Metabolism epoxide hydrolases

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. 

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. 

Figure 53-1. Simplified scheme showing how metabolism of a xenobiotic can result in cell injury, immunologic damage, or cancer. In this instance, the conversion of the xenobiotic to a reactive metabolite is catalyzed by a cytochrome P450,and the conversion of the reactive metabolite (eg, an epoxide) to a nontoxic metabolite is catalyzed either by a GSH S-transferase or by epoxide hydrolase.

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-... 

It was shown that microsomal epoxide hydrolase-catalyzed trans-addition of water to BaP 9,10-epoxide occurs stereospecifically at the C-9 position (15). Since BaP is metabolized essentially to an optically pure 9R,10R-dihydrodiol (13 and L5 Table I), the 9,10-epoxide formed in BaP metabolism must have 9S,10R absolute stereochemistry (Figure 1). Similarly, the 7,8-epoxide formed in BaP metabolism is hydrated specifically at the C-8 position to form the 7R,8R-dihydrodiol (14.21). Hence the enzymatically formed 7,8-epoxide intermediate has 7R,8S absolute stereochemistry (Figure 1). Although the 7R,8R-dihydrodiol is formed almost exclusively from BaP metabolism in rat liver microsomes (Table I) and in bovine bronchial explants (25). the 7S,8S-dihydrodiol is also formed from BaP metabolism in mouse skin epidermis in vivo (5). 

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). 

The 8,9- and 10,11-dihydrodiols formed in the metabolism of BA and DMBA respectively are all highly enriched (>90%) in R,R enantiomers (Table III). Labeling experiments using molecular oxygen-18 in the in vitro metabolism of the respective parent compounds and subsequent mass spectral analyses of dihydrodiol metabolites and their acid-catalyzed dehydration products indicated that microsomal epoxide hydrolase-catalyzed hydration reactions occurred exclusively at the nonbenzylic carbons of the metabolically formed epoxide intermediates (unpublished results). These findings indicate that the 8,9- and 10,11-epoxide intermediates, formed in the metabolism of BA and DMBA respectively, contain predominantly the 8R,9S and 10S,11R enantiomer, respectively. These stereoselective epoxidation reactions are relatively insensitive to the cytochrome P-450 isozyme contents of different rat liver microsomal preparations (Table III). 

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... 

Yet, despite the relative inertness of H20 and the very low physiological concentrations of the HO ion, hydration of epoxides is known to be a metabolic reaction of both qualitative and quantitative significance. This hydrolysis is mediated physiologically by the epoxide hydrolases, a group of enzymes whose remarkable efficiency and versatility are the main topic of this chapter. 

From the above, it is clear that the epoxide hydrolases of greatest significance in drug and xenobiotic metabolism are the microsomal and soluble ones. Their catalytic mechanism, which we now examine, is different from that of cholesterol epoxide hydrolase and LTA4 hydrolase (e.g., [57][58]). 

Fig. 10.8. Simplified and partial metabolic scheme of benzene. Cytochrome P450 mediated oxidation (Reaction a) yields benzene oxide (10.1), which produces phenol (10.14) by isomerization (Reaction c) and 1,2-dihydro-1,2-dihydroxybenzene (10.13) by epoxide hydrolase catalyzed hydration (Reaction d). Direct formation of phenol also occurs (Reaction b). Phenol...

Fig. 10.10. Metabolic route to the formation of <-)-(9S, 70S)-9,10-iiihydrophenanthrene-9,10-diol (10.30). The arrow indicates the direction of nucleophilic attack by epoxide hydrolase.

The data in Table 10.1 suggest that the reactivity of epoxide hydrolase toward alkene oxides is highly variable and appears to depend, among other things, on the size of the substrate (compare epoxybutane to epoxyoctane), steric features (compare epoxyoctane to cycloalkene oxides), and electronic factors (see the chlorinated epoxides). In fact, comprehensive structure-metabolism relationships have not been reported for substrates of EH, in contrast to some narrow relationships that are valid for closely related series of substrates. A group of arene oxides, along with two alkene oxides to be discussed below (epoxyoctane and styrene oxide), are compared as substrates of human liver EH in Table 10.2 [119]. Clearly, the two alkene oxides are among the better substrates for the human enzyme, as they are for the rat enzyme (Table 10.1). 

Fig. 10.16. Comparison of the metabolism of A4-valproic acid (10.54), a metabolite of valproic acid, with that of ethyl A4-valproate (10.57), a synthetic analogue. Both compounds undergo cytochrome P450 catalyzed oxygenation to form the corresponding epoxides (10.55 and 10.58, respectively). The former reacts intramolecularly to form the lactone 10.56 and is not detectably a substrate for epoxide hydrolase. Epoxide 10.58, in contrast, is a substrate for epoxide hydrolase, forming the diol 10.59, which, in turn, carries out an intramolecular nucleophilic attack to form lactone 10.56 [136],...

The base-catalyzed hydration of 2-phenyloxirane involves nucleophilic attack preferentially at C(3) (0-C(3) cleavage), but with only partial regio-selectivity. Acid-catalyzed hydration is mainly by 0-C(2) cleavage. The hydration of 2-phenyloxirane catalyzed by epoxide hydrolase is characterized by its very high regioselectivity for the less-hindered, unsubstituted C(3) [175] [176], involving retention of configuration at C(2). In other words, (R)-and (5)-2-phenyloxirane are metabolized to (/ )- and (S)-l-phenylethane-l,2-diol (10.118), respectively. Substrate enantioselectivity was also character-... 

J. Seidegard, G. Ekstrom, The Role of Human Glutathione Transferases and Epoxide Hydrolases in the Metabolism of Xenobiotics , Environ. Health Perspect. 1997, 105 (Suppl 4), 191 - 799. 

L. W. Wormhoudt, J. N. Commandeur, N. P. Vermeulen, Genetic Polymorphisms of Human V-Acetyltransferase, Cytochrome P450, Glutathione 5-Transferase, and Epoxide Hydrolase Enzymes Relevance to Xenobiotic Metabolism and Toxicity , Crit. Rev. Toxicol. 1999, 29, 59 - 124. 

D. C. Zeldin, S. Wei, J. R. Falck, B. D. Hammock, J. P. Snapper, J. H. Capdevilla, Metabolism of Epoxyeicosatrienoic Acids by Cytosolic Epoxide Hydrolase Substrate Structural Determinants of Asymmetric Catalysis , Arch. Biochem. Biophys. 1995, 316, 443 - 451. 

R. J. Krause, J. E. Sharer, A. A. Elfarra, Epoxide Hydrolase-Dependent Metabolism of Butadiene Monoxide to 3-Butene- 1,2-diol in Mouse, Rat, and Human Liver , Drug Metab. Dispos. 1997, 25, 1013 - 1015. 

F. P. Guengerich, W. W. Johnson, Y. F. Ueng, H. Yamazaki, T. Shimada, Involvement of Cytochrome P450, Glutathione 5-Transferase, and Epoxide Hydrolase in the Metabolism of Aflatoxin B1 and Relevance to Risk of Human Liver Cancer , Environ. Health Perspect. 1996, 104 (Suppl. 3), 557 - 562. 

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