Dexamethasone negatively regulates phenobarbitone-activated transcription but synergistically enhances cytoplasmic levels of cytochrome P-450b/e messenger RNA

Phenobarbital induction mediated by a distal CYP2B2 sequence in rat liver transiently transfected in situ

The promoter activities of the genes for cytochrome P450 2B1 (CYP2B1) and cytochrome P450 2C1 (CYP2C1) have been assayed by direct injection of promoter-luciferase chimeric genes into rat liver. Activities of minimal promoters for CYP2C1 and CYP2B1 were detectable in untreated animals but were not increased by treatment of the animals with phenobarbital. After insertion to the 5' side of the minimal promoters of one to three copies of the CYP2B2 sequence from -2318 to -2155, a phenobarbital-responsive element in primary hepatocyte cultures (Trottier, E., Belzil, A., Stoltz, C., and Anderson, A. (1995) Gene (Amst.) 158, 263-268), phenobarbital treatment induced the activity of the CYP2C1 promoter by 5-15-fold and the CYP2B1 promoter by 2.5-5-fold. Mutation of a basal transcription element-like motif and a CCAAT/enhancer binding protein element in the CYP2B1 proximal promoter region reduced expression, but 3-4-fold induction by phenobarbital was retained. Mutation of the "Barbie box," a putative phenobarbital-responsive element (He, J.-S., and Fulco, A. J. (1991) J. Biol. Chem. 266, 7864-7869) in the CYP2B1 proximal promoter did not reduce the relative response to phenobarbital. These results demonstrate that direct injection of DNA into rat liver may be used to assay phenobarbital responsiveness of cytochrome P450 genes. In this system, a distal CYP2B2 element mediates a response to phenobarbital, and proximal elements, including the Barbie box, are not required for the induction.

Biphasic regulation of cytochrome P450 2B1/2 mRNA expression by dexamethasone in primary cultures of adult rat hepatocytes maintained on matrigel

We have demonstrated recently that although rat hepatocytes rapidly lose their cytochrome P450 mRNA content following their introduction into primary culture, hepatocytes cultured on Matrigel, a reconstituted basement membrane, subsequently spontaneously "reexpress" the mRNAs of some constitutive P450 forms (Kocarek et al., Mol Pharmacol 43: 328-334, 1993). In the present study, we used the Matrigel cell culture system to examine the dose-dependent effects of dexamethasone (DEX) treatments on the mRNAs for two of the P450 forms that are reexpressed spontaneously between days 3 and 5 in culture, 2B1/2 and 2C6. Treatment of cultured hepatocytes with low doses of DEX (10(-9) to 10(-8) M) that induced the mRNA for tyrosine aminotransferase, a model glucocorticoid-inducible gene, suppressed the spontaneous appearance of 2B1/2 mRNA while having little or no effect on the level of 2C6 mRNA or on beta-actin mRNA. However, treatment of the hepatocyte cultures with high doses of DEX (10(-6) to 10(-5) M) that induced P450 3A1 mRNA increased the amounts of the 2B1/2 and 2C6 mRNAs (4.1- and 2.4-fold, respectively, at 10(-5) M DEX). In contrast to the suppressive effects on the spontaneous increases in 2B1/2 mRNA, low doses of DEX (10(-8) to 10(-7) M) enhanced the induction of 2B1/2 mRNA by phenobarbital (2.5-fold at 10(-7) M DEX). Treatment of the hepatocyte cultures with triamcinolone acetonide, another potent glucocorticoid, suppressed spontaneous 2B1/2 mRNA expression at low doses, but did not induce 2B1/2 mRNA at high doses. Treatments with steroids of other classes, including dihydrotestosterone, 17 alpha-ethinylestradiol, fludrocortisone or R-5020, failed to suppress 2B1/2 mRNA levels at low doses. Additionally, treatment with RU-486, a glucocorticoid/progestin receptor antagonist, induced 2B1/2 mRNA at high doses (10(-6) to 10(-5) M). The suppressive effects of DEX on spontaneous 2B1/2 mRNA expression observed at low doses are consistent with a classical glucocorticoid-mediated mechanism, while the high-dose inductive effects of DEX appear to be exerted through a nonclassical mechanism, perhaps akin to that for induction of 3A1.

Biotransformation of 17 beta-hydroxy-11 beta-(4-dimethylaminophenyl)17 alpha-1-propynyl-estra-4,9-dien-3-one (RU486) in rat hepatoma variants

Metabolism of the synthetic steroid 17 beta-hydroxy-11 beta-(4-dimethylaminophenyl)17 alpha-1-propynyl-estra-4,9-dien-3-one (RU486) occurs in the dedifferentiated S-H56-125 variant of Reuber hepatoma. Considering that rat liver cytochrome P450 (P450) monooxygenases are engaged in different oxidative steps of the metabolism of RU486, the influence of several prototype P450 inducers was investigated. The data obtained by treating H56 and S-H56-125 hepatoma cells with different P450 inducers (dexamethasone (DEX), benzanthracene, phenobarbital) or with a specific P450 inhibitor, troleandomycin, led us to conclude that CYP3A is involved in the hydroxylation of RU486. This form is induced by DEX independently of the availability of the canonical glucocorticoid receptor.

Specific induction of hepatic cytochrome P4501a-2 in C57BL/6 and DBA/2 mice treated with 2-amino-3-methylimidazo[4,5-f]quinoline (IQ)

The food mutagen/carcinogen 2-amino-3-methylimidazo[4,5-f]quinoline (IQ) is activated by cytochrome p4501a-2 via N-hydroxylation; various P450s may contribute to detoxification via ring hydroxylation. Alterations in P450 levels by IQ treatment might therefore influence its toxicity. To examine the role of Ah locus genotype on the biochemical effects of IQ, C57BL/6 (AhbAhb; p450Ia-1/2 inducible) and DBA/2 (AhdAhd, noninducible) mice of both sexes were given IQ at varying doses, with different vehicles and routes of administration. Livers taken after 24 hours were assessed for total cytochrome p450 and activities of ethoxyresorufin-O-deethylase (EROD, a p4501a-1 activity, inducible in Ahb mice), methoxyresorufin-O-demethylase (MROD, a p4501a-2 activity), and benzyloxyresorufin-O-dealkylase (BzROD, an activity of p4502b). There was little effect on total cytochrome p450, but all three enzyme activities were often induced, a maximum of 2.5-fold, in both sexes and in DBA/2 as well as C57BL/6 mice. However, Western immunoblot analysis with monoclonal antibodies demonstrated an increase only in p4501a-2 protein. p4501a-1 remained undetectable. A monoclonal antibody to p4502-b recognized one protein band in liver microsomes from males and two bands in female mice of both strains. Amounts of these proteins were not altered by IQ treatment. Thus, IQ specifically, if moderately, induces its activating enzyme, p4501a-2, in a process that was not clearly related to Ah responsiveness.

The effects of inducing agents on cytochrome P450 and UDP-glucuronyltransferase activities in human HEPG2 hepatoma cells

Selective induction in vitro of cytochrome P450-dependent mixed-function oxidase (MFO) and UDP-glucuronyltransferase (GT) activities was observed in the human HepG2 hepatoma cell line. 1,2-Benzanthracene (BA) induced MFO O-dealkylation activities for ethoxyresorufin, methoxyresorufin and benzyloxyresorufin, whereas phenobarbitone (PB) selectively induced pentoxyresorufin O-dealkylation and rifampicin (RIF) selectively induced benzyloxyresorufin O-dealkylation. Antibody inhibition experiments indicated that ethoxyresorufin and methoxyresorufin O-dealkylations were catalysed mainly by the P450 1A subfamily in untreated and BA-induced HepG2 cells, that additional unidentified P450 forms were considerably involved in methoxyresorufin and benzyloxyresorufin O-dealkylations and that the P450 2B subfamily was partially responsible for pentoxyresorufin O-dealkylation in PB-induced cells. Bilirubin GT activity was induced by PB, BA, RIF and dexamethasone, but 1-naphthol, morphine and testosterone GT activities were not induced by any of these treatments.

Differential effects of human recombinant interleukin-1 beta and dexamethasone on hepatic drug-metabolizing enzymes in male and female rats

Interleukin-1 beta (IL-1) is one of the major inflammation mediators, commonly reported to be an inhibitor of hepatic drug metabolism. We studied the effect of IL-1 treatment on various drug-metabolizing enzymes in male and female rats. IL-1 induced both cytochrome P450 (P450) 3A1 activity and protein in females, but in males, IL-1 repressed P450 3A2 activity, without decreasing the protein. P450 1A1 was impaired in males, but was retained after dexamethasone pretreatment. IL-1 did not change P450 2B1/2 activity and protein, but counteracted their induction by dexamethasone. Uridine diphospho-glucuronosyltransferase (UGT) 1A2 (bilirubin) activity and its induction by dexamethasone were not affected by IL-1 treatment. Both P450 2C11 and epoxide hydrolase activities were repressed by IL-1 treatment, and both activities were impaired after dexamethasone treatment. These results clearly demonstrate that IL-1 acts at different steps of protein synthesis and gene expression. The effect of IL-1 on P450 was isoform-dependent, indicating that IL-1 can act on pretranscriptional events. The discrepancy between the variations of the activities and the protein of P450 3A2 suggests a post-translational regulation. For P450 2C11, 3A1, and for microsomal epoxide hydrolase, but not for P450 1A1 and 2B1/2, IL-1 mimics the glucocorticoid effects. These differential effects can affect the kinetics and the bioavailability of drugs used in pathologies in which IL-1 is increased.

Effect of dexamethasone on mRNA levels for 5-aminolevulinate synthase in different rat tissues

5-Aminolevulinate synthase mRNA levels from different tissues were quantitated by Northern blot hybridization analysis utilizing the rat liver 5-aminolevulinate synthase cDNA clone as probe. A 5-aminolevulinate synthase mRNA species of size 2.3 kb was seen in all the tissues examined. Densitometric scanning of the autoradiographs demonstrated that the adrenal gland contained the largest amount of 5-aminolevulinate synthase mRNA. Levels corresponding to approximately 50% of this amount were found in the small intestine, lung, heart, muscle and testes. In the liver and kidney the level was approximately 25% of that found in the adrenal gland. These results demonstrate the housekeeping role of this gene. Dexamethasone treatment for 1 day or 5 days dramatically induced 5-aminolevulinate synthase mRNA levels in the liver and small intestine, and to a lesser extent in lung, heart, kidney and muscle. Nuclear run-off experiments suggest that a post-transcriptional mechanism predominantly contributes to the dexamethasone-induced increase in 5-aminolevulinate synthase mRNA levels observed in the liver. Interestingly, in the steroidogenic tissues of the adrenal gland and testes, there was a substantial decrease in 5-aminolevulinate synthase mRNA levels after dexamethasone administration but the mechanism of this control remains to be investigated.