title: Site-selective oxidation of strychnine by phenobarbital inducible cytochrome P-450.
abstract: The metabolism of strychnine was studied using liver microsomes of rats treated with phenobarbital or 3-methylcholanthrene (MC). The phenobarbital-treatment resulted in 7.9-fold and 4.8-fold increases in 2-hydroxylation and N-oxidation of strychnine, respectively. The formation of 16-hydroxystrychnine, strychnine 21,22-epoxide and 22-hydroxystrychnine was induced about 2-fold. MC-treatment resulted in only 1.4-fold induction of each oxidation activity. In addition, strychnine 2-hydroxylation activity was markedly induced in liver microsomes of phenobarbital-treated mice, guinea pigs, rabbits and dogs (2.5-10.5-fold). Induction of N-oxidation activity was also higher than that of the three other oxidation activities. A reconstituted system of strychnine metabolism using cytochrome P-450 isozymes, P-450I (P450IIB1) and P-450II (P450IIB2), purified from liver microsomes of phenobarbital-treated rats showed significantly high and selective activities towards 2-hydroxylation and N-oxidation of strychnine. This characteristic metabolism of strychnine appears to occur in common with interspecies P450IIB gene subfamily. The pH Optima of 2-hydroxylation and N-oxidation of strychnine were between 8.4 and 8.6 in the microsomes of phenobarbital-treated rats, while that of N-demethylation of benzphetamine, a typical substrate of phenobarbital-inducible cytochrome P-450, was between 7.4 and 7.6. In a reconstituted system with P-450I, strychnine oxidation was little affected by pH change, while benzphetamine N-demethylation activity was decreased in the alkaline side. Among several oxidations tested, only ethylmorphine N-demethylation underwent the same pH effect as did strychnine oxidation with the microsomes and reconstituted system.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)
authors.affiliation: Faculty of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Kyushu University, Fukuoka, Japan.
authors.forename: Y
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Tanimoto
authors.forename: H
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Kaneko
authors.forename: T
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Ohkuma
authors.forename: K
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Oguri
authors.forename: H
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Yoshimura
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D003577:Cytochrome P-450 Enzyme System / Q000276:immunology / Q000378:metabolism*; D004285:Dogs; D006168:Guinea Pigs; D006863:Hydrogen-Ion Concentration; D008297:Male; D008748:Methylcholanthrene / Q000494:pharmacology; D051379:Mice; D010084:Oxidation-Reduction; D010634:Phenobarbital / Q000494:pharmacology*; D011817:Rabbits; D051381:Rats; D011919:Rats, Inbred Strains; D013045:Species Specificity; D013331:Strychnine / Q000378:metabolism*
chemical_list: D008748:Methylcholanthrene; D003577:Cytochrome P-450 Enzyme System; D013331:Strychnine; D010634:Phenobarbital