Biomedical subjects
Publications and source records attributed to C J Cooksey.
This bibliography lists and contains comments on publications describing the textile dyeing applications and organic chemistry of purple dyes derived from lichens. Elsewhere in this issue such colorants are termed orcein; the usage "lichen purple" reflects the historical emphasis of the work described. Note that commentary by CJC is placed after the bibliographic information in italics.
When 3,4-dihydroxybenzylcyanide (DBC) is oxidized by mushroom tyrosinase, the first visible product, identified as the corresponding quinomethane, exhibits an absorption maximum at 480 nm. Pulse-radiolysis experiments, in which the o-quinone is formed by disproportionation of semiquinone radicals generated by single-electron oxidation of DBC, showed that the quinomethane (A480 6440 M-1.cm-1) is formed through the intermediacy of the o-quinone with a rate constant at neutral pH of 7.5 s-1. The oxygen stoichiometry of the formation of the quinomethane by tyrosinase-catalysed oxidation of DBC was 0.5:1. On the basis of oxygen utilization rates the calculated Vmax was 4900 nmol.min-1 and the apparent Km was 374 microM. The corresponding monohydric phenol, 4-hydroxybenzylcyanide (HBC), was not oxidized by tyrosinase unless the enzyme was pre-exposed to DBC, the maximum acceleration of HBC oxidation being obtained by approximately equimolar addition of DBC. These results are consistent with tyrosinase auto-activation on the basis of the indirect formation of the dihydric phenol-activating cofactor. The rapid conversion of the o-quinone to the quinomethane prevents the formation of the catechol by reduction of the o-quinone product of monohydric phenol oxidation from occurring in the case of the compounds studied. In the absence of auto-activation, the kinetic parameters for HBC oxidation by tyrosinase were estimated as Vmax 70 nmol.min-1 and Km 309 microM. The quinomethane was found to decay with a rate constant of 2k 38 M-1.s-1, as determined both by pulse-radiolysis and tyrosinase experiments. The second-order kinetics indicate that a dimer is formed. In the presence of tyrosinase, but not in the pulse-radiolysis experiments, the quinomethane decay was accompanied by a steady-state oxygen uptake concurrently with the generation of a melanoid product measured by its A650, which is ascribed to the formation of an oligomer incorporating the oxidized dimer.
Tyrosinase (EC 1.14.18.1) exhibits unusual kinetic properties in the oxidation of monohydric phenol substrates consisting of a lag period that increases with increasing substrate concentration. The cause of this is an autocatalytic process dependent on the generation of a dihydric phenol substrate, which acts as an activator of the enzyme. Experiments with N-substituted dihydric phenol substrates (N-methyldopamine, N-acetyldopamine) demonstrate that oxygen consumption is retarded in the N-acetyl substituted material due to a diminished rate of cyclization. The oxygen uptake exhibited a similar pattern when N-acetyltyramine was oxidized, and this was reflected by a prolongation of the lag period. N,N-Dipropyldopamine was oxidized with normal kinetics but with an oxygen stoichiometry of 0.5 mol of oxygen/mol of substrate. We show that this is the result of the formation of a stable indoliumolate product with oxidation-reduction properties that prevent the formation of dopaminochrome, thus blocking further stages in the tyrosinase-catalyzed oxidation. Evidence that the indoliumolate product is formed by cyclization of the ortho-quinone is presented by pulse radiolysis studies, which demonstrate the formation of the ortho-quinone (by disproportionation of the corresponding semiquinones), which cyclizes to give the indoliumolate. The rate constant for cyclization was shown to be 48 s-1 (at pH 6.0). Tyrosinase-catalyzed oxidation of the monohydric phenol analogue, N, N-dimethyltyramine, was shown to require the addition of a dihydric phenol. Oxygen utilization then exhibited a stoichiometry of 1.0, indicating that the reactions proceed only as far as the cyclization. The analogous stable cyclic indoliumolate product was shown to be formed, with UV absorption and NMR spectra closely similar to the indoliumolate derived from N,N-dipropyldopamine. This material was methylated by catechol O-methyltransferase but was unreactive to redox reagents. The formation of the cyclic product accounts for the indefinite lag when N,N-dimethyltyramine is used as the substrate for tyrosinase in the absence of a dihydric phenol cofactor.
A set of 26 substituted phenols, 10 of which were synthesised in our laboratories, were tested for their rate of oxidation by mushroom tyrosinase in vitro as determined by oximetry and spectrophotometry and for their cytotoxic action in a model system. With one exception (4-hydroxybenzoic acid) all the agents tested were oxidised to the corresponding ortho-quinones. The maximum rates of oxidation varied between 15.1 +/- 0.59 nmoles oxygen consumed per minute (4-(2-thioethylthio)phenol) and 372.9 +/- 5.61 nmoles O2/ min. (4-(2-Hydroxyethylthio)phenol) in a reaction system comprising 300 units tyrosinase and 200 microM substrate. The rates of generation of quinone were in close agreement with these oximetric data. Some anomalies in oxygen stoichiometry were observed due to reoxidation of reaction products. Four categories of compounds were tested: those known to undergo side-chain cyclisation (such as tyrosine) (Group A), alkylphenols of increasing chain length with or without terminal hydroxyl groups (Group B), compounds with charged or bulky side-chains (Group C) and agents with oxy-, thio- and selenyl-ether side-chains (Groups D, E and F). In the majority of cases, the cytotoxicity, measured by the reduction of thymidine incorporation in cells exposed for 30 min to the agent in the presence of tyrosinase, reflected the rate of oxidation and is ascribed to the toxic action of the derived ortho-quinone. Tyrosinase-dependent cytotoxicity was absent in cyclising (Group A) and in Group C compounds. Toxicity, expressed by comparison with 4-hydroxyanisole (4HA) (IC50 = 11.7 microM), ranged between 0.36 (4-hydroxybenzyl alcohol) and 1.07 (3-(4-hydroxyphenyl)propanol) for Group B compounds, and be-tween 0.83 (4-ethoxyphenol) and 2.08 (4-(2-hydroxyethylthio)phenol) for groups D, E and F. Addition of glutathione to the toxicity assay system abrogated the cytotoxic action and, on the basis of spectrophotometric data, this is ascribed to the prevention of cellular thiol depletion by the ortho-quinone products of tyrosinase oxidation of the phenolic substrates. The lack of toxicity of the group C compounds may be due to the inability of their derived quinones to gain access to the cells. Addition of catalase or deferoxamine to the incubation medium was without effect on tyrosinase-dependent toxicity.
Quantitative structure-activity relationships (QSAR) have suggested the importance of hydrogen bonding in relation to activation of the sensory irritant receptor by nonreactive volatile organic chemicals. To investigate this possibility further, three model compounds with different hydrogen bond acidity, trifluoroethanol, hexafluoroisopropanol and methyl hexafluoroisopropyl ether, were selected for study. The potency of each chemical is obtained from the concentration necessary to reduce respiratory rate in mice by 50% (RD50). The RD50 values obtained were: methyl hexafluoroisopropyl ether (> or = 160,000 ppm), trifluoroethanol (11,400-23,300 ppm), and hexafluoroisopropanol (165 ppm). QSAR showed that trifluoroethanol and methyl hexafluoroisopropyl ether behaved as predicted as nonreactive sensory irritants, whereas hexafluoroisopropanol was much more potent than predicted. The higher than predicted potency of hexafluoroisopropanol could be due to a coupled reaction, involving both strong hydrogen bonding and weak Brönsted acidity. A concerted reaction could thus be more efficient in activation of the receptor. Hydrogen bonding properties and concerted reactions may be important in the activation of the sensory irritant receptor by nonreactive volatile organic chemicals.
Rate constants have been determined for reactions between biologically significant thiols, represented by cysteine and glutathione, and a series of 10 4-substituted o-quinones, and unsubstituted o-quinone itself, generated by rapid disproportionation of the semiquinones formed from the corresponding catechols by pulse radiolysis. The quantitative structure-reactivity relationships were investigated by examining the correlation between the rate constants and various Hammett and other parameters characterizing the electronic nature of the substituents. From these relationships, it can be concluded that the o-quinone reactivity with thiols increases with the electron-withdrawing capacity of the substituent groups and that this effect is principally due to resonance effects. Such relationships allow the prediction of likely reactivities with cellular thiols of further o-quinones whose 4-substituents have known electronic parameters. These reactivities are likely to be one of the critical factors determining overall cytotoxicity, assisting in the choice of improved melanogenesis-targeted anti-melanoma drugs.
The effect of thiol compounds on the monophenolase activity of tyrosinase was investigated using 4-hydroxyanisole as the substrate and dithiothreitol (DTT) as the model thiol compound. We have demonstrated three actions of DTT on tyrosinase-catalysed reactions: (1) direct reduction of the copper at the active site of the enzyme; (2) generation of secondary, oxidizable species by adduct formation with the o-quinone reaction product, 4-MOB, which leads to an increase in the total oxygen utilization by the reaction system; and (3) reversible inhibition of the enzyme. We confirm our previous observation that, at approx. 10 mol of DTT/mol of enzyme, the lag phase associated with monohydric phenol oxidation by tyrosinase is abolished. We suggest that this is due to reduction of the copper at the active site of the enzyme by DTT, since (a) reduction of active-site copper in situ by DTT was demonstrated by [Cu(I)]2-carbon monoxide complex formation and (b) abolition of the lag at low DTT concentration occurs without effect on the maximum rate of reaction or on the total amount of oxygen utilized. At concentrations of DTT above that required to abolish the lag, we found that the initial velocity of the reaction increased with increasing DTT, with a concomitant increase in the total oxygen utilization. This is due to the formation of DTT-4-methoxy-o-benzoquinone (4-MOB) adducts which provide additional dihydric phenol substrate either directly or by reducing nascent 4-MOB. We present n.m.r. evidence for the formation of mono- and di-aromatic DTT adducts with 4-MOB, consistent with a suggested reoxidation scheme in the presence of tyrosinase. Inhibition of the enzyme at concentrations of DTT above 300 pmol/unit of enzyme was released on exhaustion of DTT by adduct formation with 4-MOB as it was generated.
It may be possible to use the melanogenic pathway as a therapeutic targeting strategy for melanoma, and encouraging clinical pilot studies of 4-hydroxyanisole have led to the search for more active analogue substrates of tyrosinase. A recent study of a range of alkoxy- and alkylthio-phenol analogues of tyrosine has shown that sulphur-containing compounds exhibit different behaviour to that of similar oxygen-containing compounds, indicating modified reactivities of their corresponding tyrosinase-induced o-quinones towards crucial cellular targets, in particular, thiols. We have therefore examined by pulse radiolysis the reactivities of a group of unstable alkylthio- and alkoxy-substituted o-quinones towards the biologically relevant thiols, cysteine and glutathione. The o-quinones were generated by rapid (microsecond) one-electron oxidation of the corresponding stable synthesized catechols, forming semiquinones which disproportionated over milliseconds to o-quinones. The latter reacted with the thiols in a pH-dependent manner, indicative of increased nucleophilicity of the thiolate anions as compared with their protonated forms, with rate constants in the region of 10(5)-10(6) M-1s-1. At pH 7.2, within the physiological range, the alkylthio-substituted o-quinones reacted with the thiols approximately 5-10 times faster than the alkoxy-substituted o-quinones. The corresponding alkylthio-substituted phenols might, therefore, in principle, be expected to be more effective targeted anti-melanoma drugs than their alkoxy-substituted counterparts. NMR studies of the reactions of several of the quinones with cysteine indicate that, where addition occurs, the product is exclusively the 6-S-cysteinyl-4-substituted-catechol.
Rate constants quantifying the reactivity of 4-methoxy ortho benzoquinone, formed in the metabolic activation of 4-hydroxyanisole, a possible melanocytotoxic drug under current assessment as a treatment for malignant melanoma, have been determined by pulse radiolysis. The quinone is reactive towards the thiols cysteine (k = 3.5x10(5)M-1sec-1), glutathione (k = 3.1x10(5)M-1sec-1) and dithiothreitol (k = 3.5x10(5)M-1sec-1), but relatively unreactive towards other nucleophiles such as arginine (k less than or equal to 1M-1sec-1) and glutamine (k less than or equal to 1M-1sec-1). Redox exchange with ascorbate also occurs (k = 1.0x10(4)M-1sec-1). In view of the low reactivity of 4-methoxy ortho benzosemiquinone towards oxygen (k less than or equal to 10(5)M-1sec-1) and the model lipid trans-2-butenoic acid (k less than or equal to 2x10(5)M-1sec-1), it is unlikely that initiation of lipid peroxidation by the semiquinone is a major source of cytotoxicity. A more likely toxicity pathway appears to be covalent addition reactions of 4-methoxy ortho benzoquinone with cellular nucleophiles, especially thiols, and/or redox exchange reactions of the quinone leading to antioxidant depletion.
Evidence is presented that the first and major product of the oxidation of 4-hydroxyanisole (4HA) by tyrosinase is 4-methoxy ortho benzoquinone (4-MOB). 4-MOB was synthesized by oxidation of 4HA by potassium nitrodisulphonate and comparisons made between the synthetic quinone and an extract of a reaction mixture in which 4HA had been completely oxidized by mushroom tyrosinase. The chemical species were found to be identical in UV/visible absorption spectrum, 1H-NMR spectrum, and by thin-layer chromatography.
It has been shown previously that the initial product of mushroom tyrosinase-catalysed oxidation of the monophenol 4-hydroxyanisole (4HA) is 4-methoxy ortho benzoquinone (4-MOB). This study presents evidence that 4-MOB is primarily responsible for the cytotoxicity of 4HA oxidation products in vitro. Equivalent toxicity in a model system was produced by products of tyrosinase catalysed oxidation of 4HA and by synthetic 4-MOB. Cytotoxicity was estimated both by a blebbing assay and by plating efficiency of exposed cells. HPLC analysis of the reaction mixture revealed a positive correlation between cytotoxicity and 4-MOB concentration.
Pulse radiolysis studies of anisyl-3,4-semiquinone, formed in the metabolic activation of 4-hydroxyanisole, a possible melanocytotoxic drug under current assessment as a treatment for malignant melanoma, have shown this semiquinone to be unreactive towards oxygen (k less than or equal to 10(5) M-1 s-1), although the reverse reaction of O2- with anisyl-3,4-quinone is very rapid (k = 8.7 x 10(8) M-1 s-1). Since 1,4 benzoquinone is also unreactive towards anisyl-3,4-semiquinone (k less than or equal to 10(5) M-1 s-1), the one-electron reduction potential, E17 (anisyl-3,4-quinone/anisyl-3,4-semiquinone), is likely to be considerably more positive than 0.1 V. This suggests that the cytotoxicity mechanism does not involve the generation of O2- and possible subsequent production of H2O2 and/or OH., leading to lipid peroxidation, as previously proposed, but rather involves as yet unknown reactions of anisyl-3,4-quinone. This quinone is unstable in water and its absorption spectrum was measured immediately (less than 0.1 s) following disproportionation of anisyl-3,4-semiquinone, before significant decay of the quinone had occurred.
The rate of oxidation by purified mushroom tyrosinase of 30 compounds was measured by oximetry, and the tyrosinase-dependent cytotoxicity of each estimated in an in vitro assay using exposure of non-melanogenic cells to the agents in the presence and absence of tyrosinase. Cytotoxicity was estimated by immediate inhibition of DNA synthesis; 4-hydroxyanisole was used as the reference material. Compounds that were not oxidized by tyrosinase were found to be non-toxic but there was no direct relationship between the rate of oxidation and the relative cytotoxicity of those materials that acted as substrates for the enzyme. Thioethers were found to be more cytotoxic than the corresponding phenoxyethers. This was partly due to their greater rate of oxidation by tyrosinase and, in the case of propylthiophenol, the consequence of higher effective toxicity of the lipophilic species. The optimum chain length for the side chain of the oxyethers was three saturated carbon atoms and the toxicity appeared to be influenced by the lipophilicity of the compounds, possibly reflecting the relative lipid solubility of the putative toxic ortho-quinones generated from them. The maximum tyrosinase-dependent toxicity observed was in the range 5-6 times the relative toxicity of 4-hydroxyanisole. Sulphinyl and sulphonyl derivatives were inactive. In addition to oxyethers and thioethers, esters and glycosides of oxyethers were also examined and were found to be toxic in the presence of tyrosinase when hydrolysed. The succinates were found to be oxidized and toxic in our test system, suggesting that they rapidly underwent spontaneous hydrolysis. Oximetry data suggest that slight spontaneous hydrolysis of the other compounds occurs but they were not toxic in our assay. Ring-methylated phenoxyethers were oxidized relatively slowly and were non-toxic. Fluorine-substituted phenoxyethers were oxidized slightly more rapidly and exhibited clear toxicity in our system. Sesamol was oxidized to a black pigment but was non-toxic in our assay. A water-soluble vitamin E derivative was not oxidized and was non-toxic. Allyl hydroquinone was not oxidized but exhibited significant direct toxicity.