Combination of ‘omics’ data to investigate the mechanism(s) of hydrazine-induced hepatotoxicity in Rats and to identify potential biomarkers

To gain novel insight into the molecular mechanisms underlying hydrazine-induced hepatotoxicity, mRNAs, proteins and endogenous metabolites were identified that were altered in rats treated with hydrazine compared with untreated controls. These changes were resolved in a combined genomics, proteomics and metabonomics study. Sprague-Dawley rats were assigned to three treatment groups with 10 animals per group and given a single oral dose of vehicle, 30 or 90 mg kg(-1) hydrazine, respectively. RNA was extracted from rat liver 48 h post-dosing and transcribed into cDNA. The abundance of mRNA was investigated on cDNA microarrays containing 699 rat-specific genes involved in toxic responses. In addition, proteins from rat liver samples (48 and 120/168 h post-dosing) were resolved by two-dimensional differential gel electrophoresis and proteins with changed expression levels after hydrazine treatment were identified by matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionization time-of-flight mass spectrometry peptide mass fingerprinting. To elucidate how regulation was reflected in biochemical pathways, endogenous metabolites were measured in serum samples collected 48 h post-dosing by 600-MHz 1H-NMR. In summary, a single dose of hydrazine caused gene, protein and metabolite changes, which can be related to glucose metabolism, lipid metabolism and oxidative stress. These findings support known effects of hydrazine toxicity and provide potential new biomarkers of hydrazine-induced toxicity.

Glucagon receptor antagonism improves islet function in mice with insulin resistance induced by a high-fat diet

AIMS/HYPOTHESIS

Increased glucagon secretion predicts deterioration of glucose tolerance, and high glucagon levels contribute to hyperglycaemia in type 2 diabetes. Inhibition of glucagon action may therefore be a potential novel target to reduce hyperglycaemia. Here, we investigated whether chronic treatment with a glucagon receptor antagonist (GRA) improves islet dysfunction in female mice on a high-fat diet (HFD).

MATERIALS AND METHODS

After 8 weeks of HFD, mice were treated with a small molecule GRA (300 mg/kg, gavage once daily) for up to 30 days. Insulin secretion was studied after oral and intravenous administration of glucose and glucagon secretion after intravenous arginine. Islet morphology was examined and insulin secretion and glucose oxidation were measured in isolated islets.

RESULTS

Fasting plasma glucose levels were reduced by GRA (6.0 +/- 0.2 vs 7.4 +/- 0.5 mmol/l; p = 0.017). The acute insulin response to intravenous glucose was augmented (1,300 +/- 110 vs 790 +/- 64 pmol/l; p < 0.001). The early insulin response to oral glucose was reduced in mice on HFD + GRA (1,890 +/- 160 vs 3,040 +/- 420 pmol/l; p = 0.012), but glucose excursions were improved. Intravenous arginine significantly increased the acute glucagon response (129 +/- 12 vs 36 +/- 6 ng/l in controls; p < 0.01), notably without affecting plasma glucose. GRA caused a modest increase in alpha cell mass, while beta cell mass was similar to that in mice on HFD + vehicle. Isolated islets displayed improved glucose-stimulated insulin secretion after GRA treatment (0.061 +/- 0.007 vs 0.030 +/- 0.004 pmol islet(-1) h(-1) at 16.7 mmol/l glucose; p < 0.001), without affecting islet glucose oxidation.

CONCLUSIONS/INTERPRETATION

Chronic glucagon receptor antagonism in HFD-fed mice improves islet sensitivity to glucose and increases insulin secretion, suggesting improvement of key defects underlying impaired glucose tolerance and type 2 diabetes.

S-naproxen-beta-1-O-acyl glucuronide degradation kinetic studies by stopped-flow high-performance liquid chromatography-1H NMR and high-performance liquid chromatography-UV

Acyl-migrated isomers of drug beta-1-O-acyl glucuronides have been implicated in drug toxicity because they can bind to proteins. The acyl migration and hydrolysis of S-naproxen-beta-1-O-acyl glucuronide (S-nap-g) was followed by dynamic stopped-flow HPLC-1H NMR and HPLC methods. Nine first order rate constants in the chemical equilibrium between six species (S-nap-g, its alpha/beta-2-O-acyl, alpha/beta-3-O-acyl, alpha/beta-4-O-acyl, and alpha-1-O-acyl-migration isomers, and S-naproxen aglycone) were determined by HPLC-UV studies in 25 mM potassium phosphate buffer, pH 7.40, 25 mM potassium phosphate buffer in D2O pD 7.40, and 25 mM potassium phosphate buffer in D2O pD 7.40/MeCN 80:20 v/v (HPLC-1H NMR mobile phase). In the 25 mM potassium phosphate buffer (pH 7.40) the acyl-migration rate constants (h(-1)) were 0.18 (S-nap-g-alpha/beta-2-O-acyl isomer), 0.23 (alpha/beta-2-O-acyl-alpha-1-O-acyl), 2.6 (alpha-1-O-acyl-alpha/beta-2-O-acyl), 0.12 (alpha/beta-2-O-acyl-alpha/beta-3-O-acyl), 0.048 (alpha/beta-3-O-acyl-alpha/beta-2-O-acyl), 0.059 (alpha/beta-3-O-acyl-alpha/beta-4-O-acyl), and 0.085 (alpha/beta-4-O-acyl-alpha/beta-3-O-acyl). The hydrolysis rate constants (h(-1)) were 0.025 (hydrolysis of S-nap-g) and 0.0058 (hydrolysis of all acyl-migrated isomers). D2O and MeCN decreased the magnitude of all nine kinetic rate constants by up to 80%. The kinetic rate constants for the degradation of S-nap-g in the mobile phase used for HPLC-1H NMR determined using HPLC-UV could predict the results obtained by the dynamic stopped-flow HPLC-1H NMR experiments of the individual acyl-migrated isomers. It is therefore recommended that beta-1-O-acyl glucuronide degradation kinetics be investigated by HPLC-UV methods once the identification and elution order of the isomers have been established by HPLC-1H NMR.

Directly coupled HPLC-NMR and HPLC-MS approaches for the rapid characterisation of drug metabolites in urine: application to the human metabolism of naproxen

High resolution nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) spectroscopy is a very powerful tool for the structural identification of xenobiotic metabolites in complex biological matrices such as plasma, urine and bile. However, these fluids are dominated by thousands of signals resulting from endogenous metabolites and it is advantageous when investigating drug metabolites in such matrices to simplify the spectra by including a separation step in the experiment by directly-coupling HPLC and NMR. Naproxen (6-methoxy-alpha-methyl-2-naphthyl acetic acid) is administered as the S-enantiomer and is metabolised in vivo to form its demethylated metabolite which is subsequently conjugated with beta-D-glucuronic acid as well as with sulfate. Naproxen is also metabolised by phase II metabolism directly to form a glycine conjugate as well as a glucuronic acid conjugate at the carboxyl group. In the present investigation, the metabolism of naproxen was investigated in urine samples with a very simple sample preparation using a combination of directly-coupled HPLC-1H NMR spectroscopy and HPLC-mass spectrometry (MS). A buffer system was developed which allows the same chromatographic method to be used for the HPLC-NMR as well as the HPLC-MS analysis. The combination of these methods is complementary in information content since the NMR spectra provide evidence to distinguish isomers such as the type of glucuronides formed, and the HPLC-MS data allow identification of molecules containing NMR-silent fragments such as occur in the sulfate ester.

LC-1H NMR used for determination of the elution order of S-naproxen glucuronide isomers in two isocratic reversed-phase LC-systems

The reactive metabolite S-naproxen-beta-1-O-acyl glucuronide was purified from human urine using solid phase extraction (SPE) and preparative HPLC. The structure was confirmed by 600 MHz 1H NMR. Directly coupled 600 MHz HPLC-1H NMR was used to assign the peaks in chromatograms obtained when analysing a sample containing S-naproxen aglycone and the 1-, 2-, 3-, and 4-isomers of S-naproxen-beta-1-O-acyl glucuronide in two simple isocratic reversed phase HPLC-systems. Using mobile phase 1 (50 mM formate buffer pH 5.75/acetonitrile 75:25 v/v) the elution order was: 4-O-acyl isomers, beta-1-O-acyl glucuronide, 3-O-acyl isomers, 2-O-acyl isomers, and S-naproxen aglycone. Using mobile phase II (25 mM potassium phosphate pH 7.40/acetonitrile 80:20 v/v) the elution order was: alpha/beta-4-O-acyl isomers, S-naproxen aglycone, beta-1-O-acyl glucuronide, 3-O-acyl isomers, and alpha/beta-2-O-acyl isomers. In both systems the elution order for the 2-, 3- and 4-O-acyl isomers corresponded with previously published results for 2-, 3-, and 4-fluorobenzoic acid glucuronide isomers determined by reversed phase HPLC-1H NMR (U.G. Sidelmann, S.H. Hansen, C. Gavaghan, A.W. Nicholls, H.A.J. Carless, J.C. Lindon, I.D. Wilson, J.K. Nicholson, J. Chromatogr. B Biomed. Appl. 685 (1996) 113-122]. The alpha-1-O-acyl isomer was found to be present at approximately 3% of the initial S-naproxen-beta-1-O-acyl glucuronide concentration in the glucuronide isomer mixture after 6 h of incubation at pH 7.40 and 37 degrees C. In both HPLC systems it eluted just before the beta-1-O-acyl glucuronide well separated from other isomers. Investigators should consider the possible formation of a alpha-1-O-acyl isomer when studying glucuronide reactivity and degradation.

Simultaneous quantitative determination of the major phase I and II metabolites of ibuprofen in biological fluids by high-performance liquid chromatography on dynamically modified silica

Ibuprofen has previously, after ingestion by man, been demonstrated to yield four major phase I metabolites, which are excreted in the urine partly as glucuronic acid conjugates. However, in previous investigations the quantitative determinations of the conjugates were performed by indirect methods. The purpose of the present investigation was to develop a high-performance liquid chromatographic (HPLC) system for the simultaneous determination of the major phase I and II metabolites of ibuprofen in biological fluids. The separation was performed using bare silica dynamically modified with N-cetyl-N,N,N-trimethylammonium hydroxide ions contained in the mobile phase. The separation of the metabolites of ibuprofen is greatly improved with this system compared to other published reversed-phase HPLC systems intended for the same purpose. The method developed makes it possible to simultaneously determine the intact glucuronic acid conjugates of ibuprofen as well as its phase I metabolites in human urine. In a study involving four healthy volunteers, a total recovery in urine of the dose given was found to be 58-86% within 8 h. This may be compared to an average of 67% earlier reported in the literature.

Synthesis, isolation and identification of glucuronides and mercapturic acids of a novel antiparasitic agent, licochalcone A

1. Four glucuronic acid conjugates of licochalcone A (Lica), and their metabolites, have been synthesized using rabbit and pig liver microsomes and purified by preparative hplc. 2. The glucuronides were identified as E-Lica 4'-O-beta-glucuronide, E and Z-Lica 4-O-beta-glucuronide and a mono-glucuronide conjugate of a beta-hydroxylated Lica metabolite. The metabolites were identified by hplc-nmr (one and two-dimensional nmr) as well as hplc-ms. 3. At pH 8.5 Lica reacted with N-acetyl-L-cysteine giving the two epimeric conjugates, which were then isolated by preparative hplc and identified by one and two-dimensional nmr spectroscopic methods. 4. Only two glucuronic acid conjugates (E- and Z-Lica 4-O-beta-glucuronide) were found in the urine of rat after i.p. administration of a single dose of Lica.

Purification and 1H NMR spectroscopic characterization of phase II metabolites of tolfenamic acid

Tolfenamic acid, an anti-inflammatory drug (NSAID), is metabolized in vivo to form several oxidative metabolites which are all conjugated with beta-D-glucuronic acid. In this study, the metabolites of tolfenamic acid were identified by 1H nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) spectroscopy in urine samples obtained on days 7 to 10 from a human volunteer after oral administration of 200 mg of the drug three times per day (steady-state plasma concentration). The metabolites of tolfenamic acid were initially concentrated by preparative solid phase extraction (PSPE) chromatography, thereby removing the endogenous polar compounds that are present in the urine. The individual metabolites were purified by preparative high performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) and then identified using 1H NMR. Both one- and two-dimensional NMR experiments were performed to identify the phase II metabolites of tolfenamic acid; the study shows the applicability of 1H NMR for the identification of drug metabolites in biological fluids. In addition to NMR analysis, two metabolites were also identified by mass spectrometry (MS). The glucuronides of the following parent compounds, N-(2-methyl-3-chlorophenyl)-anthranilic acid (T), N-(2-hydroxymethyl-3-chlorophenyl)-anthranilic acid (1), N-(2-hydroxymethyl-3-chloro-4-hydroxyphenyl)-anthranilic acid (2), N-(2-formyl-3-chlorophenyl) anthranilic acid (3), N-(2-methyl-3-chloro-4-hydroxyphenyl)-anthranilic acid (4), N-(2-methyl-3-chloro-5-hydroxyphenyl)-anthranilic acid (5), N-(2-carboxy-3-chlorophenyl)-anthranilic acid (6), N-(2-hydroxymethyl-3-chlorophenyl)-4-hydroxy-anthranilic acid (7), N-(2-methyl-3-chlorophenyl)-5-hydroxy-anthranilic acid (8), N-(2-methyl-3-chloro-4-metoxyphenyl)-anthranilic acid (9), N-(2-methyl-3-chlorophenyl)-4-hydroxy-anthranilic acid (10), and N-(2-methyl-4-hydroxyphenyl)-anthranilic acid (11) were identified. The phase II metabolites (5-11) had not previously been identified in urine from humans administered tolfenamic acid. The phase I metabolites of the glucuronides 7, 8, 10, and 11 were identified here for the first time. An HPLC method was developed that simultaneously separates all the phase II metabolites identified as well as some phase I metabolites in urine samples obtained after intake of tolfenamic acid.

A comparative study of precision cut liver slices, hepatocytes, and liver microsomes from the Wistar rat using metronidazole as a model substance

1. Metronidazole is metabolized by rat liver in vitro models to form a hydroxy metabolite, an acetic acid metabolite, a glucuronic acid conjugate, and a sulphate conjugate. 2. Four different in vitro systems for investigation of drug metabolism based on liver preparations from the male Wistar rat have been investigated. 3. An incubation system where liver slices are incubated in 12-well culture plates was evaluated with respect to metabolism of metronidazole. Optimal viability was observed for a time period of up to 24 h. The Michaelis-Menten parameters for the metabolism of metronidazole in liver slices were calculated and the intrinsic clearance values compared with the values determined in hepatocytes incubated in suspension. It was found that the intrinsic clearance with respect to formation of oxidative metabolites, the hydroxy metabolite, and the acetic acid metabolite correlated, whereas the intrinsic clearance with respect to formation of the glucuronic acid conjugate was lower in slices compared with hepatocytes. 4. The metabolism of metronidazole in liver slices, in hepatocytes in primary monolayer culture, in hepatocytes incubated in suspension, and in liver microsomes was compared. All the incubations were performed under identical incubation conditions including the same incubation medium. The trend observed was that the initial metabolic rates of the production of the hydroxy metabolite, the glucuronic acid metabolite, and the acetic acid metabolite of metronidazole were higher in microsomes than in the other liver preparations. The metabolic rates in hepatocytes in primary culture and in suspension with respect to the oxidative metabolites were higher than in liver slices. The metabolic turnover observed in liver slices was predicted to correlate with in vivo data earlier obtained for rat.

750 MHz HPLC-NMR spectroscopic studies on the separation and characterization of the positional isomers of the glucuronides of 6,11-dihydro-11-oxodibenz[b,e]oxepin-2-acetic acid

Ester glucuronides (beta-1-O-acyl-D-glucopyranuronates) of many drugs can undergo a series of acyl migration reactions, resulting in positional isomers and anomers which can react with serum proteins with possible toxicological consequences. We have investigated the acyl migration of the ester glucuronides of the model drug 6,-11-dihydro-11-oxodibenz[b,e]oxepin-2-acetic acid in pH 7.4 buffer using directly coupled 750 MHz stopped-flow HPLC-NMR spectroscopy. Using a reversed phase isocratic HPLC method with 21% acetonitrile and 79% D2O in the mobile phase, it was possible to separate and hence identify the individual positional isomers of the model drug glucuronide by 750 MHz HPLC-NMR. The order of elution of the isomers from the C18 column was 4alpha-, 4beta-, aglycon, 1beta-, 3beta-, 3alpha-, 2alpha-, 2beta- (alpha- and beta- referring to the anomerization state at C1 on the glucuronide ring and the numbers referring to the carbon number on the glucuronide ring to which the drug moiety has migrated). It is shown that directly coupled ultra-high-field HPLC-NMR spectroscopy offers a unique analytical advantage for obtaining structural information of interconverting compounds in equilibrium mixtures, and this method will be of value in the study of reactive drug glucuronides of toxicological importance.