Mixed-function oxygenase systém (MFO systém) plays a vital role in the metabolism of a variety of both endogenous substrates and xenobiotics. This membrane systém consists of cytochrome P450s, NADPH:cytochrome P450 oxidoreductase (POR), cytochrome b5 and NADH:cytochrome b5 oxidoreductase (b5R). Cytochrome P450 catalyzes a monooxygenation of a substrate, while POR and cytochrome b5 represent its redox partners. Cytochrome b5, itself having a redox partner in b5R, effects the reactions catalyzed by the MFO system in various ways, through mechanisms that are not fully understood. This paper focuses on the purification of b5R and POR from rabbit liver. The microsomal fraction obtained by differential centrifugation contained 42 mg of protein per ml. From a portion of the microsomal fraction, b5R was obtained using chromatography on DEAE-Sepharose, CM-Sepharose and 5'-ADP agarose columns. The yield was 0,3 % of ferricynide-reductase activity and the product contained several contaminants in the molecular weight range of 50-70 kDa. A second purification of b5R from the microsomal fraction was carried out using a column of DEAE-Sepharose directly connected to a 5'-ADP agarose column. The b5R product was purified with a yield of 10,9 % and it once again contained several contaminants in the molecular...

Abstract Metabolism is a major determinant of the pharmacokinetic properties of most drugs and is often behind bioavailability problems, drug-drug interactions, and metabolic idiosyncrasies. Cytochrome P450 (CYP) enzymes are a superfamily of microsomal hemoproteins catalysing the metabolic reactions of several exogenous compounds. The majority of crucial steps within drug metabolism are in connection with CYP enzymes. In the present study, in vivo, in vitro, and in silico approaches were applied and characterised to evaluate the effects of chemical entities on CYP-mediated metabolism. CYP2B6 was used as a target enzyme for these studies. For evaluation of the CYP inhibition potential of new chemical entities, a novel in vitro test system utilising the n-in-one approach was developed. This method proved to be robust and applicable to screening purposes. Validation of the n-in-one assay was done by comparing its performance to commonly used in vitro techniques using six structurally diverse drugs. All assay types yield remarkably similar results with the majority of the CYP forms tested. Several chemicals were screened in vitro and in silico in order to find potent and selective chemical inhibitors for CYP2B6. Ticlopidine, thioTEPA and 4-(4-chlorobenzylpyridine) were found to be highly effective inhibitors of CYP2B6. The selectivity of thioTEPA proved to be very high, whereas ticlopidine and 4-(4-chlorobenzylpyridine) also inhibited other CYPs. At a concentration level of 1 μM for ticlopidine and 0.1 μM for 4-(4-chlorobenzylpyridine), the inhibitory effect towards other CYPs was negligible. Due to wide clinical use and relevance, clopidogrel and ticlopidine were selected for further in vivo interaction studies. Both clopidogrel and ticlopidine significantly inhibited the CYP2B6-catalysed bupropion hydroxylation and patients receiving either clopidogrel or ticlopidine are likely to need dose adjustments when treated with drugs primarily metabolised by CYP2B6. The effect of impaired kidney function on CYP2B6 activity and on bupropion pharmacokinetics was also explored. In patients with kidney disease, the bupropion AUC and Cmax were significantly higher and the apparent oral clearance of bupropion was notably lower compared to healthy controls. The present results indicate that the in silico and in vitro methods used are helpful in predicting in vivo drug-drug interactions. The effective utilisation of these models in the early phases of drug discovery could therefore help to target the in vivo studies and to eliminate metabolically unfavourable drug candidates.

This study focuses on the characterisation of three novel cytochrome P450-partner (P450-fusion) enzymes of unknown structure and function. Despite several well-established P450 functions, new structures of P450s are published frequently, with the P450-redox partner fusion systems being among the most discussed, due to their enhanced activity and biotechnological potential. Other, more intriguing, P450-fusions involve partners with functions distinct from electron transfer. Understanding why evolution drove the ‘partner’ proteins to evolve into a single unit is often unclear, but provides an important challenge for the understanding of the breadth of biochemical reactions mediated by P450s. The first P450-fusion analysed (Chapter 3) is CYP116B1 from a soil bacterium, Cupriavidus metallidurans, that displays important environmental implications. The enzyme was characterised as a functional fusion, composed of three domains: a P450 from the CYP116B family, and a phthalate dioxygenase reductase (PDOR)-like reductase binding FMN and a 2Fe-2S cluster. CYP116B1 is a stable, cytosolic enzyme but can undergo FMN cofactor loss. Studies included redox potentiometry of the intact fusion and its individual domains using spectro-electrochemical and EPR methods to enable the determination of midpoint redox potentials for individual cofactors. The CYP116B1 EPR signature was shown to be typical of P450s, and changed upon binding heme-coordinating inhibitors of the azole class. Extensive compound library screening did not reveal a substrate-like physiological “hit”. However, catalytic activity was detected towards selected thiocarbamate herbicides. GC-MS data revealed the enzymatic mechanism of herbicide degradation. The second system studied (Chapter 4) is P450-CAD, an atypical fusion of an uncharacterised soluble P450 and a cinnamyl alcohol dehydrogenase (ADH) module from Streptomyces ghanaensis; a member of the major antibiotic producing genus of bacteria. The CAD module appears unlikely to be a redox partner, but instead possibly mediates substrate/product exchange with the P450. The intact fusion was shown to aggregate during extraction. Genetic dissection of domains revealed that this was due to the highly insoluble ADH moiety. The heme domain (HD) was soluble and was characterised extensively. The enzyme displays an unusual spectrum when in the FeII-CO complex (Amax = 445 nm). The P450-CAD HD catalytic activity is supported by heterologous redox partners (E. coli flavodoxin reductase [FldR] and flavodoxin [FldA], and spinach ferredoxin reductase [FdR] and ferredoxin [Fdx]). The CAD-HD binds fatty acid substrates of carbon chain length C8-14, with the highest affinity for 12-methylmyristic acid (12M14C acid), the C12 lauric acid, its aldehyde and alcohol, indicating that the terminal methyl group is important for binding to the enzyme. Unusually, the CAD-HD also binds a range of detergent compounds. Further analysis included SEC-MALLS, thermostability and structural studies. The final enzyme studied (Chapter 5) is the P450-BDOR (a P450 linked to a benzoate dioxygenase reductase) redox-partner fusion. The unconventional trait of this enzyme is the inclusion of an FCD (a fatty acid metabolism regulator protein [FadR] C-terminal DNA-binding domain). From the point of view of P450s, DNA interaction would represent an unprecedented function, suggesting novel functions for a P450 enzyme. Thus, this enzyme requires extensive research with the expectations that new information will contribute to an expansion of knowledge of P450 diversity. This study provides initial analytical insights into the P450-BDOR system, supported with functional and kinetic data on the P450 and its reductase domain.

Cytochromes P450 (P450s) are a superfamily of heme-thiolate monooxygenases. They catalyse a wide variety of reactions on a vast number of substrates and are of particular interest for biocatalyst development due to their ability to oxidise non-activated C-H bonds. Fusion of a P450 to a suitable redox partner protein produces a catalytically self-sufficient enzyme and removes the need to produce electron transfer proteins separately. The well-studied bacterial protein P450cam (Pseudomonas putida) has been fused to the reductase (RhFRed) from the natural fusion protein P450-RhF (Rhodococcus sp.). The P450cam-RhFRed system catalyses the oxidation of camphor and several non-natural substrates and served as the basis for P450cam re-engineering in this current project, with the aim of expanding the substrate scope towards a more mammalian-like activity. The P450cam active site was partitioned into seven paired amino acids and each pair randomised in turn to generate seven sub-libraries of P450cam variants. These were screened for activity using a specially developed colony screen for detection of the blue pigment indigo. In total 94 new variants were identified and then pooled for secondary screening on a number of new substrates, identifying potentially novel activities within the ‘indigo positive’ population. In a separate ‘chimeragenesis’ approach substrate recognition sites (SRSs) within P450cam were targeted for exchange with equivalent portions from a number of human P450s. The B’ helix and F-G loop regions from CYPs 1A2, 2C8, 2D6 and 3A4 were grafted onto the P450cam structure and several of the B’ helix swaps were produced as soluble proteins. The P450cam-2C8-B’-RhFRed chimera gave a Soret peak at 420 nm in the Fe(II)-CO state although an additional substitution next to the proximal cysteine appeared to restore a P450-like state. SRS-exchange therefore offered some insight into structural modularity in P450s, providing a basis for further biocatalyst development.

Recreational abuse of the drugs cocaine, methamphetamine, and morphine continues to be prevalent in the United States of America and around the world. While numerous methods of detection exist for each drug, they are generally limited by the lifetime of the parent drug and its metabolites in the body. However, the covalent modification of endogenous proteins by these drugs of abuse may act as biomarkers of exposure and allow for extension of detection windows for these drugs beyond the lifetime of parent molecules or metabolites in the free fraction. Additionally, existence of covalently bound molecules arising from drug ingestion can offer insight into downstream toxicities associated with each of these drugs. This research investigated the metabolism of cocaine, methamphetamine, and morphine in common in vitro assay systems, specifically focusing on the generation of reactive intermediates and metabolites that have the potential to form covalent protein adducts. Results demonstrated the formation of covalent adduction products between biological cysteine thiols and reactive moieties on cocaine and morphine metabolites. Rigorous mass spectrometric analysis in conjunction with in vitro metabolic activation, pharmacogenetic reaction phenotyping, and computational modeling were utilized to characterize structures and mechanisms of formation for each resultant thiol adduction product. For cocaine, data collected demonstrated the formation of adduction products from a reactive arene epoxide intermediate, designating a novel metabolic pathway for cocaine. In the case of morphine, data expanded on known adduct-forming pathways using sensitive and selective analysis techniques, following the known reactive metabolite, morphinone, and a proposed novel metabolite, morphine quinone methide. Data collected in this study describe novel metabolic events for multiple important drugs of abuse, culminating in detection methods and mechanistic descriptors useful to both medical and forensic investigators when examining the toxicology associated with cocaine, methamphetamine, and morphine.

京都大学 / 0048 / 新制・課程博士 / 博士(農学) / 甲第22484号 / 農博第2388号 / 新制||農||1075(附属図書館) / 学位論文||R2||N5264(農学部図書室) / 京都大学大学院農学研究科応用生命科学専攻 / (主査)教授 小川 順, 教授 加納 健司, 教授 栗原 達夫 / 学位規則第4条第1項該当 / Doctor of Agricultural Science / Kyoto University / DFAM

Philosophiae Doctor - PhD / Tuberculosis (TB) remains a global epidemic despite the fact that treatment has been available since the 1950’s. This disease is highly contagious and spreads via transmission of the Mycobacterium Tuberculosis (MTB) tubercle via coughing, sneezing and spitting. The disease has various side effects including weight loss, fatigue and even death. To date no cure has been found for TB and thus optimisation of treatment is a constant focus in health related research. TB is highly prevalent in South Africa due to the increased level of patients who are co-infected with HIV. Treatment for TB consists of first line drugs including isoniazid (INH), ethambutol (ETH), pyrazinamide (PYR) and rifampicin (RIF). These drugs are highly effective but also produce many adverse drug reactions (ADR’s) over the 6-month course of treatment. These reactions lead to patients not completing the course, losing quality of life and ultimately adding to the development of drug resistant strains of TB. A method of minimising these ADR’s is the development of a phenotype sensor, which is able to determine the metabolic profile of patients. Metabolic profiles play a huge role in the efficacy of treatment by tailoring treatment in order for patients to stay within the therapeutic range of treatment. This would in turn minimise both toxicity and ineffective treatment. Various methods for the quantification of drugs have been developed such as high performance liquid chromatography (HPLC), mass spectrometry (MS) and ultra-violet visible spectroscopy (UV-vis). / 2023-12-01

17α-ethinylestradiol (EE2) is a synthetic hormone, derivative of the natural hormone estradiol. EE2 is one of the the most prescribed drugs in the world. It belongs to the estrogenic endocrine disrupter chemicals. These compounds are able to alter functions of the endocrine system and cause adverse effects in the organism, offspring and (sub)population. In this thesis, there are observed effects of 17α-ethinylestradiol on enzyme activities of main enzymes involved in phase I of xenobiotic biotransformation, i.e. cytochromes P450 (CYP), in vitro. Isoforms of CYP subfamilies 1A, 2B, 2C, 2E and 3A were studied in rats and humans. Each CYP isoform was incubated with EE2 at two concentrations, 10μM EE2 and the concentration corresponding to the substrate concentration in the specific marker reactions of individual CYP isoforms. The results indicate, that in rat liver microsomes the activity of all studied isoforms except CYP1A2 was decreased in the presence of EE2. When EE2 was added to the incubation mixture at the concentration of the reaction substrate, the greatest decrease in enzyme activity was observed for CYP2C6, with the remaining activity only 36%. In human liver microsomes, the activity of CYP2B6, CYP2C9, CYP2E1 and CYP3A4 was also effected by EE2. As in the case of rat model, CYP2C subfamily...

The MAO-B catalyzed metabolic bioactivation of the parkinsonian inducing agent 1-methyl-4-phenyl-1,2,3,6-tetrahydropyridine (MPTP) to generate the neurotoxic 1-methyl-4-phenylpyridinium species (MPP+) is well documented. The N-cyclopropyl analog (CPTP) of MPTP is a mechanism based inactivator of MAO-B which presumably is processed by a single electron transfer (SET) pathway to generate a bioalkylating species. These results have prompted us to study how the cytochromes P450, the major liver drug metabolizing oxidases, interact with N-cyclopropyl analogs of MPTP. HPLC with diode array detection and LC-electrosprary ionization mass spectrometry (LC-ESI/MS) based methods have been developed for metabolite detection and characterization. From the UV spectral data and pseudomolecular ion species observed by LC-ESI/MS, we have identified N-oxide, C-hydroxylated, and pyridinium metabolites. For the trans-1-(2-phenylcyclopropyl) analog, cinnamaldehyde and p-hydroxycinnamaldehyde also were characterized. Incubation of CPTP and its derivatives with cDNA expressed human hepatic cytochrome P450 has shown that CYP2D6 catalyzes the formation of cinnamaldehyde, the N-descyclopropyl, pyridinium and hydroxylated products. CYP3A4 is responsible for the formation of the N-descyclopropyl and pyridinium species and cinnamaldehyde but it does not mediate any hydroxylation reactions. Since both the a-carbon oxidation and N-descyclopropylation transformations are mediated by a single enzyme (either CYP2D6 or CYP3A4), we propose a common intermediate for both pathways, namely the cyclopropylaminyl radical cation generated by the SET pathway. This intermediate partitions between the a-carbon oxidation pathway leading to the dihydropyridinium and pyridinium species and the ring opening pathway leading to the N-descyclopropyl metabolite and aldehyde species. The phenyl substituent on the cyclopropyl ring stabilizes the ring opened distonic radical cation and favors the ring opening pathway and results in the formation of less of the pyridinium species. The proton and methyl substituents on the cyclopropyl ring favor the a-carbon oxidation pathway and increased amounts of the pyridinium species are formed. / Master of Science

Cabozantinib is an anticancer drug that inhibit tyrosine kinases which allow signal pathways important for growth and development of tumors. It is used for treatment of medullary thyroid cancer, hepatocellular carcinoma and kidney cancer. The major enzymes of the first phase of biotransformation that metabolize cabozantinib are cytochromes P450. In this thesis it was studied metabolism of cabozantinib and cytochromes P450 that participated on this metabolism. Hepatic microsomes of rat, mouse and rabbit were used for studying metabolism of cabozantinib in this thesis. It was also focused on the impact of particular isoforms of cytochromes P450 on metabolism of cabozantinib in rat microsomes. Time dependence of cabozantinib conversion in hepatic rat microsomes was also studied. Enzyme kinetics of metabolism of cabozantinib in hepatic rat microsomes, as well as impact of cytochromes P450 inhibitors on the metabolism were included. Metabolites were analyzed by high performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) and mass spectrometry. Formation of metabolites of cabozantinib increased over time to 30 minutes of incubation and with some others to 40 minutes of incubation. Up to five different metabolites were detected in experiments (M1, desmethyl cabozantinib, M3, monohydroxy cabozantinib and cabozantinib...