pyrimidinones and doxifluridine

Uridine phosphorylase (UPase) is an enzyme that converts the pyrimidine nucleoside uridine into uracil. Upon availability of ribose-1-phosphate, UPase can also catalyze the formation of nucleosides from uracil as well as from 5-fluorouracil, therefore involved in fluoropyrimidine metabolism. UPase gene expression is strictly controlled at the promoter level by oncogenes, tumor suppressor genes, and cytokines. UPase activity is usually elevated in various tumor tissues, including breast cancer, compared to matched normal tissues and this induction appears to contribute to the therapeutic efficacy of fluoropyrimidines in cancer patients. In this review, we will discuss in detail the role of UPase in the activation of fluoropyrimidines and its effect on the prognosis of breast cancer patients.

Topics: Animals; Antimetabolites, Antineoplastic; Biomarkers, Tumor; Breast Neoplasms; Capecitabine; Deoxycytidine; Enzyme Induction; Female; Floxuridine; Fluorouracil; Gene Expression Regulation; Humans; Mice; Prodrugs; Prognosis; Pyrimidinones; Treatment Outcome; Uridine Phosphorylase

This study examined the inhibitory effect of acyclopyrimidinenucleosides on 5'-deoxy-5-fluorouridine (5'-DFUR) phosphorolysis in intestinal tissue derived from rabbit, rat, mouse, and human. 5-Bromoacyclouridine, 5-fluoroacyclouridine, acyclouridine, and 5-nitroacyclouridine showed little or only moderate effect, but acyclothymidine [5-methyl-1-(2'-hydroxyethoxymethyl)uracil] showed strong inhibitory effect on 5'-DFUR phosphorolysis in intestinal tissue homogenates derived from human. In the absence of inhibitor (acyclothymidine), the Vmax of 5'-DFUR phosphorolysis was 2.66 mumol/min and the Km was 0.57 mM in human intestinal homogenates. The Vmax was unaltered by increased inhibitor concentration. The maximal inhibitory effect of acyclothymidine on 5'-DFUR phosphorolysis in rat homogenates was over 90%. The Ki/Km was 0.63 in human, 2.14 in rabbit, 1.09 x 10(-2) in rat, and 1.71 x 10(-2) in mouse. These data show that acyclothymidine is a competitive inhibitor of 5'-DFUR phosphorolysis, and that it can inhibit not only uridine phosphorylase but also thymidine phosphorylase.

Topics: Animals; Antineoplastic Agents; Floxuridine; Humans; In Vitro Techniques; Intestinal Mucosa; Intestines; Kinetics; Male; Mice; Mice, Inbred C57BL; Phosphorus; Pyrimidinones; Rabbits; Rats; Uridine Phosphorylase