction, RT-PCR) it has become possible to detect CYP1A1, CYP1B1, CYP2A6, CYP2B6, CYP2E1 and CYP3A5 mRNAs in lung cells. Less conclusive results have been obtained concerning CYP2Cs, CYP2D6 and CYP3A4. CYP3A5 protein appears to be widely present in all lung samples and is localised in the ciliated and mucous cells of the bronchial wall, bronchial glands, bronchiolar ciliated epithelium and in type I and type II alveolar epithelium. Lung cells also express Phase II enzymes such as epoxide hydrolase, UGT1A (glucuronyl transferase) and GST-P1 (glutathione S-transferase), which largely act as detoxifying enzymes. A key question concerning organ-specific chemical toxicity is whether the actual target has the capacity to activate (or efficiently inactivate) chemicals. Results of several studies indicate that the different xenobiotic-metabolising CYPs, present in the human lung and lung-derived cell lines, likely contribute to in situ activation of pulmonary toxins, among them, pro-carcinogens. Some CYPs, in particular CYP1A, are polymorphic and inducible. Interindividual differences in the expression of these CYPs may explain the different risk of developing lung toxicity (possibly cancer), by agents that require metabolic activation. Few cell lines, principally A549, have been used with variable success as an experimental model for investigating the mechanisms of toxicity. Although RT-PCR analysis has evidenced the presence of the major human pulmonary CYP mRNAs, the measurable P450 specific activities are, however, far below those present in human lungs. Detection of the toxicity elicited by reactive metabolites requires the use of metabolically competent cells; consequently, better performing cells are needed to ensure realistic in vitro prediction of toxicity. Genetic manipulation of lung-derived cells allowing them to re-express key biotransformation enzymes appear to be a promising strategy to improve their functionality and metabolic performance.

Implications of CYP2A6 genetic variation for smoking behaviors and nicotine dependence

Nicotine is the primary addictive compound in tobacco smoke. In this review we summarize nicotine dependence and the genetics of smoking in brief before focusing on cytochrome P450 (CYP) 2A6. In humans nicotine is mainly inactivated to cotinine and CYP2A6 mediates approximately 90% of this conversion. Some, but not all, studies suggest that genetic variation in CYP2A6 may play a role in smoking. We review some of the recent findings on the influence of CYP2A6 genetic polymorphisms on nicotine kinetics, smoking behaviors, and how the gene appears to exert differential effects during various stages of smoking (eg, initiation, conversion to dependence, amount smoked during dependence, and quitting). These new findings will be put in the context of the discrepancies found in the literature. Implications of these recent findings on current and novel treatment approaches for smoking cessation and tobacco-related lung cancer will also be discussed.

Site-specific metabolism of naphthalene and 1-nitronaphthalene in dissected airways of rhesus macaques

Studies in rodents have demonstrated the importance of cytochrome P450 monooxygenases in generating reactive metabolites that produce Clara cell injury. Pulmonary P450 activities in rodents are much higher than those in primates, raising the issue of relevance of rodent data to primates. Few studies on P450-catalyzed activation of cytotoxicants in subcompartments of primate lung have been reported. Accordingly, infant monkey airway subcompartments, including trachea, proximal, midlevel, distal airways, and parenchyma, were incubated with naphthalene or 1-nitronaphthalene to define metabolism at both high (500 microM) and low (50 microM) substrate concentrations. There was a relatively even distribution of metabolizing activities for naphthalene across subcompartments, but at high concentrations of 1-nitronaphthalene, lower airways (midlevel airway through parenchyma) showed higher bioactivation than upper airways. Dihydrodiol was the predominant water-soluble metabolite of naphthalene generated by all subcompartments, whereas covalently bound metabolites accounted for the greatest percentage of 1-nitronaphthalene metabolites, especially in lower airways. As anticipated, the amounts of metabolite covalently bound as a percentage of total metabolite formed increased dramatically with the 10-fold increase in substrate concentration. With both substrates, the formation of water-soluble metabolites was approximately 100 times less than observed previously in rodents. We conclude that 1) there are significant quantitative differences between rhesus and rodents in substrate bioactivation; 2) the distribution of metabolizing activities for naphthalene but not 1-nitronaphthalene is significantly different for rodents and primates; and 3) a very high percentage of the metabolites generated, particularly for 1-nitronaphthalene, is bound covalently to cellular proteins.