title: Biotransformation of N,N',N''-triethylenethiophosphoramide: oxidative desulfuration to yield N,N',N''-triethylenephosphoramide associated with suicide inactivation of a phenobarbital-inducible hepatic P-450 monooxygenase.
abstract: Oxidative metabolism of the polyfunctional alkylating agent N,N',N''-triethylenethiophosphoramide (thio-TEPA) was studied in isolated rat liver microsomes and purified, reconstituted cytochrome P-450 (P-450) enzyme systems in order to elucidate the pathways of drug oxidation and to identify the possible contributions of individual P-450 enzymes to the bioactivation of this chemotherapeutic agent. Rat liver microsomes were found to catalyze conversion of thio-TEPA to its oxo metabolite, N,N',N''-triethylenephosphoramide (TEPA), in a P-450-dependent reaction that was markedly stimulated by prior in vivo treatment with drug inducers of hepatic P-450 subfamily IIB (phenobarbital), but not by pretreatment with inducers of P-450 subfamilies IA (beta-naphthoflavone) or IIE (isoniazid). Thio-TEPA depletion and TEPA formation catalyzed by phenobarbital-induced liver microsomes were both inhibited by greater than 90% by antibodies selectively reactive with P-450 PB-4 (gene product IIB1), the major phenobarbital-inducible rat liver microsomal P-450 form, but not by antibodies inhibitory toward 7 other rat hepatic P-450s. Oxidation of thio-TEPA to TEPA was also catalyzed by purified P-450 PB-4 (Km (app) 19 microM; Vmax (app) = 11 mol thio-TEPA metabolized/min/mol P-450 PB-4) following reconstitution of the cytochrome with NADPH P-450 reductase in a lipid environment. Metabolism of thio-TEPA by P-450 PB-4 was associated with a suicide inactivation of the cytochrome characterized by kinactivation = 0.096 min-1, KI = 24 microM, and a partition ratio of 136 +/- 28 (SD) mol thio-TEPA metabolized/mol P-450 inactivated. The thio-TEPA metabolite TEPA, however, did not inactivate the cytochrome, nor was it subject to further detectable metabolism. In microsomal incubations, metabolism of thio-TEPA led to the inactivation of P-450 PB-4 (steroid 16 beta-hydroxylase) as well as P-450 IIIA-related enzymes (steroid 6 beta-hydroxylase) and the P-450-independent enzyme steroid 17 beta-hydroxysteroid:NADP+ 17-oxidoreductase, as demonstrated by use of the P-450 form-selective steroidal substrate androst-4-ene-3,17-dione. In contrast, little or no inactivation of microsomal P-450 IIA-related enzymes (steroid 7 alpha-hydroxylase) or microsomal NADPH P-450 reductase was observed.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 400 WORDS)
authors.affiliation: Department of Biological Chemistry and Molecular Pharmacology, Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts 02115.
authors.forename: S F
authors.initials: SF
authors.lastname: Ng
authors.forename: D J
authors.initials: DJ
authors.lastname: Waxman
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D001711:Biotransformation; D002849:Chromatography, Gas; D065607:Cytochrome P-450 Enzyme Inhibitors; D003577:Cytochrome P-450 Enzyme System / Q000378:metabolism; D004790:Enzyme Induction; D007700:Kinetics; D008862:Microsomes, Liver / Q000201:enzymology; D010084:Oxidation-Reduction; D010634:Phenobarbital / Q000494:pharmacology; D051381:Rats; D013438:Sulfhydryl Compounds / Q000378:metabolism; D013455:Sulfur / Q000378:metabolism; D013852:Thiotepa / Q000378:metabolism*
chemical_list: D065607:Cytochrome P-450 Enzyme Inhibitors; D013438:Sulfhydryl Compounds; D013455:Sulfur; D003577:Cytochrome P-450 Enzyme System; D013852:Thiotepa; D010634:Phenobarbital