Enzyme epoxide hydrolase

The oxidation of naphthalene was one of the earliest examples of an epoxide as an intermediate in aromatic hydroxylation. The epoxide can rearrange nonenzymatically to yield predominantly 1-naph-thol, interact with the enzyme epoxide hydrolase to yield the dihydrodiol, or interact with glutathione S-transferase to yield the glutathione conjugate, which is ultimately metabolized to a mer-capturic add. 

Hydration, in the context of metabolism, is the addition of water to a structure. Epoxides are readily hydrated to diols (see carbamazepine, Table 9.1), the reaction being catalysed by the enzyme epoxide hydrolase. 

Valnoctamide inhibits the enzyme epoxide hydrolase, which is concerned with the metabolism and elimination of carbamazepine and its active epoxide metabolite. ... 

Analogs were prepared through total chemical synthesis in which the unstable epoxide was replaced with a cyclopropyl group (4). This afforded compounds that were not subject to epoxide metabolizing enzymes, epoxide hydrolase, and glutathione transferase. We called these compounds PBT (PaceBioAcTive compounds). The PBT competed with the native compounds in binding to neutrophil... 

Rearrangement of the epoxides to phenols competes with hydration to dihyd-rodiols. The hydration is catalyzed by the microsomal enzyme epoxide hydrolase 362). Dihydrodiols are not formed in the absence of epoxide hydrolase or in the presence of inhibitors of epoxide hydrolase such as l,l,l-trichloro-2,3-propene oxide (TCPO) 138, 203, 417). The dihydrodiols are formed stereospecifically from the 4,5-, 7,8-, and 9,10-epoxides as the (—)-trans isomers 416, 506). 

Cytochrome P450 catalyzes the monooxygenation of arachidonate to form a family of isomeric epoxyeicosatrienoic acids (EETs). These may be, in turn, transformed by the enzyme epoxide hydrolase to the corresponding diols, the dihydroxyeicosatrienoic acids (DHT). In addition, cytochrome P450 can also convert arachidonate into a family of nonchiral HETEs. 

For a review on epoxide hydrolases and related enzymes in the context of organic synthesis, see Faber, K. Biotransformations in Organic Chemistry, Springer New York 2004. 

The metabolism of foreign compounds (xenobiotics) often takes place in two consecutive reactions, classically referred to as phases one and two. Phase I is a functionalization of the lipophilic compound that can be used to attach a conjugate in Phase II. The conjugated product is usually sufficiently water-soluble to be excretable into the urine. The most important biotransformations of Phase I are aromatic and aliphatic hydroxylations catalyzed by cytochromes P450. Other Phase I enzymes are for example epoxide hydrolases or carboxylesterases. Typical Phase II enzymes are UDP-glucuronosyltrans-ferases, sulfotransferases, N-acetyltransferases and methyltransferases e.g. thiopurin S-methyltransferase. 

Several reports regarding the directed evolution of enantioselective epoxide hydrolases (EHs) have appeared [23,57-59]. These enzymes constitute important catalysts in synthetic organic chemistry [4,60]. The first two reported studies concern the Aspergillus niger epoxide hydrolase (ANEH) [57,58]. Initial attempts were made to enhance the enantioselectivity of the AN E H -catalyzed hydrolytic kinetic resolution of glycidyl phenyl ether (rac-19). The WT leads to an Evalue of only 4.6 in favor of (S)-20 (see Scheme 2.4) [58]. 

Chiral epoxides and their corresponding vicinal diols are very important intermediates in asymmetric synthesis [163]. Chiral nonracemic epoxides can be obtained through asymmetric epoxidation using either chemical catalysts [164] or enzymes [165-167]. Biocatalytic epoxidations require sophisticated techniques and have thus far found limited application. An alternative approach is the asymmetric hydrolysis of racemic or meso-epoxides using transition-metal catalysts [168] or biocatalysts [169-174]. Epoxide hydrolases (EHs) (EC 3.3.2.3) catalyze the conversion of epoxides to their corresponding vicinal diols. EHs are cofactor-independent enzymes that are almost ubiquitous in nature. They are usually employed as whole cells or crude... 

The microsomal fraction consists mainly of vesicles (microsomes) derived from the endoplasmic reticulum (smooth and rough). It contains cytochrome P450 and NADPH/cytochrome P450 reductase (collectively the microsomal monooxygenase system), carboxylesterases, A-esterases, epoxide hydrolases, glucuronyl transferases, and other enzymes that metabolize xenobiotics. The 105,000 g supernatant contains soluble enzymes such as glutathione-5-trans-ferases, sulfotransferases, and certain esterases. The 11,000 g supernatant contains all of the types of enzyme listed earlier. 

Emphasis is given to the critical role of metabolism, both detoxication and activation, in determining toxicity. The principal enzymes involved are described, including monooxygenases, esterases, epoxide hydrolases, glutathione-5 -transferases, and glucuronyl transferases. Attention is given to the influence of enzyme induction and enzyme inhibition on toxicity. 

Epoxide hydrolase A type of enzyme that converts epoxides to diols by the addition of water. 

Figure 1. The major pathways in the metabolism of BaP to BaP epoxides, dihydrodiol, and 7,8-dihydrodiol-9,10-epoxides. The absolute configurations are as shown. The position of trans-addition of water is shown by an arrow. The optical purity of the 4,5-epoxide formed in BaP metabolism is dependent on the cytochrome P-450 isozymes present in the microsomal enzyme system. EH epoxide hydrolase.

It was recently reported that. >97% of BaP 4,5-epoxide metabolically formed from the metabolism of BaP in a reconstituted enzyme system containing purified cytochrome P-450c (P-448) is the 4S,5R enantiomer (24). The epoxide was determined by formation, separation and quantification of the diastereomeric trans-addition products of glutathione. Recently a BaP 4,5-epoxide was isolated from a metabolite mixture obtained from the metabolism of BaP by liver microsomes from 3-methylcholanthrene-treated Sprague-Dawley rats in the presence of the epoxide hydrolase inhibitor 3,3,3-trichloropropylene oxide, and was found to contain a 4S,5R/4R,5S enantiomer ratio of 94 6 (Chiu et. al., unpublished results). However, the content of the 4S,5R enantiomer was <60% when liver microsomes from untreated and phenobarbital-treated rats were used as the enzyme sources. Because BaP 4R,5S-epoxide is also hydrated predominantly to 4R,5R-dihydro-... 

In contrast to the metabolism of BA and BaP, the 5,6-dihydrodiols formed in the metabolism of DMBA by liver microsomes from untreated, phenobarbital-treated, and 3-methylcholanthrene-treated rats are found to have 5R,6R/5S,6S enantiomer ratios of 11 89, 6 94, and 5 95, respectively (7.49 and Table II). The enantiomeric contents of the dihydrodiols were determined by a CSP-HPLC method (7.43). The 5,6-epoxide formed in the metabolism of DMBA by liver microsomes from 3MC-treated rats was found to contain predominantly (>97%) the 5R,6S-enantiomer which is converted by microsomal epoxide hydrolase-catalyzed hydration predominantly (>95%) at the R-center (C-5 position, see Figure 3) to yield the 5S,6S-dihydrodiol (49). In the metabolism of 12-methyl-BA, the 5S,6S-dihydrodiol was also found to be the major enantiomer formed (50) and this stereoselective reaction is similar to the reactions catalyzed by rat liver microsomes prepared with different enzyme inducers (unpublished results). Labeling studies using molecular oxygen-18 indicate that 5R,68-epoxide is the precursor of the 5S,6S-dihydrodiol formed in the metabolism of 12-methyl-BA (51). 

Single ip injection of 5 mg/kg BW Rapid increase in certain liver xenobiotic metabolizing 29 enzymes (AHH), but no increase in GSH and epoxide hydrolase — even up to 42 days after exposure... 

Phenobarbital, phenytoin, primidone, and carbamazepine are potent inducers of cytochrome P450 (CYP450), epoxide hydrolase, and uridine diphosphate glucuronosyltransferase enzyme systems. Valproic acid inhibits many hepatic enzyme systems and displaces some drugs from plasma albumin. 

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