title: Metabolic activation and binding of mitotane in adrenal cortex homogenates.
abstract: Mitotane [1-(2-chlorophenyl)-1-(4-chlorophenyl)-2,2-dichloroethane, o,p'-DDD] is an adrenocorticolytic agent of value in the treatment of adrenocortical carcinoma and Cushing's syndrome. In support of a program to develop agents superior to mitotane, it is the purpose of this study to explore the relationship of the metabolism of mitotane to its binding to adrenal cortex tissue from several sources. The objective was to detect the mitotane moiety responsible for its covalent binding in various test systems. Studies were conducted with an 125l-labeled analog of mitotane, 1-(2-chlorophenyl)-1-(4-iodophenyl)-2,2-dichloroethane, prior to a comparison to results with lower specific activity [14C]mitotane. With dog adrenal cortical whole homogenates, the majority of covalent binding was to proteins with an additional one-sixth of the total bound radioactivity associated with a phospholipid fraction. No radioactivity was associated with DNA. The rank order of species in regard to metabolism and protein binding was bovine > dog > rat adrenal homogenates > human normal adrenal or tumor homogenates. The percentage of radioactivity recovered from the hydrolysates of those fractions was uniformly high. In addition, the only metabolite present in the hydrolysates corresponded to 1-(2-chlorophenyl)-1-(4-iodophenyl)acetic acid from the iodo analog of o,p'-DDD and the corresponding o,p'-dichlorodiphenylacetic acid (o,p'-DDA) from o,p'-DDD. Our results are consistent with an acyl chloride being the reactive intermediate formed from the dichloromethyl moiety of mitotane, which leads to both DDA metabolite formation and binding to adrenal cortical bionucleophiles.
authors.affiliation: College of Pharmacy, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor 48109-1065, USA.
authors.forename: W
authors.initials: W
authors.lastname: Cai
authors.forename: R E
authors.initials: RE
authors.lastname: Counsell
authors.forename: T
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Djanegara
authors.forename: D E
authors.initials: DE
authors.lastname: Schteingart
authors.forename: J E
authors.initials: JE
authors.lastname: Sinsheimer
authors.forename: L L
authors.initials: LL
authors.lastname: Wotring
mesh_terms: D000302:Adrenal Cortex / Q000378:metabolism*; D000818:Animals; D001711:Biotransformation / Q000502:physiology; D002417:Cattle; D002851:Chromatography, High Pressure Liquid; D002855:Chromatography, Thin Layer; D004285:Dogs; D006801:Humans; D006868:Hydrolysis; D066298:In Vitro Techniques; D007457:Iodine Radioisotopes; D008939:Mitotane / Q000378:metabolism*; D051381:Rats; D013045:Species Specificity; D013347:Subcellular Fractions / Q000378:metabolism; D014407:Tumor Cells, Cultured
chemical_list: D007457:Iodine Radioisotopes; D008939:Mitotane