title: Retinol metabolism in LLC-PK1 Cells. Characterization of retinoic acid synthesis by an established mammalian cell line.
abstract: Specific assays, based on gas chromatography-mass spectrometry and high-performance liquid chromatography, were used to quantify the conversion of retinol and retinal into retinoic acid by the pig kidney cell line LLC-PK1. Retinoic acid synthesis was linear for 2-4 h as well as with graded amounts of either substrate to at least 50 microM. Retinoic acid concentrations increased through 6-8 h, but decreased thereafter because of substrate depletion (t1/2 of retinol = 13 h) and product metabolism (1/2 = 2.3 h). Retinoic acid metabolism was accelerated by treating cells with 100 nM retinoic acid for 10 h (t1/2 = 1.7 h) and was inhibited by the antimycotic imidazole ketoconazole. Feedback inhibition was not indicated since retinoic acid up to 100 nM did not inhibit its own synthesis. Retinol dehydrogenation was rate-limiting. The reduction and dehydrogenation of retinal were 4-8-fold and 30-60-fold faster, respectively. Greater than 95% of retinol was converted into metabolites other than retinoic acid, whereas the major metabolite of retinal was retinoic acid. The synthetic retinoid 13-cis-N-ethylretinamide inhibited retinoic acid synthesis, but 4-hydroxylphenylretinamide did not. 4'-(9-Acridinylamino)methanesulfon-m-anisidide, an inhibitor of aldehyde oxidase, and ethanol did not inhibit retinoic acid synthesis. 4-Methylpyrazole was a weak inhibitor: disulfiram was a potent inhibitor. These data indicate that retinol dehydrogenase is a sulfhydryl group-dependent enzyme, distinct from ethanol dehydrogenase. Homogenates of LLC-PK1 cells converted retinol into retinoic acid and retinyl palmitate and hydrolyzed retinyl palmitate. This report suggests that substrate availability, relative to enzyme activity/amount, is a primary determinant of the rate of retinoic acid synthesis, identifies inhibitors of retinoic acid synthesis, and places retinoic acid synthesis into perspective with several other known pathways of retinoid metabolism.
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D002460:Cell Line; D004221:Disulfiram / Q000494:pharmacology; D006207:Half-Life; D007654:Ketoconazole / Q000494:pharmacology; D007668:Kidney; D007700:Kinetics; D013552:Swine; D014212:Tretinoin / Q000096:biosynthesis*; D014801:Vitamin A / Q000378:metabolism*
chemical_list: D014801:Vitamin A; D014212:Tretinoin; D007654:Ketoconazole; D004221:Disulfiram