Elevated urine, blood and cerebrospinal fluid levels of uracil and thymine in a child with dihydrothymine dehydrogenase deficiency

In the urine of a child with unexplained convulsions large amounts of uracil and thymine were detected by gas chromatography. Identification was performed by coupled gas chromatography-mass spectrometry. Quantitation of the urinary excretion by means of a sensitive high-performance liquid chromatographic (HPLC) method revealed a 1000-fold elevation compared to normal. Serum and cerebrospinal fluid levels of the two pyrimidine bases were about a hundred times higher than normal. In fibroblasts the activity of dihydrothymine dehydrogenase was determined by measuring the conversion of radioactive labelled thymine to dihydrothymine with HPLC of the reaction mixture. In the patient's cells a complete deficiency of dihydrothymine dehydrogenase activity was found. Our patient is the first case described with such a proven enzyme deficiency.

Pyrimidine catabolism: individual characterization of the three sequential enzymes with a new assay

We have developed a one-dimensional thin-layer chromatography procedure that resolves the initial substrate uracil and its catabolic derivatives dihydrouracil, N-carbamoyl-beta-alanine (NCBA) and beta-alanine. This separation scheme also simplifies the preparation of the radioisotopes of N-carbamoyl-beta-alanine and dihydrouracil. Combined, these methods make it possible to assay easily and unambiguously, jointly or individually, all three enzyme activities of uracil catabolism: dihydropyrimidine dehydrogenase, dihydropyrimidinase, and N-carbamoyl-beta-alanine amidohydrolase. Earlier reports had presented data suggesting that these three enzyme activities were combined in a complex because they appeared to be controlled at a single genetic locus [Dagg, C. P., Coleman, D.L., & Fraser, G.M. (1964) Genetics 49, 979-989] and because they appeared able to channel metabolites [Barrett, H.W., Munavalli, S.N., & Newmark, P. (1964) Biochim. Biophys. Acta 91, 199-204]. Although the three enzymes from rat liver have similar sizes, with apparent molecular weights of 218 000 for dihydropyrimidine dehydrogenase, 226 000 for dihydropyrimidinase, and 234 000 for NC beta A amidohydrolase, they are easily separated from each other. Kinetic studies show no evidence of substrate channeling and therefore do not support a model for an enzyme complex. The earlier reports may be explained by our studies on the amidohydrolase, which suggest that under certain conditions this enzyme may become the rate-limiting step in uracil catabolism.

The activities of thymidine metabolising enzymes during the cell cycle of a human lymphocyte cell line LAZ-007 synchronised by centrifugal elutriation

The activities throughout the cell cycle of thymidine kinase (EC 2.7.1.21), dihydrothymine dehydrogenase (EC 1.3.1.2), thymidine phosphorylase (EC 2.4.2.4) and dTMP phosphatase (EC 3.3.3.35) were measured in the Epstein-Barr virally transformed human B lymphocyte line LAZ-007. Cells were synchronised at different stages of the cell cycle using the technique of centrifugal elutriation. The degree of synchrony in each cycle-stage cell population was determined by flow microfluorimetric analysis of DNA content and by measurement of thymidine incorporation into DNA. The activity of the anabolic enzyme thymidine kinase was low in the G1 phase cells, but increased manyfold during the S and G2 phases, reaching a maximum after the peak of DNA synthesis, then decreasing in late G2 + M phase. By contrast, the specific activities of the enzymes involved in thymidine and thymidylate catabolism, dihydrothymine dehydrogenase, thymidine phosphorylase and dTMP phosphatase remained essentially constant throughout the cell cycle, indicating that the fate of thymidine at different stages of the cell cycle is governed primarily by regulation of the level of the anabolic enzyme thymidine kinase and not by regulation of the levels of thymidine catabolising enzymes.

Circadian rhythm of orotate phosphoribosyltransferase, pyrimidine nucleoside phosphorylases and dihydrouracil dehydrogenase in mouse liver. Possible relevance to chemotherapy with 5-fluoropyrimidines

In female mice (30-35 g) maintained in standardized conditions of 12 hr light (0600-1800 hr) alternating with 12 hr darkness (1800-0600 hr), food and water ad lib., there was a 24-hr cycle change (P < 0.0001, Cosinor analysis) in the activity of hepatic orotate phosphoribosyltransferase (OPRTase; EC 2.4.2.10), uridine phosphorylase (UrdPase; EC 2.4.2.3), and dihydrouracil dehydrogenase (DHUDase; 1.3.1.2) but not thymidine phosphorylase (EC 2.4.2.4). The peaks of both OPRTase and UrdPase activities occurred in the activity span at around 18 and 15 hours after light onset (HALO) and the trough at 6 and 3 HALO, respectively, when samples were taken every 4 hr. Conversely, the peak of DHUDase occurred in the rest span at around 3 HALO and the trough at 15 HALO. The maximal enzyme activities (3146 +/- 172, 561 +/- 25, and 6.7 +/- 0.7 pmol/min/mg protein) was 210, 400 and 560% higher than the minimal activities (1507 +/- 172, 139 +/- 25, and 1.2 +/- 0.7 pmol/min/mg protein), for OPRTase UrdPase, and DHUDase, respectively. A circadian rhythm was also observed when the light-dark cycle was shifted (reverse cycle) so that the lights went on at 2200 hr and off at 1000 hr. Under the reverse cycle condition there was a corresponding shift in UrdPase and DHUDase activities with a period of 1 hr difference in the time of maximum and minimum enzyme activities. OPRTase, on the other hand, showed little change after 4 weeks of adaptation under the reverse light cycle. The circadian rhythm of these key enzymes of pyrimidine metabolism, the interrelationship of their activities, and their role in the regulation of uridine bioavailability could be of particular significance in modulating the therapeutic regimens with 5-fluorinated pyrimidines.

Phenylselenenyl- and phenylthio-substituted pyrimidines as inhibitors of dihydrouracil dehydrogenase and uridine phosphorylase

Lithiation of 5-bromo-2,4-bis(benzyloxy)pyrimidine (3) with n-BuLi at -80 degrees C followed by the addition of diphenyl diselenide or diphenyl disulfide as an electrophile furnished the corresponding 5-(phenylhetera)-2,4-bis(benzyloxy)pyrimidine, which on exposure to trimethylsilyl iodide in CH2-Cl2 at room temperature yielded the 5-(phenylhetera)uracils in 70-75% yield. Similarly, the 6-(phenylhetera)uracils were prepared from 6-bromo-2,4-bis(benzyloxy)pyrimidine (10). 1-[(2-Hydroxyethoxy)methyl]-5-(phenylselenenyl)uracil (PSAU, 18) and 1-(ethoxymethyl)-5-(phenylselenenyl)uracil (17) were synthesized by the electrophilic addition of benzeneselenenyl chloride to the acyclic uracils under basic conditions. These compounds were evaluated for their ability to inhibit dihydrouracil dehydrogenase (DHUDase, E.C. 1.3.1.2), orotate phosphoribosyltransferase (OPRTase, E.C. 2.4.2.10), uridine phosphorylase (UrdPase, E.C. 2.4.2.3), and thymidine phosphorylase (dThdPase, E.C. 2.4.2.4). 5-(Phenylselenenyl)uracil (PSU, 6) and 5-(phenylthio)uracil (PTU, 7) inhibited DHUDase with apparent K(i) values of 4.8 and 5.4 microM, respectively. The corresponding 6-analogues, compounds 13 and 14, demonstrated inhibitory activity against OPRTase. PTU as well as PSU and its riboside, 2'-deoxyriboside, and acyclonucleosides were inhibitors of UrdPase, with PSAU (18) being the most potent with an apparent K(i) value of 3.8 microM. None of the compounds evaluated had any effect on dThdPase. Interestingly, most of the compounds showed modest selective anti-human-immunodeficiency-virus activity in acutely infected primary human lymphocytes.

Structure-activity relationship of ligands of dihydrouracil dehydrogenase from mouse liver

One hundred and five nucleobase analogues were screened as inhibitors of dihydrouracil dehydrogenase (DHUDase, EC 1.3.1.2) from mouse liver. 5-Benzyloxybenzyluracil, 1-deazauracil (2,6-pyridinediol), 3-deazauracil (2,4-pyridinediol), 5-benzyluracil, 5-nitrobarbituric acid and 5,6-dioxyuracil (alloxan) were identified as potent inhibitors of this activity, with apparent Ki values of 0.2, 0.5, 2.1, 3.4, 3.8 and 6.6 microM respectively. Both 5-benzyloxybenzyluracil and 1-deazauracil were also potent inhibitors of DHUDase from human livers. These findings along with an extensive review of literature allowed the formulation of a structure-activity relationship. The binding to DHUDase required intact C2 and C4 oxo groups. Replacement of N1 or N3 by an endocyclic carbon enhanced binding. In contrast, replacement of C5 or C6 by an endocyclic nitrogen abolished binding. Addition of a charged group to C5 and/or C6, and of a hydrophobic group to C5 but not C6 improved the binding.

Modulation of [5-125I]iododeoxyuridine incorporation into tumour and normal tissue DNA by methotrexate and thymidylate synthase inhibitors

A potentially useful method for imaging of micrometastases and in situ radiotherapy, would be the incorporation of radioactive labelled iododeoxyuridine (IdU) into tumour DNA. However, there are two main problems: incorporation of the radioactive IdU into normal cells and low incorporation into tumour cells. The aim of this study was to attempt to augment the incorporation of [5-125I]iododeoxyuridine (125IdU) into tumour DNA and to improve the tumour/normal tissue ratio by the use of inhibitors (methotrexate, 5-fluorouracil, AG337, ZD 1694, benzyloxybenzyl uracil) which would prolong the metabolic half-life of the compound. Mammary tumours were induced in GR mice, which were then treated with the inhibitors and the 125IdU. The tumours and representative normal tissue were removed following sacrifice of the animals, and radioactivity within the tissues measured. Pretreatment of mammary carcinoma-bearing GR mice with methotrexate caused approximately a 3-fold increase in the incorporation of 125IdU into tumour DNA, and approximately a > or = 10-fold increase in the tumour/small intestine ratio of incorporated radioactivity. Inhibition of thymidylate synthase, the enzyme involved in IdU dehalogenation, by 5-fluorouracil plus folic acid, or by novel inhibitors AG337 and ZD1694 led to a 3- to 5-fold increase in the 125IdU incorporation. Benzyloxybenzyl uracil, an inhibitor of dihydrouracil dehydrogenase, had little effect. Treatment of tumour-bearing mice with methotrexate plus ZD1694 significantly reduced the rate of tumour growth, but addition of 125IdU (70 microCi/mouse, three daily injections) had no additional antitumour activity. In conclusion, these results do not support the hypothesis that systemic administration of 125IdU can be used for cancer therapy or for imaging purposes unless better methods are found to boost its incorporation into tumour DNA.

3-Cyano-2,6-dihydroxypyridine (CNDP), a new potent inhibitor of dihydrouracil dehydrogenase

3-Cyano-2,6-dihydroxypyridine (CNDP) was identified as a potent inhibitor (IC50 value, 4.4 nM) of dihydrouracil dehydrogenase (DHUDase) [EC 1.3.1.2], a rate-limiting enzyme in 5-fluorouracil (5-FU) degradation. The inhibitory activity of CNDP was about 2,000 times that of uracil under our assay conditions. Kinetic analyses with partially purified enzyme from rat liver revealed that the mechanism of inhibition of DHUDase by CNDP was of mixed type with an inhibition constant (Ki) of 1.51 nM. CNDP had less effect on 5-FU phosphorylation than on 5-FU degradation. The inhibitory effect of CNDP on ribosylation of 5-FU was 600 to 1,000 times less than that on DHUDase. Moreover, CNDP did not inhibit uridine kinase, thymidine kinase, or pyrimidine phosphoribosyltransferase. Coadministration of CNDP with 1-ethoxymethyl-5-fluorouracil (EM-FU) to rats with Yoshida sarcoma elevated the level of 5-FU in both the blood and the tumor and enhanced the antitumor effect of EM-FU. These findings indicated that CNDP would be a useful chemical modulator in chemotherapy with 5-FU or its prodrugs.

Effects of N,N-dimethylformamide and sodium butyrate on enzymes of pyrimidine metabolism in cultured human tumor cells

Effects of a 7-day treatment with the maturational agents DMF and sodium butyrate on enzymes of pyrimidine metabolism, growth rate and cell maturation were assessed in 5 human tumor cell lines, ARH-77 (myeloma), K-562 (chronic myeloid leukemia), KG-1 (myeloid leukemia), HL-60 (promyelocytic leukemia) and RWLy-1 (non-Hodgkin's lymphoma). DMF lengthened the doubling times of all five cell lines while sodium butyrate lengthened only those of K-562, HL-60 and RWLy-1. Full maturation was induced only in HL-60 by either agent and in K-562 by butyrate. Exposure resulted in a decreased activity of the anabolic enzyme orotate phosphoribosyltransferase (EC 2.4.2.10) and increased activities of the catabolic enzymes thymidine phosphorylase (EC 2.4.2.4) and dihydrouracil dehydrogenase (EC 1.3.1.2). Changes in the amphibolic enzyme, uridine phosphorylase (EC 2.4.2.3) did not follow any apparent pattern. This study indicates that the pattern of pyrimidine metabolism differs between the differentiated and slowly growing, and undifferentiated rapidly growing counterpart of several human tumors, suggesting that enzymes of pyrimidine metabolism can be used as markers for cellular growth and/or maturity.

Phase II study of oral eniluracil, 5-fluorouracil, and leucovorin in patients with advanced colorectal carcinoma

BACKGROUND

The oral administration of 5-fluorouracil (5-FU) is hindered by erratic bioavailability due to catabolism of 5-FU by the enzyme dihydropyrimidine dehydrogenase (DPD) in the gastrointestinal tract. Eniluracil is a potent inactivator of DPD which results in 100% oral bioavailability of 5-FU. Leucovorin (LV) is another biochemical modulator of 5-FU that potentiates inhibition of thymidylate synthase, the primary target of 5-FU. The goal of this study was to determine the antitumor activity and toxicity of an oral regimen containing eniluracil, 5-FU, and LV in patients with colorectal carcinoma.

METHODS

Sixty eligible patients who had previously untreated, measurable, metastatic colorectal carcinoma were treated with oral eniluracil 50 mg on Days 1-7, 5-FU 20 mg/m(2) on Days 2-6, and LV 50 mg on Days 2-6. Cycles were repeated at 28-day intervals.

RESULTS

The overall response rate was 13% (95% confidence interval [CI] = 6, 25%), with 1 complete response and 7 partial responses. Three additional patients had partial responses that were not confirmed at subsequent evaluations. The median time to progression of disease was 4.4 months (95% CI = 3.45, 7.69) and the median survival time was 12.6 months (95% CI = 9.1, 14.75). Grade 3-5 toxicity (1 toxic death) occurred in 51 patients (85%). Grade 4 neutropenia occurred in 25 patients (42%), and 18 patients (30%) had Grade 3-4 diarrhea. Twenty-one patients (35%) were hospitalized for toxicity, and 12 (20%) had febrile neutropenia. Baseline creatinine clearance was associated inversely with severe toxicity (P = 0.001).

CONCLUSIONS

Although antitumor activity was observed, the frequent occurrence of severe toxicity with this regimen limited its clinical utility. Alternate schedules with a more favorable therapeutic index are undergoing clinical testing and should be pursued. The high level of toxicity observed with orally administered low dose 5-FU underscored the potency of eniluracil as a biochemical modulator.

Reversal of enzymic phenotype of thymidine metabolism in induced differentiation of HL-60 cells

Exposure of HL-60 cells to 12-O-tetradecanoylphorbol-13-acetate (TPA) resulted in specific alterations in thymidine (TdR) metabolism. Within 12 h after treatment with 1.62 nM TPA, the reciprocal alteration in the activities of opposing pathways of TdR metabolism observed during normal culture cell growth was reversed. In TPA-treated cells, the activities of anabolic enzymes, TdR kinase (TK; EC 2.7.1.21) and thymidylate synthase (TS; EC 2.1.1.45), declined to 15% and 18% of those of untreated cells by 96 h. Incorporation of 3H-TdR and 3H-deoxyuridine also decreased in parallel with decline in enzyme activities. In contrast, the activities of catabolic enzymes, TdR phosphorylase (TP; EC 2.4.2.4) and dihydrothymine dehydrogenase (DHT DH; EC 1.3.1.2), increased to 399% and 318% by 96 h. Immunotitration of DHT DH with monoclonal antibody showed that the rise in activity in the differentiated cells was due to the increase in protein amount. Kinetic properties of the enzymes were not altered during differentiation. These metabolic alterations were accompanied by an accumulation of the cells in G1 at the expense of S-phase. Present data indicate that induced differentiation of HL-60 cells results in a reversal of enzymic phenotype of TdR metabolism due to a consequence of decreased proliferation and suggest that emergence of TdR metabolic imbalance may serve as early markers of differentiation of these cells.

Decreased host toxicity in vivo during chronic treatment with 5-flourouracil

Chronic weekly administration of FUra to CD8F1 female mice bearing spontaneous mammary tumors produced body weight loss during the first 2 weeks of treatment, which became less severe during subsequent weeks of therapy. To our knowledge, the development of such a decrease in FUra toxicity in vivo during chronic treatment with the drug has not been described previously, and a study of this phenomenon was therefore undertaken in tumor-free CD8F1 female mice. Weekly administration of FUra at 85 mg/kg resulted in toxicity expressed in body weight loss and in depressed peripheral WBC levels; however, the magnitude of these toxic effects decreased significantly by the 5th week of treatment. Pretreatment of normal mice with FUra for 7 weeks resulted in a dose-related shift in the LD50 of FUra administered as a subsequent challenge. Compared with an LD50 of 240 mg/kg for FUra in normal mice, the LD50 in mice pretreated with FUra at 50 or 85 mg/kg per week was found to be significantly elevated to 370 and 460 mg/kg, respectively. Pretreatment with FUra at 85 mg/kg for 7 weeks did not alter the activity of the enzymes responsible for the activation of FUra, namely uridine kinase or orotate phosphoribosyltransferase, in the intestinal epithelium or bone marrow, but it did decrease the 24-h urinary excretion of intact [3H]FUra by almost 40% (P less than 0.01). In addition, the FUra pretreatment schedule resulted in a 31% (P = 0.14) increase in the activity of dihydrouracil dehydrogenase in the liver. These results suggest that increased degradation of FUra can be induced by chronic treatment with the drug. Finally, knowledge of the development of increased drug catabolism was used to increase the therapeutic effectiveness of FUra by its incorporation into an increasing-dose regimen. Mice bearing 24-h transplants of the murine breast tumor were treated with a constant dose of FUra for 12 weeks or with a dose that was increased, after 7 weeks, to a dose normally causing a high degree of drug-related mortality. The group receiving the incremented FUra dose had a significantly slower tumor growth rate without an increase in drug-related toxicity. These results are discussed in light of their obvious clinical implications.

Comparative studies on the metabolism of new fluorinated pyrimidine drugs in the liver by in vivo 19F magnetic resonance spectroscopic observation

1-Ethoxymethyl-5-fluorouracil (EM-FU) is a fluorinated pyrimidine derived from 5-FU, and 3-cyano-2,6-dihydroxypyridine (CNDP) is a chemical modulator which suppresses the catabolism of 5-FU by inhibiting dihydrouracil dehydrogenase in the liver. In this study, the metabolism of EM-FU and the suppression of 5-FU catabolism by CNDP were observed by in vivo 19F magnetic resonance spectroscopy in comparison with other similar drugs, because it is considered that the most effective mode of therapy using 5-FU is to suppress the catabolism of 5-FU in the liver and so to maintain for longer an effective blood level of 5-FU. The metabolism of EM-FU was very slow and the production of fluoro-beta-alanine was very low as compared to the case of tegafur. The catabolic suppression by CNDP was much stronger than that of uracil. Therefore co-administration of EM-FU and CNDP should suppress catabolism and maintain an effective blood level of 5-FU for a long period of time.

Discrete roles of hepatocytes and nonparenchymal cells in uridine catabolism as a component of its homeostasis

Previous studies indicated that uridine is essentially cleared in a single pass through a rat liver and replaced in a highly regulated manner by uridine formed presumably by de novo synthesis. We report a cellular basis for the catabolic component of this apparent paradox by dissociation of the liver with collagenase into two cell fractions, hepatocytes and a nonparenchymal cell population. Suspensions of the nonparenchymal cells rapidly cleave uridine to uracil, whereas in hepatocytes this activity was <5% of that in nonparenchymal cells. Conversely, hepatocytes cause extensive degradation of uracil to -alanine. These differences correlate with the uridine phosphorylase and dihydrouracil dehydrogenase activity in cell-free extracts of each cell type. We have documented the existence of a Na+-dependent, nitrobenzylthioinosine-insensitive transport system for uridine in the parenchymal cells (Michaelis constant 46 +/- 5 microM) that achieves a three- to fourfold concentration gradient in hepatocytes. A similar system is present in the nonparenchymal cell population. In addition, a highly specific and active Na+-dependent transport system for beta-alanine, the primary catabolic metabolite of uracil, has been demonstrated in hepatocytes.

Inhibitory effect of 6-azauracil on beta-alanine metabolism in rat

The effect of 6-azauracil on beta-alanine metabolism was investigated in vivo in the rat. Both of the enzymes beta-alanine-oxoglutarate aminotransferase (aminobutyrate aminotransferase) and D-3-aminoisobutyrate-pyruvate aminotransferase [R)-3-amino-2-methylpropionate-pyruvate aminotransferase), which are beta-alanine catabolizing enzymes from rat liver and kidney, were inactivated by 6-azauracil injection, while dihydrouracil dehydrogenase, dihydropyrimidinase, and beta-ureidopropionase, which are pyrimidine metabolizing enzymes, were not affected. The content of beta-alanine was increased, but the level of uridine and uracil in rat liver was not affected, by 6-azauracil. When a crude enzyme preparation was passed through a Sephacryl S-200 column, both enzymes could be separated from each other. beta-Alanine-oxoglutarate aminotransferase and beta-alanine-pyruvate aminotransferase activities in rat liver decreased to 27.4% and 63.9%, respectively, upon 6-azauracil injection, and those in kidney were 11.7% and 38.3%, respectively. From these findings, it is suggested that the accumulation of beta-alanine in 6-azauracil-treated rat liver might be caused by the inhibition of beta-alanine catabolizing enzymes, but not by an increase in the uridine pool nor by the activation of pyrimidine metabolism.

Catabolism of exogenously supplied thymidine to thymine and dihydrothymine by platelets in human peripheral blood

The interference of platelets with the estimation of unscheduled DNA synthesis in human peripheral mononuclear leukocytes following genotoxic exposure was studied. A 96% reduction in the unscheduled DNA synthesis value was achieved by incubating [3H]thymidine with platelet-rich plasma for 5 hr at 37 degrees. Using radioactive thymine-containing compounds, together with quantitative analyses based on thin-layer and ion-exchange chromatographies, we have shown that thymidine was converted to thymine which, in turn, was converted to dihydrothymine in platelet-rich plasma. The enzymes responsible were separated from platelet lysates by gel filtration and were identified as thymidine phosphorylase and dihydrothymine dehydrogenase. The phosphorylase reversibly catalyzed the formation of thymine from thymidine and converted bromodeoxyuridine to bromouracil. The dehydrogenase reversibly catalyzed the interconversion of thymine and dihydrothymine in a reaction dependent on NADP(H), and it was inhibited by diazouracil and by thymine. Nearly all the thymidine-catabolizing activity found in whole blood samples supplied exogenously with thymidine was accounted for by the platelets. Since most genetic toxicological tests that use blood samples do not involve removing platelets from the blood cell cultures, then it is concluded that precautions should be taken in the future to determine the influence of platelets on these test systems. This is particularly true for methods dependent on thymidine pulses such as unscheduled DNA synthesis, or those dependent on bromodeoxyuridine, such as sister chromatid exchanges, since this nucleoside is also a substrate for thymidine phosphorylase.

Distribution and inhibition of dihydrouracil dehydrogenase activities in human tissues using 5-fluorouracil as a substrate

Dihydrouracil dehydrogenase activity, with 5-fluorouracil used as the substrate, was measured in human tissues and leukemic cells. The liver had the highest enzyme activity (mean, 705 nmoles/g tissue/hr) with minimal activity found in the kidneys, spleen, lung, colon, colon tumors, pancreas, breast tissue, breast tumors, bone marrow cells, and peripheral leukemic cells. Wide variations in the enzyme activities were noted in samples collected from different subjects. 5-diazouracil inhibits the enzyme activity with the concentration required for inhibiting 50% (IC50) of the liver enzyme being 3 microM. Other compounds, thymine, thymidine, 6-methoxydiazouracil, and cyclo-5-diazouridine were also tested for their effect on this enzyme. With the exception of cyclo-5-diazouridine, all others produced inhibitory effect. The inhibitory effect of 6-methoxydiazouracil is similar to that of diazouracil. Thymidine and thymine are less active with identical values for IC50 of 80 microM.

Reversal of enzymic phenotype of thymidine metabolism in induced differentiation of U-937 cells

Exposure of U-937 cells to 12-O-tetradecanoylphorbol-13-acetate (TPA) resulted in specific alterations in thymidine metabolism. Within 24 h after treatment with 1.62 x 10(-9) M TPA, the reciprocal alteration in the activities of opposing enzymes of thymidine metabolism observed during normal cell culture growth was reversed. In TPA-treated cells, the activities of anabolic enzymes thymidine kinase (EC 2.7.1.75)and thymidylate synthase (EC 2.1.1.45) declined with time linearly to 20 and 16% of those of untreated cells by 72 h. Incorporation of [3H]thymidine and [3H]deoxyuridine into acid-insoluble fractions also decreased in parallel with the decline in enzyme activities. In contrast, the activities of catabolic enzymes thymidine phosphorylase (EC 2.4.2.4) and dihydrothymine dehydrogenase (EC 1.3.1.2) increased. The rise in thymidine phosphorylase activity peaked at 48 h with 406% elevation over the control. The activity of dihydrothymine dehydrogenase was not altered for the first 24 h, but it increased up to 338% by 96 h. Immunotitration of dihydrothymine dehydrogenase with monoclonal antibody against this enzyme showed that the rise in activity in the differentiated cells was due to the increase in the amount of enzyme protein. No significant difference was observed in the Km values for the substrate of each enzyme between untreated and TPA-treated cells. These metabolic alterations during induced differentiation were in line with the changes in cell morphology and accompanied by an accumulation of the cells in G1 at the expense of S phase. These observations indicate that induced differentiation of U-937 cells results in a reversal of the enzymic phenotype of thymidine metabolism and suggest that emergence of thymidine metabolic imbalance may serve as an early marker of differentiation of these cells.

Inhibitory effects of pyrimidine, barbituric acid and pyridine derivatives on 5-fluorouracil degradation in rat liver extracts

The inhibitory effects of about 30 compounds, mainly pyrimidine and pyridine derivatives, on 5-fluorouracil degradation catalyzed by dihydrouracil dehydrogenase (DHU dehydrogenase) were investigated. The inhibitory activities of 5-substituted uracil derivatives decreased time-dependently during preincubation with liver extracts, indicating that these compounds are substrates of DHU dehydrogenase. During preincubation, 4,6-dihydroxypyrimidine derivatives were found to be converted to barbituric acid derivatives, which have stronger activities. The inhibitory activity of 2,4-dihydroxypyridine (3-deazauracil), which was stronger than that of uracil, did not change during preincubation, indicating that this compound is not a substrate but is an inhibitor of DHU dehydrogenase, and suggesting that 2,6-dihydroxypyridine (1-deazauracil) could be a potent inhibitor. In the light of these findings, we examined various derivatives of barbituric acid, 2,4-dihydroxypyridine and 2,6-dihydroxypyridine. Among these compounds, 3-cyano-2,6-dihydroxypyridine and 5-chloro-2,4-dihydroxypyridine were the strongest inhibitors with Ki values for DHU dehydrogenase of 2.3 X 10(-7) M and 3.6 X 10(-7) M, respectively.

[Dose, administration time and route and hepatic function-dependent metabolism of 5-FU in mice]

Pharmacokinetic studies of 5-FU in normal and Sarcoma 180-bearing mice were performed, and the following results obtained: When the administered dose of 5-FU was increased, it was found that there was an increase in the half-life and AUC (area under the concentration curve) and a lower rate of plasma clearance. When the drug was administered at equal doses of 40 mg/kg, the rate of clearance was high in the order of p.o. greater than continuous infusion greater than i.v. bolus. When Sarcoma 180-bearing mice were injected with CCl4 to induce liver dysfunction and subsequently administered 5-FU, the AUCs of 5-FU in the plasma and tumor tissue were increased by 2 and 1.3 times, respectively, as compared with non-treated mice. The Vmax (nmol/mg protein/min) of DHU (dihydrouracil dehydrogenase) in the liver homogenate from normal mice was 1.18 and found to be 0.70 in CCl4-treated mice. In conclusion, the pharmacokinetics of 5-FU were found to be dependent on the dose, infusion time, administration route and liver function, which seem to be correlated with the capacity of the catabolic enzyme, DHU.

Enzymes of uracil catabolism in normal and neoplastic human tissues

Enzymes of the pyrimidine base catabolism, dihydrouracil dehydrogenase (EC 1.3.1.2), dihydropyrimidinase (EC 3.5.2.2), and beta-ureidopropionase (EC 3.5.1.6) were compared in the cytosolic extract of several normal and neoplastic human tissues. The activity was measured by following the catabolism of [6-14C]-uracil to dihydrouracil, carbamyl-beta-alanine, and beta-alanine. Substrate inhibition, hysteresis, allosterism, and the lack of dihydropyrimidinase are pointed out as special problems in assaying enzymes of pyrimidine degradation. The activity of dihydrouracil dehydrogenase has been demonstrated in several human extrahepatic tissues and tumors. The enzyme is rate limiting in extrahepatic solid tumors but not in their normal counterparts. Some of these solid tumors contain greater amounts of activity than do their normal equivalents, which encourages the use of inhibitors of this enzyme in conjunction with treatment of these tumors by 5-fluorouracil. Because of the lack of a pattern in dihydrouracil dehydrogenase activity between tumors and normal tissues, the enzyme is not a good marker for tumorigenicity. Dihydropyrimidinase, on the other hand, is highly active in all solid tumors studied but not in their normal counterparts; therefore, we suggest that dihydropyrimidinase can serve as a good marker of tumorigenicity as well as a target for cancer chemotherapy of human solid tumors.

[Regulation of enzyme activities involved in pyrimidine synthesis and its application to cancer chemotherapy]

We examined the enhancing effect of antitumor activity by co-administration of 5-FU or its masked form (FT-207) with bases or nucleosides of purine and pyrimidine. It was found that the antitumor activity of 5-FU or FT-207 on sarcoma-180 and AH-130 tumor was oral administration of uracil, deoxyuridine, uridine, thymine or thymidine. Uracil had more effect than other pyrimidine nucleotides in enhancing antitumor effect of these drug to FT-207 without toxicity. In contrast to the results with FT-207, co-administration of uracil with 5-FU increased its antitumor activity and also the toxicity of 5-FU. On the ther hand, no enhancing antitumor activity of dRib-1-P, Rib-1-P, Ado, Xao, Guo, Ino, dAdo, dIno and dGuo to FT-207 was observed. Concentration of 5-FU in the tumor, blood and various organs of AH-130-bearing rats after oral administration of clinical doses of FT-270 and uracil was examined. On oral administration of FT-207 plus uracil in various combinations, the highest T/B (ratio of concentration of 5-FU in the tumor to that in blood) value was obtained at a ratio of uracil to FT-207 of 4. Moreover, it was found that 5-FU was mainly phosphorylated in the tumor tissues whereas it was mainly degraded in liver slices. Degradation of 5-FU in vitro was inhibited more by thymine than by uracil. Phosphorylation of 5-FU, however, was not inhibited by uracil, thymine or thymidine, even times the concentration of 5-FU. These findings suggest that the enhancement of antitumor activity of 5-FU-masked form is more important the inhibition of 5-FU degradation than the stimulation of 5-FU phosphorylation.

Behavior of activities of thymidine metabolizing enzymes in human leukemia-lymphoma cells

The behavior of the activities of thymidine metabolizing enzymes, dihydrothymine dehydrogenase (EC 1.3.1.2) and thymidine phosphorylase (EC 2.4.2.4) for thymidine degradation, thymidine kinase (EC 2.7.1.75) and thymidylate synthase (EC 2.1.1.45) for DNA synthesis, was elucidated in cytosolic extracts from normal human lymphocytes and 13 human leukemia-lymphoma cell lines. In the normal human lymphocytes, the activities of dihydrothymine dehydrogenase, thymidine phosphorylase, thymidine kinase, and thymidylate synthase were 6.88, 796, 0.30, and 0.29 nmol/h/mg protein, respectively. In leukemia-lymphoma cell lines, the activities of synthetic enzymes, thymidine kinase, and thymidylate synthase, increased two- to 79-fold and 22- to 407-fold of the normal lymphocyte values. In contrast, the activities of the catabolic enzymes, dihydrothymine dehydrogenase and thymidine phosphorylase, decreased to 5-42% and 3-38% of the values of normal lymphocytes. As a result, the ratio of activities of thymidine kinase/dihydrothymine dehydrogenase was elevated by 7- to 1170-fold, respectively. Thus, reciprocal behavior in the activities of the opposing enzymes in thymidine metabolism was observed in human leukemia-lymphoma cells. Polyclonal and monoclonal antibodies against dihydrothymine dehydrogenase were prepared and studies on immunotitration of this enzyme with these antibodies showed that the enzyme protein amount in Jurkat leukemic cells was 36% of that of normal lymphocytes. This was in good agreement with the decrease in the activity of the enzyme to 32%, indicating that the decrease in activity in the leukemic cells was due to the decline in the amount of enzyme protein. The metabolic imbalances in thymidine utilization appear to be characteristic of human leukemia-lymphoma cells. These observations should confer selective advantages to the lymphoproliferating cells and mark out the catabolic, as well as the synthetic, enzymes as important targets in the design of chemotherapy.