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Archives of Toxicology (v.74, #7)

No Title by Berend T. Leussink; Anja Slikkerveer; Walter J.J. Krauwinkel; Gijsbert B. van der Voet; Emile de Heer; Frederik A. de Wolff; Jan A. Bruijn (pp. 349-355).

Bismuth induced nephrotoxicity has been reported to occur after acute overdoses of Bi-containing therapeutic drugs. We studied the development of bismuth induced nephropathy and bismuth biokinetics in rats. Bismuth nephropathy was induced in 33 young adult female Wistar rats weighing ca. 175 g by feeding them a single overdose of colloidal bismuth subcitrate containing 3.0 mmol Bi/kg at (t=0). Control animals (n=7) were fed the vehicle only. The animals were sacrificed after 1–48 h. Plasma creatinine increased from 51±6 µmol/l at t=0 to 550±250 µmol/l after 48 h in the experimental group. The S3 segment of the proximal tubule showed epithelial cell vacuolation after 1 h and necrosis after 3 h. Cells of the S1/S2 segment demonstrated vacuolation after 6 h and necrosis after 12 h. Biokinetics of bismuth in blood could best be described with a one-compartment model characterized by an absorption half-life of 0.32 h and an elimination half-life of 16 h. The peak concentration of about 7.0 mg Bi/l was reached after 2 h. In conclusion, cells of the S3 segment of the proximal tubule necrotized first after an oral colloidal bismuth subcitrate overdose and biokinetics of Bi in blood was best described by a one-compartment model.

Keywords: Bismuth Colloidal bismuth subcitrate Nephrotoxicity Nephropathy Proximal tubule Rat

No Title by Christopher Jewell; Jon Heylings; Helen M. Clowes; Faith M. Williams (pp. 356-365).

Dinitrochlorobenzene (DNCB) absorption through mouse and rat dorsal skin, pig ear skin and human abdominal skin in vitro was determined, and local metabolism to the glutathione conjugate was related to glutathione transferase activities and glutathione status in the skin. Absorption studies were conducted using skin mounted in a flow-through diffusion cell with tissue culture medium as receptor fluid. DNCB applied to the surface of skin in acetone penetrated through 26-day-old rat skin better than through the skin of the other species investigated. The amounts of absorption through pig and human skin and conjugation formation were similar. In general, occlusion resulted in increased penetration of DNCB but no change in conjugation. Human skin showed the highest glutathione-S-transferase activity towards DNCB, followed by 26-day-old rat, pig, mouse and neonatal rat skin. Levels of glutathione were highest in mouse skin, followed by neonatal rat, 26-day-old rat, pig and human skin, with pig and human skin showing similar levels. These studies indicated that the glutathione level in skin was the determining factor influencing the degree of DNCB conjugation during percutaneous absorption, and this was greatly depleted during percutaneous penetration of DNCB.

Keywords: Dinitrochlorobenzene DNCB Glutathione Glutathione-S-transferase Percutaneous penetration

No Title by Astrid Barth; Wolfgang Römer; Michael Oettel (pp. 366-371).

Inhibition of oestrone sulphatase followed by oestrogen removal from tumour cells may be a new form of endocrine therapy of breast cancer in women. We investigated the inhibitory effect of the subchronic administration of oestrone-3-O-sulphamate (EMATE), a steroid sulphatase inhibitor, to ovariectomized rats, to evaluate this method for testing new nonsteroidal inhibitors. EMATE in DMSO was administered both orally and subcutaneously (s.c.) for 7 days at doses of 0.5 and 2.5 mg/kg. In addition the rats were injected s.c. with 0.5 mg oestrone sulphate/kg 26 and 2 h before decapitation under ether anaesthesia. Oestrone sulphatase activity (ESA) was measured radiometrically using [³H]oestrone sulphate as substrate for desulphuration in white blood cells, liver homogenate, microsomes and spleen homogenate. ESA in liver microsomes was found to be nearly 40 times higher than in white blood cells while in spleen ESA was nearly half of that found in liver homogenates and white blood cells. ESA can be inhibited by EMATE down to 50–1.5% of control activity depending on the dose and administration route. The inhibition was in the order, liver homogenate

Keywords: Oestrone-3-O-sulphamate Oestrone sulphatase Liver Spleen White blood cells

No Title by Kiyoshi Inoue; Hiroshi Yamazaki; Tsutomu Shimada (pp. 372-378).

To determine whether the CYP2E1 genetic polymorphisms cause alterations in protein expression and enzyme catalytic activities, three CYP2E1 genetic polymorphisms, namely RsaI/PstI, DraI, and MspI types, were determined in liver genomic DNA isolated from 39 Japanese and 45 Caucasians. These genotypes were compared with levels of CYP2E1 and activities of 7-ethoxycoumarin O-deethylation and chlorzoxazone 6-hydroxylation in liver microsomes from these human samples. In combination of three types of CYP2E1 polymorphisms, it was classified into seven genotypes in the Japanese population and four in the Caucasian population. The incidence in the occurrence of RsaI/PstI polymorphism or DraI polymorphism was 0.24 and 0.29 for Japanese, and 0.01 and 0.02 for Caucasians. Ethnic difference was also noted in the MspI polymorphism in which frequencies in Japanese and Caucasian populations were 0.15 and 0.02, respectively. Studies with liver microsomes showed that there were no significant differences in the levels of expression of CYP2E1 protein between wild-type (group A) and other 6 genotypes (B, C, D, E, F, and G) in Japanese and other three genotypes (B, D, and F) in Caucasians. Catalytic activities for 7-ethoxycoumarin O-deethylation and chlorzoxazone 6-hydroxylation by liver microsomes were also found to be less significantly affected by mutations in the CYP2E1 gene in human samples examined in this study. These results support the view that RsaI/PstI, DraI, and MspI types of CYP2E1 genetic polymorphisms may not cause significant alterations in protein expression and enzyme catalytic activities of CYP2E1 enzyme in human livers.

Keywords: Cytochrome P450 2E1 Polymorphism 7-Ethoxycoumarin Chlorzoxazone Japanese Caucasian

Establishment of a novel in vitro system for studying the interaction of xenobiotic metabolism of liver and intestinal microflora by B. Laube; S. Winkler; B. Ladstetter; T. Scheller; L.R. Schwarz (pp. 379-387).

We developed a new two-chamber system for the coculture of hepatocytes and fecal microflora under aerobic and anaerobic conditions, respectively, to investigate the sequential metabolism of chemicals by the liver and microflora in vitro. The culture device consisted of two chambers separated by a permeable polycarbonate membrane. In the aerobic compartment, hepatocytes were cultivated as a monolayer on the membrane and in the anaerobic compartment fecal microflora as a suspension. To characterize the metabolic capacity of the microflora and hepatocytes, various marker enzymes were studied. Azoreductase, nitroductase, β-glucuronidase, β-glucosidase and sulphatase were tested in the microflora of the feces from three volunteers who had had significantly different eating habits for years (daily meat, mixed diet, vegetarian). The microflora exhibited significant activities and the various enzymes differed only moderately in the samples from the three volunteers. For rat hepatocytes the activities of various cytochrome P450 forms and conjugating enzymes served as markers. The enzyme activities were tested in the coculture system during a 4-h culture period intended for the test protocol. Deethylation of ethoxycoumarin and 2α-, 6β- and 16α-hydroxylation of testosterone decreased by about 30%, 25%, 40% and 20%, respectively, while there was no loss of glucuronidation and sulphonation of 3-OH-benzo(a)pyrene nor of glutathione conjugation of 1-chloro-2,4-dinitrobenzene during the 4-h culture period. The activities of the tested hepatic phase I and II enzymes were not changed after coculture of the hepatocytes with the microflora for 4 h. The applicability of the in vitro system for studying the metabolic interaction of liver and microflora was demonstrated using 7-ethoxycoumarin and the developmental drug EMD 57033, a thiadiazinon derivative from Merck KGaA, as model compounds. Both compounds were oxidized and conjugated by liver cells. In the coculture of hepatocytes and fecal microflora the resulting glucuronides and sulphoconjugates were split by hydrolytic enzymes of the intestinal microflora.

Keywords: Coculture system Hepatocytes Intestinal microflora Drug metabolism 7-Ethoxycoumarin

No Title by Aqel W. Abu-Qare; Cecil F. Brownie; Mohamed B. Abou-Donia (pp. 388-396).

The pharmacokinetics and placental transfer of a single oral dose of 100 mg/kg (10 µCi/kg, 16% of acute oral LD₅₀) of uniformly phenyl-labeled [¹⁴C]p-nitrophenol were investigated in pregnant Sprague-Dawley rats at 14–18 days of gestation. Three animals were killed on gestation day 18, at 0.5, 1, 2, 4, 12, 24, and 48 h after dosing. Radioactivity was rapidly absorbed and distributed throughout the maternal and fetal tissues. The gastrointestinal tract contents retained 20% and 2% of the dose at 0.5 h and 4 h after dosing. The peak maternal plasma concentration of radioactivity (µg p-nitrophenol equivalent/ml) was 7.17 compared with 0.37 for fetal plasma at 0.5 h. Maximum concentration of radioactivity (µg p-nitrophenol equivalent/g fresh tissue) was detected in most tissues 0.5 h after dosing and was in descending order: kidney 23.27, liver 12.37, placenta 3.56, fetus 2.17, and brain 1.99. Radioactivity was eliminated from plasma and all tissues beiexponentially. The half-lives of elimination of ¹⁴C were 34.65 h and 69.30 h for maternal and fetal plasma, respectively. p-Nitrophenol, detected by HPLC, was the major compound identified in plasma and tissues. While p-nitrophenol disappeared biphasically from maternal plasma and kidney, it was eliminated monophasically from brain, placenta, and liver. p-Nitrocatechol and p-aminophenol were detected in the liver with peak concentrations at 0.5 h of 1.13 and 1.00 µg/g fresh tissue, respectively. While the change in the concentration of p-nitrocatechol with time was monophasic, that of p-aminophenol showed a biphasic pattern with elimination half-lives of 1.93 h and 4.95 h, respectively. Radioactivity was rapidly excreted in the urine mostly as polar metabolites, while only 3% of the dose was recovered in the feces. Radioactive materials excreted in the urine comprised: glucuronides 4%, sulfates 8%, hot-acid hydrolysates 11%, nonconjugated compounds 16%, and water-soluble metabolites 61%. This study demonstrated that although orally administered p-nitrophenol is a rapidly absorbed and excreted compound, it is transported to the maternal brain and the fetus and may pose a health risk following exposure to toxic doses during pregnancy.

Keywords: p-Nitrophenol Placental transfer Pharmacokinetics Metabolism

No Title by Françoise Pons; Muriel Haag; Laurent Corcos; Pierre Bonnet; André Guillouzo; Alain Lugnier; Nelly Frossard (pp. 397-403).

In the lung the expression of xenobiotic-metabolizing enzymes such as cytochromes P450 (CYP) and glutathione S-transferases (GST) may be affected by inhaled pollutants. Toluene diisocyanate (TDI) is a highly volatile chemical compound known to induce a wide array of diseases in workers exposed to vapors or sprays, including respiratory allergy and asthma. We investigated the effect of inhaled TDI on expression of CYP 1A1, 2B1, 2E1, and 3A1 and of α-, µ-, and π-GST in rat lung. Animals were exposed to targeted concentrations of 0.01, 0.1, or 1 ppm TDI vapors or to cleaned filtered air for 8 h. Expression of CYP and GST was analyzed 18–24 h after the end of exposure using western blotting, northern blotting, and immunohistochemistry. Constitutive levels of CYP 2B1 and 3A1 proteins were found in lung tissue from control rats, whereas CYP 1A1 and 2E1 proteins were not detectable. Animal exposure to TDI vapors neither modified CYP 3A1 protein expression, nor led to any detectable expression of CYP 1A1 or 2E1. In contrast, exposure to 1 ppm TDI induced a 40% reduction in CYP 2B1 protein levels. This decrease was associated with a 33% decrease in CYP 2B1 mRNA levels. Additionally, CYP 2B1 immunolabeling localized to ciliated epithelial cells, Clara cells, and type II alveolar cells in the lung tissue of control rats was markedly decreased in animals exposed to 1 ppm TDI. Constitutive levels of α-, µ-, and π-GST proteins were found in lung tissue from control rats. Exposure to TDI had no effect on lung expression of either of the GST. In conclusion, this study clearly shows a selective decrease in CYP 2B1 expression by TDI vapors in rat lung. The contribution of CYP 2B1 to metabolize further xenobiotics is therefore altered.

Keywords: Toluene diisocyanate Cytochrome P450 Glutathione S-transferase Lung Asthma

No Title by Budiawan; D. Schuler; Erwin Eder (pp. 404-414).

Crotonaldehyde is a genotoxic, mutagenic and carcinogenic α,β-unsaturated carbonyl compound which forms 1,N ²-propanodeoxyguanosine adducts. Humans are exposed to this compound at work places, and from tobacco smoke and air pollution, but also from food and beverages. Therefore crotonaldehyde can play a significant role in carcinogenesis. Since in vivo measurement of DNA adducts of crotonaldehyde can improve cancer risk assessment and contribute to the clarification of the role of crotonaldehyde in carcinogenicity, we developed, adapted and optimized a ³²P-postlabelling technique for the adducts of crotonaldehyde based on nuclease P1 enrichment and on a polyethylene imine modified cellulose TLC to provide a detection sensitivity of three adducts per 10⁹ nucleotides and a labelling efficiency of 80–90%. We also report a readily performable synthesis of adduct standards and demonstrated that DNA is completely digested to the 3'-monophosphate nucleotides under the conditions of our enzymatic DNA hydrolysis. We showed that the postlabelling method developed is appropriate for in vivo DNA-binding studies. Female Fischer 344 rats were treated by gavage with crotonaldehyde at doses of 200 and 300 mg/kg body weight, and 20 h after treatment adduct levels of 2.9 and 3.4 adducts per 10⁸ nucleotides, respectively, were found in the liver DNA. Only 1.6 nucleotides per 10⁸ nucleotides were found 12 h after treatment at 200 mg/kg body weight. Absolutely no adducts could be found in liver DNA of untreated rats with our method at the detection limit of three adducts per 10⁹ nucleotides. In contrast to our group, the group of Chung have reported crotonaldehyde adduct levels in the range of 2.2–22 adducts per 10⁸ nucleotides in DNA of untreated Fischer 344 rats. The clarification of this discrepancy is of importance for the elucidation of the role of crotonaldehyde in carcinogenicity, and both groups have decided to clarify this in cooperation in the near future.

Keywords: 1,N2-Propanodeoxyguanosine adducts of crotonaldehyde 32P-Postlabelling In vivo detection

No Title by Simone Bertini; Renata Del Carratore; Mario Giorgi; Giorgio Bronzetti; Clara Della Croce (pp. 415-420).

The in vivo effects of a commercial preparation of maneb on mono-oxygenase activities of hepatic microsomes of basal and induced rats were examined. In vitro experiments with the D7 strain of yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae were also performed. In both basal and induced rats maneb caused a decrease in cytochrome P-450 content and aniline hydroxylase. Immunoblotting analysis using anti-P-450 IIE1 antibodies confirmed the data obtained for aniline hydroxylase activity. Maneb was toxic in cells of S. cerevisiae. On the basis of in vivo and in vitro experiments it can be concluded that maneb possesses a toxic activity attributable to its main metabolite ethylene thiourea. Immunoblotting analysis indicates that maneb biotransformation influences the IIE1 P-450 isoform.

Keywords: Maneb Cytochrome P-450 Yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae Genotoxicity

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Archives of Toxicology (v.74, #7)