Rat liver alcohol dehydrogenase. Purification and properties

Parameter Reliability and Understanding Enzyme Function

Knowledge of the Michaelis-Menten parameters and their meaning in different circumstances is an essential prerequisite to understanding enzyme function and behaviour. The published literature contains an abundance of values reported for many enzymes. The problem concerns assessing the appropriateness and validity of such material for the purpose to which it is to be applied. This review considers the evaluation of such data with particular emphasis on the assessment of its fitness for purpose.

Contribution of liver alcohol dehydrogenase to metabolism of alcohols in rats

The kinetics of oxidation of various alcohols by purified rat liver alcohol dehydrogenase (ADH) were compared with the kinetics of elimination of the alcohols in rats in order to investigate the roles of ADH and other factors that contribute to the rates of metabolism of alcohols. Primary alcohols (ethanol, 1-propanol, 1-butanol, 2-methyl-1-propanol, 3-methyl-1-butanol) and diols (1,3-propanediol, 1,3-butanediol, 1,4-butanediol, 1,5-pentanediol) were eliminated in rats with zero-order kinetics at doses of 5-20 mmol/kg. Ethanol was eliminated most rapidly, at 7.9 mmol/kgh. Secondary alcohols (2-propanol-d7, 2-propanol, 2-butanol, 3-pentanol, cyclopentanol, cyclohexanol) were eliminated with first order kinetics at doses of 5-10 mmol/kg, and the corresponding ketones were formed and slowly eliminated with zero or first order kinetics. The rates of elimination of various alcohols were inhibited on average 73% (55% for 2-propanol to 90% for ethanol) by 1 mmol/kg of 4-methylpyrazole, a good inhibitor of ADH, indicating a major role for ADH in the metabolism of the alcohols. The Michaelis kinetic constants from in vitro studies (pH 7.3, 37 °C) with isolated rat liver enzyme were used to calculate the expected relative rates of metabolism in rats. The rates of elimination generally increased with increased activity of ADH, but a maximum rate of 6±1 mmol/kg h was observed for the best substrates, suggesting that ADH activity is not solely rate-limiting. Because secondary alcohols only require one NAD(+) for the conversion to ketones whereas primary alcohols require two equivalents of NAD(+) for oxidation to the carboxylic acids, it appears that the rate of oxidation of NADH to NAD(+) is not a major limiting factor for metabolism of these alcohols, but the rate-limiting factors are yet to be identified.

Alcohol dehydrogenase isozymes in the mouse: genetic regulation, allelic variation among inbred strains and sex differences of liver and kidney A2 isozyme activity

Genetic analysis of a proposed cis-acting temporal locus (Adh-3t), which regulates alcohol dehydrogenase C2 (ADH-C2) activity in mouse epididymis extracts, among F1 (ddN X BALB/c) X ddN male backcross progeny provided evidence for genetic distinctness between the structural (Adh-3) and temporal (Adh-3t) loci on chromosome 3. Genetic analysis also confirmed the close linkage of Adh-1 (encoding liver and kidney ADH-A2) and Adh-3 (encoding stomach ADH-C2) to within 0.3 centimorgans on the mouse genome. Evidence is presented for a proposed closely linked cis-acting temporal locus (designated Adh-lt) for the A2 isozyme (encoded by Adh-1) controlling the activity of this enzyme in mouse kidney extracts, but having no apparent affect on liver and intestine ADH-A2 activities. An extensive survey of the distribution of Adh-1, Adh-3 and Adh-3t alleles among 65 strains of mice is reported--with the exception of two Japanese strains (ddN and KF), linkage disequilibrium between Adh-3 and Adh-3t was observed. Sex differences in mouse liver and kidney ADH-A2 activities were observed, with male/female ratios of approximately 0.6 and 3 respectively for these tissue extracts.

Hepatic alcohol dehydrogenase activity in chick hepatocytes towards the major alcohols present in commercial alcoholic beverages: comparison with activities in rat and human liver

We have compared hepatic alcohol dehydrogenase activities in chick, rat and human liver with the major alcohols in commercial alcoholic beverages. 1. Chick and rat hepatic alcohol dehydrogenase was greater when assayed at a physiological pH in buffer containing chloride ions, as compared with the activity in pyrophosphate buffer at alkaline pH. 2. In contrast to reports of instability of ADH to freezing, we found the enzyme from all three species stable to freezing in 0.25 M sucrose. 3. Rat liver enzymatic activity was unstable in the presence of substrate, where as that of chick and human was not. 4. For all three species, the Km of hepatic ADH for substrate decreased with increasing chain length of alcohols. In both chick and human samples, the Vmax values for the higher chain alcohols were similar to that with ethanol, while in rat samples, ADH activity was dramatically lower with the higher chain alcohols compared to ethanol.

Effect of ethanol on the redox state of the coenzyme bound to alcohol dehydrogenase studied in isolated hepatocytes

Hepatocytes were isolated from fed female rats and incubated with a redox indicator system consisting of cyclohexanone and unlabelled or perdeuterated cyclohexanol. The concentrations and deuterium contents of these were measured by g.l.c. and g.l.c.-m.s. of oxime t-butyldimethylsilyl derivatives. The equilibrium composition represented the redox state of the coenzyme bound to alcohol dehydrogenase, since 4-methylpyrazole inhibited the interconversion. Reduction appeared to be catalysed to a small extent also by an NADPH-dependent aldehyde reductase. The NADH/NAD+ ratio on alcohol dehydrogenase was 3 orders of magnitude higher in the presence of ethanol than in its absence. This redox shift has the degree expected from reported kinetic constants. The shift was due both to a decreased rate of oxidation and to an increased rate of reduction in the indicator system. The results indicate that the redox effect of ethanol on the free NAD system is due to efficient removal of acetaldehyde from a near-equilibrium system consisting of ethanol, acetaldehyde and bound coenzymes, together with dissociation of NADH from the enzyme. The effect on the redox state of the bound coenzyme was less marked when the ethanol was deuterated at C-1, indicating an isotope effect. The 2H excess in the cyclohexanol formed was about 70% of that in the [1,1-2H2]ethanol. This dilution, which is caused by binding of free NADH to the enzyme, indicates that reoxidation of cytosolic NADH partly limits the rate of ethanol oxidation.

Characterization of three isoenzymes of rat alcohol dehydrogenase. Tissue distribution and physical and enzymatic properties

Rat tissues contain three different isoenzymes of alcohol dehydrogenase (ADH) that we have named ADH-1, ADH-2 and ADH-3, ADH-1 is an anodic isoenzyme present in high amounts in the ocular tissues, stomach and lung. ADH-2 is also anodic and has been found in all the rat organs examined. ADH-3 is the group of cathodic ADH forms, mainly present in liver, that has been the subject of the majority of the previous studies on rat ADH. The three isoenzymes have been purified to homogeneity and characterized. All of them have similar physical characteristics: Mr 80,000, with two subunits of Mr 40,000; they contain four atoms of Zn per molecule, and prefer NAD+ as cofactor. Isoelectric points are, however, different: 5.1 for ADH-1, 5.95-6.3 for ADH-2 and 8.25-8.4 for ADH-3. ADH-3 exhibits a Km for ethanol of 1.4 mM, a broad substrate specificity and is strongly inhibited by pyrazole (Ki = 0.4 microM). ADH-2 shows substrate specificity toward long-chain alcohols and aldehydes, cannot be saturated by ethanol and is practically insensitive to pyrazole (Ki = 78.4 mM). ADH-1 has intermediate properties, with a Km for ethanol of 340 mM, a broad substrate specificity and Ki for pyrazole of 0.56 mM. Rat ADH-1, ADH-2 and ADH-3 exhibit many analogies with human ADH classes II, III and I respectively. The specific localization and kinetic properties of rat ADH isoenzymes suggest that ADH-1 and ADH-3 may act as metabolic barriers to external alcohols and aldehydes whereas ADH-2 may have a function in the metabolism of the endogenous long-chain alcohols and aldehydes.

Effect of ethanol on proteolysis in isolated liver cells

Ethanol, when tested alone, inhibited proteolysis by about 20%; however, no effect was detected when it was combined with exogenous oxidizable fuels which inhibited proteolysis by themselves. Ethanol was effective in inhibiting proteolysis in the presence of protease inhibitors like ammonia, leupeptin or methylamine, indicating that its mechanism of action involves a non-lysosomal pathway of degradation. Ethanol oxidation is mandatory for it to have effect on proteolysis, however, its action is not related to an increased state of reduction of the NAD system. In contrast to other reductants of the NAD system, ethanol effect is accompanied by a rise in the phosphorylation state of the adenine nucleotides, suggesting that its action might be related to the cellular energy state.

Complete amino acid sequence of rat liver alcohol dehydrogenase deduced from the cDNA sequence

Alcohol dehydrogenase (ADH) catalyzes the rate-determining reaction in the metabolism of ethanol. We report here the complete nucleotide sequence of a cDNA encoding rat liver ADH, and the deduced amino acid (aa) sequence of the protein. The rat enzyme contains a cluster of aa substitutions and an aa insertion in the region between aa residues 111 and 118, which is near the intron-exon junction reported for the human ADH gene. It also contains an additional cysteine in the highly variable region from aa residues 108-125 which may account for the unusual lability of rat ADH compared with ADH from other species.

Kinetics of conjugation and oxidation of nitrobenzyl alcohols by rat hepatic enzymes

Previous work has suggested that quantitative differences in the in vitro and in vivo metabolism of mononitrotoluene isomers are a result of differences in the hepatic conjugation and oxidation of the first metabolic intermediates, the mononitrobenzyl alcohols. We have determined the steady-state kinetic parameters, Vmax, Km and V/K, for the metabolism of the nitrobenzyl alcohols by rat hepatic alcohol dehydrogenase, glucuronyltransferase, and sulfotransferase. 3-Nitrobenzyl alcohol was the best substrate for cytosolic alcohol dehydrogenase (Vmax = 1.48 nmoles/min/mg protein, V/K = 3.15 X 10(-3) nmoles/min/mg protein/microM, Km = 503 microM). Vmax and Km values for 4-nitrobenzyl alcohol were similar, but V/K was about 60% of that for 3-nitrobenzyl alcohol. 2-Nitrobenzyl alcohol was not metabolized by the alcohol dehydrogenase preparation used here, but it was metabolized to 2-nitrobenzoic acid by a rat liver mitochondrial preparation. 2-Nitrobenzyl alcohol was the best substrate for microsomal glucuronyltransferase (Vmax = 3.59 nmoles/min/mg protein, V/K = 11.28 X 10(-3) nmoles/min/mg protein/microM, Km = 373 microM). The Vmax for 3-nitrobenzyl alcohol was similar, but the V/K was about half and the Km was about twice that for 2-nitrobenzyl alcohol. The Vmax for 4-nitrobenzyl alcohol was about 40% and the V/K was about half that for 2-nitrobenzyl alcohol. The best substrate for cytosolic sulfotransferase was 4-nitrobenzyl alcohol (Vmax = 1.69 nmoles/min/mg protein, V/K = 37.21 X 10(-3) nmoles/min/mg protein/microM, Km = 48 microM). The Vmax values for the other two benzyl alcohols were similar, but the V/K and Km values were about 11 and 400%, respectively, of those for 4-nitrobenzyl alcohol. These data are in qualitative agreement with results obtained when the nitrobenzyl alcohols were incubated with isolated hepatocytes, but they do not allow quantitative modeling of the data from hepatocytes.

Properties of rat retina alcohol dehydrogenase

The rat eye fraction, including retina, pigment epithelium and choroid, contains an alcohol dehydrogenase (ADH) isoenzyme that is not present in rat liver. Starch gel electrophoresis of retina ADH shows an anodic band that can be visualized by activity staining, using either ethanol or pentanol as substrates. Ethanol is a poor substrate (Km: 336 mM, at pH 10.0) for the purified retina ADH which prefers long chain, 2-unsaturated and aromatic alcohols. The enzyme has a pH optimum of 10.0 for ethanol oxidation and it is inhibited by 4-methylpyrazole (KI: 10 microM). Electrophoretic and kinetic properties clearly differentiate the retina ADH from the hepatic cathodic ADH isoenzymes and from an anodic chi-ADH-like form that we have also detected in rat liver. At the pH and ethanol concentrations found "in vivo," retina ADH can oxidize ethanol to an appreciable extent. The subsequent production of acetaldehyde and redox change may be responsible for visual disorders during alcohol intoxication.

Effects of ethanol on alcohol dehydrogenase and microsomal ethanol oxidative system activities in fetal mice

In an attempt to better understand the mechanism of the fetal damage caused by ethanol, we studied the effects of its administration on the activity of some ethanol metabolizing enzymes in mice fetuses. Animals were given a single ethanol injection (0.01 ml of a 25% solution in 0.9% sodium chloride per gram of body weight) on day 12 of pregnancy and were divided into groups that were killed 24, 48, and 72 hours later. The fetal and maternal livers were isolated, homogenized, and divided into subcellular fractions. Alcohol dehydrogenase, NADH-cytochrome C reductase, NADPH-cytochrome C reductase, and cytochrome P-450 activities were measured and compared with those of control animals injected with saline solution. We found that ethanol caused (1) a significant but transient increase in fetal alcohol dehydrogenase activity, (2) a significant and persistent increase in fetal cytochrome P-450 and NADPH-cytochrome C reductase activities, and (3) no change in fetal NADH-cytochrome C reductase activity. These effects were similar although quantitatively smaller than those observed in the maternal liver and disappeared after pretreatment with metyrapone. This work demonstrates that ethanol has a similar effect upon both maternal and fetal ethanol metabolizing enzymes and gives experimental support to the possibility that a reactive product of the interaction between ethanol and the cytochrome P-450 system may be responsible for the embryotoxic effects of this compound.

Purification and properties of a 3 alpha-hydroxysteroid dehydrogenase of rat liver cytosol and its inhibition by anti-inflammatory drugs

An NAD(P)-dependent 3 alpha-hydroxysteroid dehydrogenase (EC 1.1.1.50) was purified to homogeneity from rat liver cytosol, where it is responsible for most if not all of the capacity for the oxidation of androsterone, 1-acenaphthenol and benzenedihydrodiol (trans-1,2-dihydroxycyclohexa-3,5-diene). The dehydrogenase has many properties (substrate specificity, pI, Mr, amino acid composition) in common with the dihydrodiol dehydrogenase (EC 1.3.1.20) purified from the same source [Vogel, Bentley, Platt & Oesch (1980) J. Biol. Chem. 255, 9621-9625]. Since 3 alpha-hydroxysteroids are by far the most efficient substrates, the enzyme is more appropriately designated a 3 alpha-hydroxysteroid dehydrogenase. It also promotes the NAD(P)H-dependent reductions of quinones (e.g. 9,10-phenanthrenequinone, 1,4-benzoquinone), aromatic aldehydes (4-nitrobenzaldehyde) and aromatic ketones (4-nitroacetophenone). The dehydrogenase is not inhibited by dicoumarol, disulfiram, hexobarbital or pyrazole. The mechanism of the powerful inhibition of this enzyme by both non-steroidal and steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs [Penning & Talalay (1983) Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. U.S.A. 80, 4504-4508] was examined with several substrates. Most non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs are competitive inhibitors (e.g. Ki for indomethacin, 0.20 microM for 9,10-phenanthrenequinone reduction at pH 6.0, and 0.835 microM for androsterone oxidation at pH 7.0), except for salicylates, which act non-competitively (e.g. Ki for aspirin, 650 microM for androsterone oxidation). The inhibitory potency of these agents falls sharply as the pH is increased from 6 to 9. Most anti-inflammatory steroids are likewise competitive inhibitors, except for the most potent (betamethasone and dexamethasone), which act non-competitively. The enzyme is inhibited competitively by arachidonic acid and various prostaglandins.

Kinetics of inhibition of ethanol metabolism in rats and the rate-limiting role of alcohol dehydrogenase

If liver alcohol dehydrogenase were rate-limiting in ethanol metabolism, inhibitors of the enzyme should inhibit the metabolism with the same type of kinetics and the same kinetic constants in vitro and in vivo. Against varied concentrations of ethanol, 4-methylpyrazole is a competitive inhibitor of purified rat liver alcohol dehydrogenase (Kis = 0.11 microM, in 83 mM potassium phosphate and 40 mM KCl buffer, pH 7.3, 37 degrees C) and is competitive in rats (with Kis = 1.4 mumol/kg). Isobutyramide is essentially an uncompetitive inhibitor of purified enzyme (Kii = 0.33 mM) and of metabolism in vivo (Kii = 1.0 mmol/kg). Low concentrations of both inhibitors decreased the rate of metabolism as a direct function of their concentrations. Qualitatively, therefore, alcohol dehydrogenase activity appears to be a major rate-limiting factor in ethanol metabolism. Quantitatively, however, the constants may not agree because of distribution in the animal or metabolism of the inhibitors. At saturating concentrations of inhibitors, ethanol is eliminated by inhibitor-insensitive pathways, at about 10% of the total rate at a dose of ethanol of 10 mmol/kg. Uncompetitive inhibitors of alcohol dehydrogenase should be especially useful for inhibiting the metabolism of alcohols since they are effective even at saturating levels of alcohol, in contrast to competitive inhibitors, whose action is overcome by saturation with alcohol.

Alcohol dehydrogenase activity in the developing chick embryo

Before day 9 of incubation, chick embryos contain no measurable alcohol dehydrogenase (ADH) activity. Following day 9 of incubation, chick embryo liver ADH activity increases as a linear function of liver mass. A single dose of ethanol given at the start of incubation is cleared only slowly prior to day 9 of incubation but is completely cleared by day 13. Chick embryo liver ADH has two detectable isozymes throughout development. The percentage contribution of each isozyme to total ADH activity does not change significantly during development. The Km apparent of chick liver ADH is significantly increased shortly after hatching relative to the Km apparent of embryonic ADH. Ethanol exposure during incubation has no effect on the development of ADH activity or isozyme distribution.

Ethanol activation of human natural cytotoxicity

Human lymphocytes cultured with ethanol and subsequently assayed for natural killer (NK) activity to K562 cells have enhanced NK activity compared to lymphocytes cultured without exposure to ethanol. Optimal enhancement occurred at 0.64% (v/v) ethanol, and required several hours of culture. Lymphocytes retained their enhanced cytolytic ability for several hours after removal from the ethanol-containing medium. The enhancement correlated with a faster rate of cytolysis by ethanol-treated lymphocytes, rather than recruitment of an increased number of killer cells, as measured with single cell assays. Inclusion of ethanol directly in the NK assays was inhibitory. Cells that had been cultured with ethanol were less sensitive to inhibition of NK activity by the proteinase substrate acetyl tyrosine ethyl ester than were control cells cultured without ethanol. Although this observation and the increased rate of cytolysis in the single cell assays are consistent with increased production of a chymotrypsin-like proteinase involved in cell-mediated cytotoxicity, no alteration in protein synthesis was detected concomitant with ethanol treatment. This report demonstrates that even without hepatic metabolism, ethanol can produce effects on lymphocyte function which remain after exposure to the reagent is discontinued.

Separation and partial characterization of multiple forms of rat liver alcohol dehydrogenase

Rat liver alcohol dehydrogenase was purified and four isoenzyme forms, demonstrated by starch gel electrophoresis, were separated by O-(carboxymethyl)-cellulose chromatography. Each of the isoenzymes had a distinct isoelectric point. All isoenzymes were active with both ethanol (or acetaldehyde) and steroid substrates, and had similar Michaelis-Menten constants for each of the substrates and coenzymes studied. The three isoenzymes with the lowest migration toward the cathode exhibited the same pH optimum of 10.7 for ethanol oxidation, a greater activity with 5 beta-androstan-3 beta-ol-17-one than with ethanol as a substrate, and an unchanged electrophoretic mobility following storage in the presence of 100 microM dithiothreitol. By contrast the isoenzyme with the highest mobility toward the cathode exhibited a pH optimum of 9.5 for ethanol oxidation, a low steroid/ethanol ratio of activity, and converted to the migrating pattern of the two isoenzymes with intermediate mobility when stored. The similarities between the isoenzymes of rat liver alcohol dehydrogenase differ considerably from differences in substrate specificity exhibited by isoenzymes of horse liver alcohol dehydrogenase.

Rat liver alcohol dehydrogenase. I. Purification and characterization

Alcohol dehydrogenase was purified in 14 h from male Fischer-344 rat livers by differential centrifugation, (NH4)2SO4 precipitation, and chromatography over DEAE-Affi-Gel Blue, Affi-Gel Blue, and AMP-agarose. Following HPLC more than 240-fold purification was obtained. Under denaturing conditions, the enzyme migrated as a single protein band (Mr congruent to 40,000) on 10% sodium dodecyl sulfate-polyacrylamide gels. Under nondenaturing conditions, the protein eluted from an HPLC I-125 column as a symmetrical peak with a constant enzyme specific activity. When examined by analytical isoelectric focusing, two protein and two enzyme activity bands comigrated closely together (broad band) between pH 8.8 and 8.9. The pure enzyme showed pH optima for activity between 8.3 and 8.8 in buffers of 0.5 M Tris-HCl, 50 mM 2-(N-cyclohexylamino)ethanesulfonic acid (CHES), and 50 mM 3-(cyclohexylamino)-1-propanesulfonic acid (CAPS), and above pH 9.0 in 50 mM glycyl-glycine. Kinetic studies with the pure enzyme, in 0.5 M Tris-HCl under varying pH conditions, revealed three characteristic ionization constants for activity: 7.4 (pK1); 8.0-8.1 (pK2), and 9.1 (pK3). The latter two probably represent functional groups in the free enzyme; pK1 may represent a functional group in the enzyme-NAD+ complex. Pure enzyme also was used to determine kinetic constants at 37 degrees C in 0.5 M Tris-HCl buffer, pH 7.4 (I = 0.2). The values obtained were Vmax = 2.21 microM/min/mg enzyme, Km for ethanol = 0.156 mM, Km for NAD+ = 0.176 mM, and a dissociation constant for NAD+ = 0.306 mM. These values were used to extrapolate the forward rate of ethanol oxidation by alcohol dehydrogenase in vivo. At pH 7.4 and 10 mM ethanol, the rate was calculated to be 2.4 microM/min/g liver.

Steady-state kinetic properties of purified rat liver alcohol dehydrogenase: application to predicting alcohol elimination rates in vivo

The rate of ethanol elimination in fed and fasted rats can be predicted based on the liver content of alcohol dehydrogenase (EC 1.1.1.1), the steady-state rate equation, and the concentrations of substrates and products in liver during ethanol metabolism. The specific activity, kinetic constants, and multiplicity of enzyme forms are similar in fed and fasted rats, although the liver content of alcohol dehydrogenase falls 40% with fasting. The two major forms of the enzyme were separated and found to have very similar kinetic properties. The rat alcohol dehydrogenase is subject to substrate inhibition by ethanol at concentrations above 10 mM and follows a Theorell-Chance mechanism. The steady-state rate equation for this mechanism predicts that the in vivo activity of the enzyme is limited by NADH product inhibition at low ethanol concentrations and by both NADH inhibition and substrate inhibition at high ethanol concentrations. When the steady-state rate equation and the measured concentrations of substrates and products in freeze-clamped liver of fed and fasted rats metabolizing alcohol are employed to calculate alcohol oxidation rates, the values agree very well with the actual rates of ethanol elimination determined in vivo.

Relationship between kinetics of liver alcohol dehydrogenase and alcohol metabolism

Since alcohol dehydrogenase (ADH) catalyzes the rate-limiting step for ethanol metabolism, knowledge of the steady-state kinetics of ADH in liver is fundamental to the understanding of the pharmacokinetics of ethanol elimination. Accordingly, we have determined the kinetic properties of purified ADH isoenzymes in rat and human liver. At low ethanol concentrations, rat liver ADH obeys the Theorell-Chance mechanism and the equation predicts that activity in vivo is limited below Vmax mainly by NADH inhibition. At ethanol concentrations above 10 mM, substrate inhibition, consistent with the formation a dead-end ADH-NADH-ethanol complex, also becomes a rate-limiting factor. ADH activity, calculated from this equation and the concentrations of substrates and products present in liver during ethanol oxidation, agrees well with ethanol elimination rates measured in vivo. With human liver ADH, large differences are observed in the kinetic properties of 5 homodimeric isoenzymes: gamma 1 gamma 1 and gamma 2 gamma 2 exhibit negative cooperativity for ethanol saturation, while alpha alpha, beta 1 beta 1 and beta ind beta ind obey Michaelis-Menten kinetics. At pH 7.5, Km values for ethanol and Vmax values range 0.048 mM and 9 min-1 for beta 1 beta 1 to 64 mM and 560 min-1 for beta ind beta ind, respectively. Therefore, individuals with different ADH phenotypes should display different ethanol elimination profiles.

NAD+-dependent ethanol oxidation: redox effects and rate limitation

Effects of ethanol on interconversion of cyclohexanol and cyclohexanone was studied in isolated hepatocytes. Oxidation and reduction catalyzed by alcohol dehydrogenase were markedly inhibited and stimulated, respectively. The changed ratio between the rates indicated that the ratio of NAD+ to NADH bound to alcohol dehydrogenase decreased several hundred times. This is much more than for the NAD+ system used by, e.g., lactate dehydrogenase, and deuterium from [1,1-2H2] ethanol was incorporated in cyclohexanol much more than in, e.g., lactate. These results indicate that the coenzyme bound to alcohol dehydrogenase is not equilibrated with free coenzyme. Thus, the dissociation of NADH might be rate-limiting for ethanol oxidation. Deuterium transfer from chiral [1-2H] ethanols and [2-2H] glycerol in hepatocytes indicated that cytosolic malate dehydrogenase and lactate dehydrogenase were not completely equilibrated, whereas there was no difference in the utilization of NADH formed at alcohol dehydrogenase and at glycerol-3-phosphate dehydrogenase. Fluxes in redox reactions during ethanol oxidation may be too high for equilibration of cytosolic dehydrogenases.

Alcohol dehydrogenase activity and isoenzyme distribution in the organs of cow, pig and sheep

The highest specific activities and the most complex isoenzyme patterns were found in livers of these species, characteristic isoenzymes were observed also in the core of adrenal glands. In spite of a general resemblance the isoenzyme patterns of liver alcohol dehydrogenase are specific for the species tested; the activities in most organs (and blood sera) increase in the sequence cow, pig and sheep. The activities in foetal bovine organs are substantially lower than those in organs of adult cows, the most pronounced increase in activities during the intrauteral development was observed in liver.

Formation and isolation of delta 5-3-ketosteroids using a purified rat liver alcohol dehydrogenase

3 beta-Hydroxy-5-androsten-17-one is converted to 5-androstene-3, 17-dione by rat liver alcohol dehydrogenase (ADH). We have reported on the purity of the enzyme which is eluted with pyrazole as a single homogeneous protein using an AMP-agarose affinity column. Rat liver ADH can oxidize hydroxyl groups not only at 3 beta-, but also at 3 alpha-, and 17 beta-positions to a lesser extent; thus it is a pure mammalian enzyme with multifunctional activity for steroids. Since it does not contain delta 5-isomerase activity, the reaction of the dehydrogenase to form the delta 5-ketosteroid intermediate can be observed at pH 7.0, 25 degrees C. Similarly, intermediary product, 5-pregnene-3,20-dione, can be isolated in the conversion of pregnenolone by ADH to progesterone. With buffer alone in a cuvette, a non-enzymatic isomerization of the delta 5-3-ketone occurs at a slow rate (t 1/2 = 6 hrs) but occurs rapidly during isolation procedures. The delta 5-3-ketosteroid intermediates were identified by their behavior on TLC plates with UV light and by their characteristic spectra in the NMR.

Blood alcohol levels in rats: non-uniform yields from intraperitoneal doses based on body weight

1 Sprague-Dawley rats (n = 72) weighing from 125 to 450 g were injected intraperitoneally (i.p.) with 16% (w/v) ethanol to provide 1, 2 or 3 g/kg doses. 2 Resulting blood alcohol levels (BALs) demonstrated a general inadequacy of dose/body weight (g/kg) formulations of ethanol to provide uniform BALs in animals of different weights. 3 BAL differences between heavier and lighter rats were not well accounted for by developmental changes in liver weight or alcohol dehydrogenase activity. 4 From the data, a table was derived of more appropriate ethanol injection volumes to produce 0-300 mg% BALs (20 mg% increments) in rats from 100-500 g (10 g increments).

Primary deuterium and tritium isotope effects upon V/K in the liver alcohol dehydrogenase reaction with ethanol

The primary isotope effect upon V/K when ethanol stereospecifically labeled with deuterium or tritium is oxidized by liver alcohol dehydrogenase has been measured between pH 6 and 9. The deuterium isotope effect was obtained with high reproducibility by the use of two different radioactive tracers, viz. 14C and 3H, to follow the rate of acetaldehyde formation from deuterium-labeled ethanol and normal ethanol, respectively. Synthesis of the necessary labeled compounds is described in this and earlier work referred to. V/K isotope effects for both tritium and deuterium have been measured with three different coenzymes, NAD+, thio-NAD+, and acetyl-NAD+. With NAD+ at pH 7, D(V/K) was 3.0 and T(V/K) was 6.5. With increasing pH, these values decreased to 1.5 and 2.5 at pH 9. The intrinsic isotope effect evaluated by the method of Northrop [Northrop, D.B. (1977) in Isotope Effects on Enzyme-Catalyzed Reactions (Cleland, W. W., O'Leary, M, H., & Northrop, D. B., Eds.) pp 112-152, University Park Press, Baltimore] varies little with pH. It amounts to about 10 with NAD+ and about 5 with the coenzyme analogues. Commitment functions and their dependence upon pH calculated in this connection appear to be in agreement with known kinetic parameters of liver alcohol dehydrogenase. This assay method was also applied in vivo in the rat. Being a noninvasive method because only trace amounts of isotopes are needed, it may yield information about alternative routes of ethanol oxidation in vivo. In naive rats at low concentrations of ethanol, it confirms the discrete role of the non alcohol dehydrogenase systems.

Mouse alcohol dehydrogenase isozymes: products of closely localized duplicate genes exhibiting divergent kinetic properties

Electrophoretic variants for the stomach isozyme (ADH-C2) and liver isozyme (ADH-A2) of alcohol dehydrogenase in strains of Mus musculus have been used in genetic analyses to demonstrate close linkage between the structural genes (Ahd-3 and Adh-1, respectively) encoding these enzymes. No recombinants were observed between these loci among 126 backcross animals, which places them less than 0.8 centimorgans apart. Previous studies have positioned Adh-3, and a temporal locus (ADh-3t), on chromosome 3 (Holmes, "79; Holmes et al., "80). Kinetic analyses on partially purified preparations of these isozymes have demonstrated widely divergent catalytic properties and inhibitor specificities. The liver isozyme exhibited Michaelis constants that were nearly 3 orders of magnitude lower than the stomach isozyme for various alcohol and aldehyde substrates. Moreover, aminopropyl pyrazole strongly inhibited ADH-A2 (Ki=1.2M), whereas ADH-C2 was insensitive to inhibition under the conditions used. It is proposed that Adh-1 and Adh-3 are products of a recent gene duplication event during mammalian evolution and that considerable divergence in the active sites of these enzymes and the "temporal" genes controlling loci expression in differentiated tissues has subsequently occurred.

Kinetics and control of alcohol oxidation in rats

The rates of oxidation of ethanol and isopropanol by purified rat liver alcohol dehydrogenase were determined in vitro and compared to the rates of metabolism in vivo in order to estimate the extent to which alcohol dehydrogenase activity limits ethanol metabolism. The metabolism of isopropanol and isopropanol-d7 (CD3CDOHCD3) was examined by measuring blood alcohol and acetone levels at various times and apparently proceeds by an irreversible, enzyme-catalyzed pathway: isopropanol leads to acetone leads to an unidentified metabolite. The kinetic constants for the metabolism were computed from simultaneous fits to the appropriate differential equations using a nonlinear least-squares program. The relative rates of oxidation of the alcohols, ethanol:isopropanol:isopropanol-d7, at 25 mM were 9.6 : 2.3 : 1.0 in vitro and 4.1 : 2.4 : 1.0 in vivo. Since the ratio of rates for isopropanol is about the same in vitro and in vivo, it appears that alcohol dehydrogenase activity is the predominant rate-limiting factor in isopropanol metabolism. The relatively slower rate of ethanol oxidation in vivo as compared to in vitro suggests that liver alcohol dehydrogenase is partially (about 40%) limiting for ethanol metabolism.

Differences in the interactions of liver alcohol dehydrogenases with probes binding into the substrate pocket

The interactions of three groups of probes (berberine alkaloids, tricyclic psychopharmaca and acridine derivatives) with isoenzymes of horse liver alcohol dehydrogenase and with rat liver alcohol dehydrogenase have been examined. These compounds inhibit the activity of the EE isoenzyme of horse liver alcohol dehydrogenase but differ in their behaviour towards the steroid-active enzymes (i.e. the ES isoenzyme of horse liver alcohol dehydrognase and alcohol dehydrogenase from rat liver): psychopharmaca inhibit, acridines activate and berberines do not bind. The ligands differ also in their influence on the modification of the EE isoenzyme by iodoacetate. Polarities (expressed as Kosower's Z values) of the respective binding sites on the EE isoenzyme were estimated from optical properties of bound probes. Berberines bind into a very hydrophobic area of the enzyme molecule, the binding site for psychopharmaca is moderately hydrophobic and that for acridines is rather polar. Steric arrangements of the binding sites are also discussed. The data presented confirm the existence of three distinct binding sites for these ligands in the substrate pocket of liver alcohol dehydrogenase.

The effect of bile acids on liver alcohol dehydrogenase in different mammalian species

1. The effect of bile acids on the activity of liver alcohol dehydrogenase (L-ADH, EC 1.1.1.1) from different mammalian organisms is species dependent. 2. The kinetic behaviour of purified L-ADH from rat and rabbit liver in presence of deoxycholic acid and with ethanol as substrate shows two rather different patterns: for rabbit enzyme deoxycholic acid acts as a full competitive inhibitor, while for rat enzyme an activation effect is observed, with an increase of both Km and Vmax. Similar patterns are obtained with the steroid substrate 3 beta-hydroxy-5 beta-androstane-17one. 3. These results show that in some species, including man, L-ADH activity can be regulated by bile acids, that could control both ethanol oxidation and their own biosynthesis since L-ADH is involved in both metabolic pathways in liver cell.

The synthesis, biological activity and metabolism of 15-[6,7-14C2]- and 15-[21-3H]methyl retinone, 15-methyl retinol and 15-dimethyl retinol in rats

15-Methyl retinone, 15-methyl retinol and 15-dimethyl retinol were synthesized from all-trans retinoic acid. The absorption maxima and molar absorption coefficients (epsilon) in ethanol are: 15-methyl retinone (372 nm, 47 400), 15-methyl retinol (325 nm, 72 000) and 15-dimethyl retinol (325 nm, 72 200). The latter two compounds show fluorescence at 470 nm when excited around 320 nm, but with intensities 40 and 70%, respectively, that of retinol. All react with trifluoroacetic acid in chloroform, and the alcohols are dehydrated in ethanolic HCl. Relative to all-trans retinyl acetate, the biological activities in rat growth assay (+/-S.E.) are: 15-methyl retinone (4.7 +/- 1.5%), 15-methyl retinol (16.2 +/- 2.3%) and 15-dimethyl retinol (0.34 +/- 0.07%). The monomethyl derivatives actively support testicular development and spermatogenesis, but none of the three analogues prevents degeneration of the retina in retinoate-treated vitamin A-deficient rats. By using [6,7-14C2]-, [11,12-3H2]- and [21-3H]-labeled analogues, the 15-methyl derivatives were shown to be well absorbed in the gut but poorly stored (1-3% of the dose) in the liver. Metabolites are excreted extensively (25-65%) in the bile, however, largely as glucuronides, and to some extent (15%) in the urine. 15-Methyl retinone is reduced to 15-methyl retinol in the intestinal mucosa but not in the liver, and fatty acyl esters of the alcohols are present in liver. Insofar as we could judge, none of these 15-methyl analogues is converted into retinol. Both monomethyl and dimethyl retinols are transported in plasma in vivo in the retinol-binding protein fraction. Interestingly, the dosages required for half saturation and saturation of the plasma transport system are inversely related, in a rough way, to the biological activities in growth.

Metabolism of alcohol at high concentrations: role and biochemical nature of the hepatic microsomal ethanol oxidizing system

At intermediate and higher alcohol concentrations, ethanol metabolism proceeds via alcohol dehydrogenase (ADH) and the microsomal ethanol oxidizing system (MEOS), whereas catalase plays no significant role. Following prolonged ethanol consumption, an enhancement of both MEOS activity as well as the rates of ethanol metabolism occurs; the latter persisted despite inhibition of ADH by pyrazole and catalase by sodium axide, suggesting the involvement of MEOS in the adaptive increase. MEOS exhibits characteristics similar to those of other microsomal drug metabolizing enzymes and can be differentiated and isolated from both ADH and catalase activities. Reconstitution of MEOS activity was achieved with partially purified cytochrome P-450 and NADPH-cytochrome c reductase in the presence of synthetic phospholipid.

Identiy of brain alcohol dehydrogenase with liver alcohol dehydrogenase

A method for obtaining electrophoretically homogeneous rat liver alcohol dehydrogenase (EC 1.1.1.1) at a specific activity of 2-2.5 mumol/min per mg of protein is presented. Anti-sera prepared against the purified enzyme inhibit alcohol dehydrogenase by up to 75% and cause precipitation of virtually all the enzyme. The antisera were shown by immunoelectrophoresis of a partially purified liver homogenate to be specifically directed against alcohol dehydrogenase and were used to demonstrate that the alcohol dehydrogenases of rat brain and liver share common antigens. The total activity of alcohol dehydrogenase in rat brain homogenates is normally quite low, with as much as 10% of the total activity attributable to the activity in the blood contained within the brain; in cases of severe liver damage (induced experimentally with carbon tetrachloride) this contribution may rise to as much as 60%.