7-benzyloxyquinoline and alpha-naphthoflavone

We investigate the effect of the alcohol-induced increase in the content of CYP2E1 in human liver microsomes (HLM) on the function of CYP3A4. Membrane incorporation of the purified CYP2E1 into HLM considerably increases the rate of metabolism of 7-benzyloxyquinoline (BQ) and attenuates the homotropic cooperativity observed with this CYP3A4-specific substrate. It also eliminates the activating effect of α-naphthoflavone (ANF) seen in some HLM samples. To probe the physiological relevance of these effects, we compared three pooled preparations of HLM from normal donors (HLM-N) with a pooled preparation from ten heavy alcohol consumers (HLM-A). The composition of the P450 pool in all samples was characterized by the mass-spectrometric determination of 11 cytochrome P450 species. The fractional content of CYP2E1 in HLM-A was from 2.0 to 3.4 times higher than in HLM-N. In contrast, the content of CYP3A4 in HLM-A was the lowest among all samples. Despite that, HLM-A exhibited a much higher metabolism rate and a lower homotropic cooperativity with BQ, similar to CYP2E1-enriched HLM-N. To substantiate the involvement of interactions between CYP2E1 and CYP3A4 in these effects, we probed hetero-association of these proteins in CYP3A4-containing Supersomes™ with a technique employing CYP2E1 labeled with BODIPY-618 maleimide. These experiments evinced the interactions between the two enzymes and revealed an inhibitory effect of ANF on their association. Our results demonstrate that the functional properties of CYP3A4 are fundamentally dependent on the composition of the cytochrome P450 ensemble and suggest a possible impact of chronic alcohol exposure on the pharmacokinetics of drugs metabolized by CYP3A4.

Topics: Amino Acid Sequence; Amitriptyline; Benzoflavones; Cytochrome P-450 CYP2E1; Cytochrome P-450 CYP3A; Enzyme Activators; Ethanol; Female; Humans; Ivermectin; Male; Microsomes, Liver; Midazolam; Nitrophenols; Quinolines

The role of cytochrome b(5) (b(5)) in the alpha-naphthoflavone (alpha-NF)-mediated inhibition of H(2)O(2)-supported 7-benzyloxyquinoline (7-BQ) debenzylation by heterologously expressed and purified cytochrome P450 3A4 (CYP3A4) was studied. Although alpha-NF showed negligible effect in an NADPH-dependent reconstituted system, inhibition of 7-BQ oxidation was observed in the H(2)O(2) system. Analysis of the effect of various constituents of a standard reconstituted system on H(2)O(2)-supported activity showed that b(5) alone resulted in a 2.5-fold increase in the k(cat) value and reversed the inhibitory effect of alpha-NF. In addition, titration with b(5) suggested that only 65% of the CYP3A4 participated in the interaction with b(5), consistent with cytochrome P450 (P450) heterogeneity. Study of the influence of b(5) on the kinetics of H(2)O(2)-dependent destruction of the P450 heme moiety suggested two distinct conformers of CYP3A4 with different sensitivity to heme loss. In the absence of b(5), 66% of the wild-type enzyme was bleached in the fast phase, whereas the addition of b(5) decreased the fraction of the fast phase to 16%. Finally, to locate amino acid residues that might influence b(5) action, several active site mutants were tested. Substitution of Ser-119, Ile-301, Ala-305, Ile-369, or Ala-370 with the larger Phe or Trp decreased or even abolished the activation by b(5). Ser-119 is in the B'-C loop, a predicted b(5)-P450 interaction site, and Ile-301 and Ala-305 are closest to the heme. In conclusion, the interaction of b(5) with P450 apparently leads to a conformational transition, which results in redistribution of the CYP3A4 pool.

Topics: Allosteric Regulation; Animals; Benzoflavones; Binding Sites; Cytochrome P-450 CYP3A; Cytochrome P-450 Enzyme System; Cytochromes b5; Dose-Response Relationship, Drug; Enzyme Activators; Heme; Hydrogen Peroxide; In Vitro Techniques; Kinetics; Oxidation-Reduction; Quinolines; Rats; Recombinant Proteins