Cytochrome classes

As a class of compounds, the two main toxicity concerns for nitriles are acute lethality and osteolathyrsm. A comprehensive review of the toxicity of nitriles, including detailed discussion of biochemical mechanisms of toxicity and stmcture-activity relationships, is available (12). Nitriles vary broadly in their abiUty to cause acute lethaUty and subde differences in stmcture can greatly affect toxic potency. The biochemical basis of their acute toxicity is related to their metaboHsm in the body. Following exposure and absorption, nitriles are metabolized by cytochrome p450 enzymes in the Hver. The metaboHsm involves initial hydrogen abstraction resulting in the formation of a carbon radical, followed by hydroxylation of the carbon radical. MetaboHsm at the carbon atom adjacent (alpha) to the cyano group would yield a cyanohydrin metaboHte, which decomposes readily in the body to produce cyanide. Hydroxylation at other carbon positions in the nitrile does not result in cyanide release. 

Other compounds of this general class which have been found to have antiestrogenic properties include the cytochrome P-450 inhibitor, SKF 525A P02-33-0](Sl) (24) JV, JV-diethyl-2-[(4-phenylmethyl)phenoxy]ethanamine [98774-23-3] (DPPE)(58) (42) /-Butylphenoxyethyl diethylamine [57586-10-4] (BPEA)(59) (43) and cyclofenil [110042-18-7] (60, R = C H ) (24) analogues. 

The lack of structural "conservatism in the siderochromes, as contrasted to cytochrome c, can be illustrated by comparing representatives of these two iron-containing compounds from two adjacent classes under the phylum Eumycophyta, the Ascomycetes and the Basidiomycetes. 

The third class of haemoproteins is the cytochromes, in which the iron is bound in a hexacoordinate low-spin system. They were first discovered by McMunn in 1884, and called histohaematins. However, the editor and chemist Hoppe Seyler declined... 

Cytochrome P450 (EC 1.14.14.1) enzymes are well known for their ability to metabolize the majority of drugs, to detoxify environmental pollutants, and to activate some classes of carcinogens [93]. The most highly expressed subfamily is CYP 3A, which includes the isoforms CYP 3A4, CYP 3A5, CYP 3A7, and CYP 3A43 [93, 94]. The most abundant isoform is CYP 3A4, which corresponds to 30% of the total P450 content in the liver and about 70% of the total P450 content in the... 

They found that they could assign the compounds tested to four main classes depending on the observed electrochemistry of cytochrome c (see Figure 3.89). 

Metabolism of BP mediated by the cytochrome P-450 monooxygenase system forms three classes of products phenols, dihydrodiols and quinones. Formation of phenols and dihydrodiols is obtained by an initial electrophilic attack of an enzyme-generated oxygen atom. 

Chapter 6). Other iron-sulfur proteins, so named because they contain iron sulfur clusters of various sizes, include the rubredoxins and ferredoxins. Rubredoxins are found in anaerobic bacteria and contain iron ligated to four cysteine sulfurs. Ferredoxins are found in plant chloroplasts and mammalian tissue and contain spin-coupled [2Fe-2S] clusters. Cytochromes comprise several large classes of electron transfer metalloproteins widespread in nature. At least four cytochromes are involved in the mitrochondrial electron transfer chain, which reduces oxygen to water according to equation 1.29. Further discussion of these proteins can be found in Chapters 6 and 7 of reference 13. 

Bisbenzylisoquinoline alkaloids are dimeric benzyltetrahydroisoquinoline alkaloids that are known for their pharmacological activities. A well-described example is the muscle relaxant (+)-tubocurarine, which in crude form serves as an arrow poison for South American Indian tribes. In the biosynthesis of this broad class of dimeric alkaloids, it has been postulated that the mechanism of phenol coupling proceeds by generation of phenolate radicals followed by radical pairing to form either an inter- or intramolecular C - O or C - C bond. Enzyme studies on the formation of bisbenzylisoquinoline alkaloids indicated that a cytochrome P-450-dependent oxidase catalyzes C - O bound formation in the biosynthesis of berbamunine in Berberis cell suspension culture.15 This enzyme, berbamunine synthase (CYP80A1), is one of the few cytochromes P-450 that can be purified to... 

Fig. 10.8 Selected cDNAs isolated in recent years that encode enzymes involved in the biosynthesis of various classes of isoquinoline alkaloids. 6-OMT, norcoclaurine 6-0-methyltransferase 23 CYP80A1, berbamunine synthase 19 CYP80B1, (S)-A-methylcoclaurine 3 -hydroxylase 20 CPR, cytochrome P-450 reductase 29 4 -OMT, (5)-3 -hydroxy-A-methylcoclaurine 4 -0-methyltransferase 30 BBE, berberine bridge enzyme 12 SalAT, salutaridinol 7-O-acetyltransferase 28 COR, codeinone reductase.25...

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