Conversion of xanthine dehydrogenase to xanthine oxidase as a possible marker for hypoxia in tumours and normal tissues

Xanthine Oxidase/Dehydrogenase Activity as a Source of Oxidative Stress in Prostate Cancer Tissue

Prostate cancer (PC) is one of the most frequent malignancies. Better biomarkers are constantly wanted, such as those which can help with the prediction of cancer behavior. What is also needed is a marker which may serve as a possible therapeutic target. Oxidative stress (OS), which is a hallmark of cancer, is included in the pathogenesis and progression of PC. We have conducted the present study to determine whether xanthine oxidase/dehydrogenase activity is the source of OS in prostate tissue. We have also determined the concentration of TBA-reactive substances (TBARS) and advanced oxidation protein products (AOPP), as well as the activity of catalase. Xanthine oxidase (XO) activity is significantly higher (p < 0.001) in tumor tissue when compared to the control healthy tissue. The concentration of TBARS (p < 0.001) and AOPP (p < 0.05) are also higher in tumor tissue. Catalase has raised its activity (p < 0.05) versus the control. There is also a strong correlation between XO activity and prostate-specific antigen (PSA) levels in the serum. These results indicate a significant role of XO activity in OS in prostate carcinogenesis, and it could be a possible theranostic biomarker, which can be important for a better understanding of the disease, its evolution, and prognosis. A promising treatment may be using XO inhibitors such as allopurinol as adjuvant therapy.

Xanthine oxidase-mediated oxidative stress promotes cancer cell-specific apoptosis

The natural compound Alternol was shown to induce profound oxidative stress and apoptotic cell death preferentially in cancer cells. In this study, a comprehensive investigation was conducted to understand the mechanism for Alternol-induced ROS accumulation responsible for apoptotic cell death. Our data revealed that Alternol treatment moderately increased mitochondrial superoxide formation rate, but it was significantly lower than the total ROS positive cell population. Pre-treatment with mitochondria-specific anti-oxidant MitoQ, NOX or NOS specific inhibitors had no protective effect on Alternol-induced ROS accumulation and cell death. However, XDH/XO inhibition by specific small chemical inhibitors or gene silencing reduced total ROS levels and protected cells from apoptosis induced by Alternol. Further analysis revealed that Alternol treatment significantly enhanced XDH oxidative activity and induced a strong protein oxidation-related damage in malignant but not benign cells. Interestingly, benign cells exerted a strong spike in anti-oxidant SOD and catalase activities compared to malignant cells after Alternol treatment. Cell-based protein-ligand engagement and in-silicon docking analysis showed that Alternol interacts with XDH protein on the catalytic domain with two amino acid residues away from its substrate binding sites. Taken together, our data demonstrate that Alternol treatment enhances XDH oxidative activity, leading to ROS-dependent apoptotic cell death.

A gene signature-based approach identifies mTOR as a regulator of p73

Although genomic technologies have advanced the characterization of gene regulatory networks downstream of transcription factors, the identification of pathways upstream of these transcription factors has been more challenging. In this study we present a gene signature-based approach for connecting signaling pathways to transcription factors, as exemplified by p73. We generated a p73 gene signature by integrating whole-genome chromatin immunoprecipitation and expression profiling. The p73 signature was linked to corresponding signatures produced by drug candidates, using the in silico Connectivity Map resource, to identify drugs that would induce p73 activity. Of the pharmaceutical agents identified, there was enrichment for direct or indirect inhibitors of mammalian Target of Rapamycin (mTOR) signaling. Treatment of both primary cells and cancer cell lines with rapamycin, metformin, and pyrvinium resulted in an increase in p73 levels, as did RNA interference-mediated knockdown of mTOR. Further, a subset of genes associated with insulin response or autophagy exhibited mTOR-mediated, p73-dependent expression. Thus, downstream gene signatures can be used to identify upstream regulators of transcription factor activity, and in doing so, we identified a new link between mTOR, p73, and p73-regulated genes associated with autophagy and metabolic pathways.

Preferential inhibition of xanthine oxidase by 2-amino-6-hydroxy-8-mercaptopurine and 2-amino-6-purine thiol

Background

The anticancer drug, 6-mercaptopurine (6MP) is subjected to metabolic clearance through xanthine oxidase (XOD) mediated hydroxylation, producing 6-thiouric acid (6TUA), which is excreted in urine. This reduces the effective amount of drug available for therapeutic efficacy. Co-administration of allopurinol, a suicide inhibitor of XOD, which blocks the hydroxylation of 6MP inadvertently enhances the 6MP blood level, counters this reduction. However, allopurinol also blocks the hydroxylation of hypoxanthine, xanthine (released from dead cancer cells) leading to their accumulation in the body causing biochemical complications such as xanthine nephropathy. This necessitates the use of a preferential XOD inhibitor that selectively inhibits 6MP transformation, but leaves xanthine metabolism unaffected.

Results

Here, we have characterized two such unique inhibitors namely, 2-amino-6-hydroxy-8-mercaptopurine (AHMP) and 2-amino-6-purinethiol (APT) on the basis of IC₅₀ values, residual activity in bi-substrate simulative reaction and the kinetic parameters like K_m, K_i, k_cat. The IC₅₀ values of AHMP for xanthine and 6MP as substrate are 17.71 ± 0.29 μM and 0.54 ± 0.01 μM, respectively and the IC₅₀ values of APT for xanthine and 6MP as substrates are 16.38 ± 0.21 μM and 2.57 ± 0.08 μM, respectively. The K_i values of XOD using AHMP as inhibitor with xanthine and 6MP as substrate are 5.78 ± 0.48 μM and 0.96 ± 0.01 μM, respectively. The Ki values of XOD using APT as inhibitor with xanthine and 6MP as substrate are 6.61 ± 0.28 μM and 1.30 ± 0.09 μM. The corresponding K_m values of XOD using xanthine and 6MP as substrate are 2.65 ± 0.02 μM and 6.01 ± 0.03 μM, respectively. The results suggest that the efficiency of substrate binding to XOD and its subsequent catalytic hydroxylation is much superior for xanthine in comparison to 6MP. In addition, the efficiency of the inhibitor binding to XOD is much more superior when 6MP is the substrate instead of xanthine. We further undertook the toxicological evaluation of these inhibitors in a single dose acute toxicity study in mice and our preliminary experimental results suggested that the inhibitors were equally non-toxic in the tested doses.

Conclusion

We conclude that administration of either APT or AHMP along with the major anti-leukemic drug 6MP might serve as a good combination cancer chemotherapy regimen.

Application of HPLC to study the kinetics of a branched bi-enzyme system consisting of hypoxanthine-guanine phosphoribosyltransferase and xanthine oxidase—an important biochemical system to evaluate the efficiency of the anticancer drug 6-mercaptopurine in ALL cell line

The thiopurine antimetabolite 6-mercaptopurine (6MP) is an important chemotherapeutic drug in the conventional treatment of childhood acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL). 6MP is mainly catabolized by both hypoxanthine-guanine phosphoribosyltransferase (HGPRT) and xanthine oxidase (XOD) to form thioinosinic monophosphate (TIMP) (therapeutically active metabolite) and 6-thiouric acid (6TUA) (inactive metabolite), respectively. The activity of both the enzymes varies among ALL patients governing the active and the inactive metabolite profile within the immature lymphocytes. Therefore, an attempt was made to study the kinetic nature of the branched bi-enzyme system acting on 6MP and to quantitate TIMP and 6TUA formed when the two enzymes are present in equal and variable ratios. The quantification of the branched kinetics using spectrophotometric method presents problem due to the closely apposed lambda(max) of the substrates and products. Hence, employing an HPLC method, the quantification of the products was done with the progress of time. The limit of quantification (LOQ) of substrate was found to be 10nM and for products as 50 nM. The limit of detection (LOD) was found to be 1 nM for the substrate and the products. The method exhibited linearity in the range of 0.01-100 microM for 6MP and 0.05-100 microM for both 6TUA and TIMP. The amount of TIMP formed was higher than that of 6TUA in the bi-enzyme system when both the enzymes were present in equivalent enzymatic ratio. It was further found that enzymatic ratios play an important role in determining the amounts of TIMP and 6TUA. This method was further validated using actively growing T-ALL cell line (Jurkat) to study the branched kinetics, wherein it was observed that treatment of 50 microM 6MP led to the generation of 12 microM TIMP and 0.8 microM 6TUA in 6 h at 37 degrees C.

Determinants of anti-vascular action by combretastatin A-4 phosphate: role of nitric oxide

The anti-vascular action of the tubulin binding agent combretastatin A-4 phosphate (CA-4-P) has been quantified in two types of murine tumour, the breast adenocarcinoma CaNT and the round cell sarcoma SaS. The functional vascular volume, assessed using a fluorescent carbocyanine dye, was significantly reduced at 18 h after CA-4-P treatment in both tumour types, although the degree of reduction was very different in the two tumours. The SaS tumour, which has a higher nitric oxide synthase (NOS) activity than the CaNT tumour, showed approximately 10-fold greater resistance to vascular damage by CA-4-P. This is consistent with our previous findings, which showed that NO exerts a protective action against this drug. Simultaneous administration of CA-4-P with a NOS inhibitor, N(omega)-nitro-L-arginine (L-NNA), resulted in enhanced vascular damage and cytotoxicity in both tumour types. Administration of diethylamine NO, an NO donor, conferred protection against the vascular damaging effects. Following treatment with CA-4-P, neutrophil infiltration into the tumours, measured by myeloperoxidase (MPO) activity, was significantly increased. Levels of MPO activity also correlated with the levels of vascular injury and cytotoxicity measured in both tumour types. Neutrophilic MPO generates free radicals and may therefore contribute to the vascular damage associated with CA-4-P treatment. MPO activity was significantly increased in the presence of L-NNA, suggesting that the protective effect of NO against CA-4-P-induced vascular injury may be, at least partially, mediated by limiting neutrophil infiltration. The data are consistent with the hypothesis that neutrophil action contributes to vascular injury by CA-4-P and that NO generation acts to protect the tumour vasculature against CA4-P-induced injury. The protective effect of NO is probably associated with an anti-neutrophil action.

Increased kidney xanthine oxidoreductase activity in salt-induced experimental hypertension

Clinical and experimental studies have established an association between high sodium intake and arterial hypertension. The renal mechanisms resulting in impaired sodium excretion in hypertension-prone subjects are not clear. In hypertension-prone rats, high blood pressure results in increased renal mass and hemodynamic changes, both of which may alter renal oxygen distribution. Xanthine oxidoreductase (XOR) oxidizes ATP metabolites hypoxanthine and xanthine to urate. Because XOR is induced by hypoxia, we assessed kidney XOR activity in 2 models of salt-sensitive hypertension, spontaneously hypertensive rats (SHR) and Dahl salt-sensitive (Dahl S) rats. Increasing sodium intake from basal (0.08%) to high (2.56% wt/dry wt in the diet) increased renal XOR activity dose-dependently from 68+/-8 to 143+/-21 microU/mg protein in the Dahl S (P<0.05) but not in Dahl salt-resistant (Dahl R) rats. On basal and high sodium diets, SHR had higher renal XOR activity (101+/-10 and 134+/-26 microU/mg protein, respectively) than normotensive Wistar-Kyoto rats (55+/-2 and 58+/-6 microU/mg protein, P<0.05). Sodium restriction (0.02% wt/wt) downregulated kidney XOR activity in both Dahl S and R rats by nearly 40%. In SHR, allopurinol treatment totally inhibited renal XOR activity, but neither systolic blood pressure nor renal mass changed. The results suggest that renal XOR induction is a consequence of increased salt intake or the resulting hypertension. However, further studies on renal XOR activity during the development of hypertension are needed to assess the importance of XOR in the pathophysiology of arterial hypertension.

Involvement of oxygen free radicals in ischaemia-reperfusion injury to murine tumours: role of nitric oxide

Ischaemia-reperfusion (I/R) injury is a model system of oxidative stress and a potential anti-cancer therapy. Tumour cytotoxicity follows oxygen radical damage to the vasculature which is modulated by tumour production of the vasoactive agent, nitric oxide (NO.). In vivo hydroxylation of salicylate, to 2,3- and 2,5-dihydroxybenzoate (DHBs), was used to measure the generation of hydroxyl radicals (OH.) following temporary vascular occlusion in two murine tumours (with widely differing capacity to produce NO.) and normal skin. Significantly greater OH. generation followed I/R of murine adenocarcinoma CaNT tumours (low NO. production) compared to round cell sarcoma SaS tumours (high NO. production) and normal skin. These data suggest that tumour production of NO. confers resistance to I/R injury, in part by reducing production of oxygen radicals and oxidative stress to the vasculature. Inhibition of NO synthase (NOS), during vascular reperfusion, significantly increased OH. generation in both tumour types, but not skin. This increase in cytotoxicity suggests oxidative injury may be attenuation by tumour production of NO.. Hydroxyl radical generation following I/R injury correlated with vascular damage and response of tumours in vivo, but not skin, which indicates a potential therapeutic benefit from this approach.

Comparison of oxygen radical generation from the reductive activation of doxorubicin, streptonigrin, and menadione by xanthine oxidase and xanthine dehydrogenase

Investigations into the enzymes responsible for the reductive activation of antineoplastic agents are of particular interest with regard to the use of these agents in the treatment of solid tumors. Xanthine oxidase (EC 1.1.3.22; XO) and xanthine dehydrogenase (EC 1. 1.1.204; XDH) are two enzymes capable of the reductive activation of antineoplastic agents. Previously, XDH, the enzymatic precursor of XO, was not extensively studied because of difficulties in its isolation. Research in the reductive activation of antineoplastic agents by XDH has increased with the discovery of a rapid and high-yield purification procedure for XDH. In the present investigation, the potential for drug activation of doxorubicin (DOX), streptonigrin (STN), and menadione (MD) by XO and XDH was assessed through oxygen consumption studies. These studies were conducted at pH 7.4 and pH 6.0 to reflect physiological and the acidic pH of solid tumors, respectively. Apparent kinetic constants were determined for DOX, STN, and MD activation by XO and XDH at both pH levels. Higher oxygen consumption was observed for XDH drug activation in comparison to XO drug activation at equivalent enzyme activity for both pH levels. Drug-induced oxygen consumption was affected by pH. Hence, drug activation for DOX, STN, and MD was dependent upon the form of the xanthine-converting enzyme and the pH.

Reductive activation of doxorubicin by xanthine dehydrogenase from EMT6 mouse mammary carcinoma tumors

The role of enzymes in the reductive activation of various chemotherapeutic agents is an area of considerable interest in studies to better understand the selective toxicities of these agents. Xanthine dehydrogenase (XDH) is an enzyme capable of reductive activation of chemotherapeutic agents. Previously, this enzyme has not been extensively studied because of difficulties in its isolation. We recently isolated this enzyme from EMT6 mouse mammary carcinoma cells and showed that this enzyme is capable of activating mitomycin C. In this study, we examined whether XDH could activate the clinically important antineoplastic agent, doxorubicin. Drug activation was determined under aerobic and hypoxic conditions and at various pHs in order to simulate the different environments found in solid tumors. The results of these studies show that XDH reacts with doxorubicin via a two-electron reduction. This reduction is different from the modified and more extensively studied form of the enzyme, xanthine oxidase (XO), which reacts with doxorubicin via a one-electron reduction. Under hypoxic conditions, the formation of large quantities of 7-deoxydoxorubicin aglycone, a deactivation product of doxorubicin metabolism, may serve to moderate doxorubicin's antineoplastic activity. Under aerobic conditions, however, XDH activation led to a greater rate of formation of oxygen radicals than XO thereby possibly potentiating doxorubicin's cytotoxicity to aerobic tumor cells. Kinetic constants were determined for doxorubicin activation by XDH.

Expression of human NAD(P)H: quinone oxidoreductase (DT-diaphorase) in Chinese hamster ovary cells: effect on the toxicity of antitumor quinones

Previous studies have indicated that NAD(P)H: quinone oxidoreductase [DT-diaphorase (NQO1)] plays an important role in the bioreductive activation of quinone-containing antitumor agents. Although these studies demonstrated that purified NQO1 can reduce these compounds in vitro, the importance of NQO1 in the intracellular activation of quinone-containing antitumor agents remains controversial. In our study, we transfected human NQO1 into Chinese hamster ovary cells that do not normally express NQO1 activity and obtained stable clones that expressed NQO1 activity of 19-3527 nmol of 2,6-dichlorophenolindophenol reduced/min/mg of protein. The level of NQO1 expression correlated with an increased killing by streptonigrin, EO9 (3-hydroxymethyl-5-aziridinyl-1-methyl-2-(1H-indole-4,7-dione)-propen ol), and 2,5-diaziridinyl-3,6-dimethyl-1,4-benzoquinone, but mitomycin C sensitivity was independent of this activity. NQO1 expression also led to a slight decrease in the sensitivity of cells to menadione. Our data demonstrate that compounds that are efficient substrates for NQO1 in vitro are also bioactivated in cultured mammalian cells when they are transfected with human NQO1. These results are consistent with the relative abilities of mitomycin C, streptonigrin, EO9, and 2,5-diaziridinyl-3,6-dimethyl-1,4-benzoquinone to serve as substrates for bioreduction by human NQO1, and show that NQO1 levels are not necessarily predictive in terms of sensitivity to mitomycin C.

Flow cytometric evaluation of hypoxic cells in solid experimental tumours using fluorescence immunodetection

Numerous methods have been proposed for the detection of hypoxic cells using nitroimidazoles labelled with both radioactive and stable isotopes where the isotopic label becomes bound as a result of reductive metabolism of the nitro group. A new probe for hypoxia, 7-(4'-(2-nitroimidazol-l-yl)-butyl)-theophylline, is described where an immunologically recognisable hapten (theophylline) is covalently linked to a 2-nitroimidazole. Bioreduction of the nitroimidazole leads to binding of bioreductive metabolites, and hence the theophylline side-chain, to intracellular molecules. Immunochemical procedures are then used to stain cells containing the bound theophylline using an FITC-conjugated anti-serum. Flow cytometric analysis of stained cells is facilitated by co-staining cellular DNA, which allows discrimination of single cells in the sample and rejection of cell clumps and debris. The alternative use of an immunoperoxidase-conjugated anti-serum has been used to demonstrate the localisation of hypoxic cells in frozen tumour sections.