Biomedical subjects

J A Handler

Publications and source records attributed to J A Handler.

At least 37 records · Page 2Linked to original sources

PubMed1992

Oxidoreduction of butanol in deermice (Peromyscus maniculatus) lacking hepatic cytosolic alcohol dehydrogenase.

In view of conflicting information in the literature regarding enzyme systems responsible for alcohol oxidation in deermice previously reported to lack hepatic alcohol dehydrogenase (ADH) activity, the reversibility of butanol oxidation was studied in vivo and in liver-perfusion systems. Mixtures of [1,1-2H2]ethanol and butanol were given intraperitoneally to deermice lacking (ADH-) or possessing (ADH+) ADH activity, followed by analysis of alcohols in blood by GC/MS. 2H exchange between the two alcohols was seen in all experiments. In ADH- deermice, the 2H excess of butanol increased steadily and reached 18 +/- 5% after 2.5 h. In ADH+ deermice, butanol was rapidly eliminated and the 2H excess was about 7% after 0.5 h. In similar experiments with rats, the 2H excess was about 40% for 2 h. Perfusions of livers from ADH- deermice with mixtures of unlabelled and 1-[2H]butanol showed significant but slow intermolecular hydrogen transfer at C1, indicating oxidoreduction catalyzed by a dehydrogenase. Slow reduction of butanal was observed in mitochondria from ADH- deermice. ADH activity with a pH optimum of 10 and Km for ethanol of 6 mM was detected in the inner mitochondrial membranes from rats and deermice. However, low rates of oxidation observed in experiments carried out with perfused livers and in vitro suggest that this enzyme system does not contribute significantly to alcohol oxidation in vivo. Thus, perfused liver from ADH- deermice appears to be a useful system for studies of ADH-independent oxidation of alcohols. The 2H exchange between the alcohols seen in vivo indicates that both ethanol and butanol are substrates for a common extrahepatic dehydrogenase in ADH- deermice.

Alcohol Dehydrogenase↗

PubMed1992

Induction of peroxisomes by treatment with perfluorooctanoate does not increase rates of H2O2 production in intact liver.

Increases in acyl coenzyme A (CoA) oxidase activity due to peroxisome proliferation are postulated to cause oxidative stress via elevated production of H2O2, leading to DNA damage. These changes are suspected to be responsible for tumor formation caused by non-genotoxic carcinogens which do not bind to DNA but cause proliferation of peroxisomes. However, the activity of the peroxisomal enzyme acyl CoA oxidase assayed in vitro in the presence of excess fatty acyl CoA substrate may not reflect rates of H2O2 generation in intact liver where fatty acid supply is carefully controlled in part by delivery of substrate. The purpose of this work was to determine if rates of hepatic H2O2 generation were altered in perfused liver and in vivo following induction of H2O2-generating acyl CoA oxidase activity. Injection of the potent peroxisome proliferating agent perfluorooctanoate into rats 5 days prior to sacrifice caused an expected 4-fold increase of H2O2-generating acyl CoA oxidase activity measured in hepatic homogenates. In contrast, rates of H2O2 generation in perfused liver measured spectrophotometrically (660-640 nm) through a lobe of the liver were not altered by perfluorooctanoate treatment (7.3 +/- 1.5 vs. 7.8 +/- 0.5 mumol/g/h in livers from untreated control rats). Similar treatment with perfluorooctanoate also increased in vitro acyl CoA oxidase activity 9-fold in livers from deermice; however, rates of elimination of methanol, a selective substrate for catalase in rodents whose oxidation is limited by the supply of H2O2, were not altered significantly in vivo (control, 110 +/- 11 mumol/g/h vs. perfluorooctanoate, 112 +/- 32 mumol/g/h). Taken together, these data demonstrate that elevation of H2O2 formation by acyl CoA oxidase activity measured in vitro is not necessarily associated with increases in rates of H2O2 generation in intact perfused liver or in vivo, most likely due to rate-limitation in intact cells by fatty acid supply. These data do not support the hypothesis that the induction of peroxisomes leads to excessive H2O2 production and oxidative stress. It follows that alternative hypotheses to explain carcinogenesis caused by peroxisome-proliferating agents need to be considered.

Animals↗

PubMed1992

Chronic ethanol treatment induces H2O2 production selectively in pericentral regions of the liver lobule.

Chronic treatment with ethanol damages pericentral regions of the liver selectively, and reactive oxygen species such as H2O2 may be involved in the mechanism of hepatotoxicity. To test this idea, the effect of chronic treatment with ethanol on rates of H2O2 production was measured in tissue cylinders isolated from periportal and pericentral regions of livers from ethanol-treated rats. Rates of hydrogen peroxide production, assessed from the oxidation of methanol to formaldehyde by catalase-H2O2, were similar in tissue cylinders isolated from periportal regions in control and ethanol-treated rats. In contrast, rates of H2O2 production were over 4-fold higher in tissue isolated from pericentral regions of livers from ethanol-treated than control animals (1.7 +/- 0.5 vs. 0.4 +/- 0.3 nmol/min/mg protein, respectively). Rates of H2O2-generating acyl CoA oxidase activity were equivalent in tissue cylinders from periportal regions of livers from both groups (approximately 2 nmol/min/mg protein), but were over 2-fold higher in tissue cylinders from pericentral regions of livers from ethanol-treated rats than from controls. In contrast, catalase activity was increased nearly 2-fold in homogenates from both periportal and pericentral regions by ethanol treatment while glutathione peroxidase activity was decreased significantly in both regions. These data demonstrate that ethanol increases H2O2 generation in pericentral regions of the liver lobule in part by elevating rates of peroxisomal beta-oxidation of acyl CoA compounds and are consistent with the hypothesis that local increases in H2O2 production may be involved in the mechanism of ethanol-induced hepatotoxicity.

Acyl Coenzyme A↗

PubMed1991

Inhibition of ethanol metabolism by fructose in alcohol dehydrogenase-deficient deer mice in vivo.

The purpose of this work was to compare the roles of a newly described mitochondrial dehydrogenase and catalase in ethanol elimination in deer mice deficient in alcohol dehydrogenase (ADH-). Fructose was used because of its well-known ability to stimulate dehydrogenase-dependent ethanol metabolism. Rates of ethanol metabolism in vivo were decreased significantly by about 60% in a dose-dependent manner by fructose in deer mice fed an ethanol-containing or a corn oil control diet. In addition, rates of metabolism of methanol, a selective substrate for catalase in rodents, were similar to rates of ethanol elimination and were decreased from 6.9 +/- 1.0 to 1.7 +/- 0.5 mmol/kg/h by fructose, supporting the hypothesis that catalase and not a mitochondrial dehydrogenase predominates in ethanol oxidation in ADH-deer mice. Glycolate, a substrate for peroxisomal H2O2 generation, reversed the inhibition of alcohol metabolism by fructose completely, indicating that fructose did not inhibit catalase directly. As expected, the ATP/ADP ratio was decreased by fructose significantly from 4.2 +/- 0.4 to 2.4 +/- 0.4 in deer mouse livers. These data are consistent with the hypothesis that fructose decreases catalase-dependent ethanol metabolism in vivo by inhibiting hepatic H2O2 generation.

Adenine Nucleotides↗

PubMed1991

Studies on the reduction of endogenously generated prostaglandin G2 by prostaglandin H synthase.

Prostaglandin H synthase oxidizes arachidonic acid to prostaglandin G2 (PGG2) via its cyclooxygenase activity and reduces PGG2 to prostaglandin H2 by its peroxidase activity. The purpose of this study was to determine if endogenously generated PGG2 is the preferred substrate for the peroxidase compared with exogenous PGG2. Arachidonic acid and varying concentrations of exogenous PGG2 were incubated with ram seminal vesicle microsomes or purified prostaglandin H synthase in the presence of the reducing cosubstrate, aminopyrine. The formation of the aminopyrine cation free radical (AP.+) served as an index of peroxide reduction. The simultaneous addition of PGG2 with arachidonic acid did not alter cyclooxygenase activity of ram seminal vesicle microsomes or the formation of the AP.+. This suggests that the formation of AP.+, catalyzed by the peroxidase, was supported by endogenous endoperoxide formed from arachidonic acid oxidation rather than by the reduction of exogenous PGG2. In addition to the AP.+ assay, the reduction of exogenous versus endogenous PGG2 was studied by using [5,6,8,9,11,12,14,15-2H]arachidonic acid and unlabeled PGG2 as substrates, with gas chromatography-mass spectrometry techniques to measure the amount of reduction of endogenous versus exogenous PGG2. Two distinct results were observed. With ram seminal vesicle microsomes, little reduction of exogenous PGG2 was observed even under conditions in which all of the endogenous PGG2 was reduced. In contrast, studies with purified prostaglandin H synthase showed complete reduction of both exogenous and endogenous PGG2 using similar experimental conditions. Our findings indicate that PGG2 formed by the oxidation of arachidonic acid by prostaglandin H synthase in microsomal membranes is reduced preferentially by prostaglandin H synthase.

Animals↗

PubMed1990

Acute and chronic ethanol treatment in vivo increases malate-aspartate shuttle capacity in perfused rat liver.

The effects of acute and chronic treatment with ethanol on transport of reducing equivalents into mitochondria via the malate-aspartate shuttle were studied in perfused rat liver. The shuttle capacity was estimated from the decrease in rates of glucose production from the reduced substrate sorbitol caused by an increase in the NADH/NAD+ ratio in the cytosol due to metabolism of ethanol. The greater the capacity of the malate-aspartate shuttle, the smaller the inhibition of glucose synthesis by ethanol. Glucose synthesis was decreased about 2-fold less in livers from fasted rats treated acutely 2.5 h earlier with ethanol than in untreated controls. Chronic treatment with ethanol for 3-5 weeks prevented completely the decrease in glucose synthesis from sorbitol due to ethanol oxidation. Rates of ethanol uptake were elevated significantly from 69 +/- 7 mumols/g/h in livers from control rats up to 92 +/- 7 mumols/g/h in livers from SIAM rats. Similarly, rates of ethanol uptake were stimulated by chronic ethanol treatment from 71 +/- 6 to 222 +/- 15 mumols/g/h; this increase was largely sensitive to aminooxyacetate. Taken together, these data indicate that flux of reducing equivalents over the malate-aspartate shuttle is increased by both acute and chronic treatment with ethanol and that movement of reducing equivalents from the cytosol into the mitochondria via the malate-aspartate shuttle is an important rate determinant in hepatic ethanol oxidation.

Alanine↗

PubMed1990

Mitogenic signaling by epidermal growth factor (EGF), but not platelet-derived growth factor, requires arachidonic acid metabolism in BALB/c 3T3 cells. Modulation of EGF-dependent c-myc expression by prostaglandins.

Previously, we have shown that prostaglandins are necessary, but not sufficient, for the stimulation of mitogenesis in BALB/c 3T3 fibroblasts by epidermal growth factor (EGF) (Nolan, R. D., Danilowicz, R. M., and Eling, T. E. (1988) Mol. Pharmacol. 33, 650-656). The purpose of this work was to extend these findings to another potent mitogen, platelet-derived growth factor (PDGF), and to determine if metabolism of arachidonic acid to prostaglandins is necessary for stimulation of expression of the protooncogene c-myc by EGF, which is an early event in the mitogenic cascade. In BALB/c 3T3 cells grown to about 70% confluence and deprived of serum for 16-24 h, PDGF stimulated [3H]thymidine uptake into DNA significantly in a concentration-dependent manner, but did not increase production of prostaglandin E2 (PGE2). The addition of indomethacin, a prostaglandin H synthase inhibitor, or nordihydroguaiaretic acid, a lipoxygenase inhibitor, did not affect PDGF-stimulated thymidine uptake into DNA. In addition, PGE2 enhanced EGF-dependent, but not PDGF-dependent, mitogenesis. Taken together, the data support the hypothesis that prostaglandins are not involved in PDGF-dependent mitogenesis. In contrast, indomethacin (10(-6) M) and nordihydroguaiaretic acid (10(-6) M) inhibited EGF-stimulated thymidine uptake and c-myc expression by approximately 50%. Addition of PGG2 (10(-7) to 10(-5) M) in the presence of indomethacin and EGF restored the ability of EGF to elevate c-myc RNA levels and DNA synthesis. When PGF2 alpha (10(-8) to 10(-5) M) was added in the presence of EGF, c-myc RNA levels and thymidine incorporation were elevated up to 5-6-fold above levels observed with EGF alone. These data support the hypothesis that metabolism of arachidonic acid to prostaglandins is necessary for stimulation of c-myc expression by EGF in BALB/c 3T3 cells.

Animals↗

PubMed1990

Interactions between plasticizers and fatty acid metabolism in the perfused rat liver and in vivo. Inhibition of ketogenesis by 2-ethylhexanol.

Rates of ketone body (beta-hydroxybutyrate plus acetoacetate) production by perfused livers from starved rats were decreased about 60% from 39 +/- 2 to 17 +/- 3 mumol/g/hr by 2-ethylhexanol (200 microM), a primary metabolite of the plasticizer diethylhexyl phthalate. Inhibition of ketogenesis by ethylhexanol was dose dependent (half-maximal inhibition occurred with 25 microM) in the presence or absence of 4-methylpyrazole, an inhibitor of alcohol dehydrogenase. Concentrations of beta-hydroxybutyrate relative to acetoacetate (B/A) increased in a step-wise manner from 0.32 to 0.75 in the effluent perfusate when ethylhexanol was infused. In contrast, the B/A ratio decreased in parallel with inhibition of ketone body production when alcohol dehydrogenase was inhibited. Pretreatment of rats with phenobarbital, an inducer of omega and omega-1 hydroxylases, diminished inhibition of ketone body production by low (less than 50 microM) of ethylhexanol. Thus, ethylhexanol is oxidized via phenobarbital-inducible pathways to metabolites which do not inhibit ketogenesis. Studies were conducted to determine the site of inhibition of fatty acid oxidation by ethylhexanol. Rates of ketone body production in the presence of oleate (250 microM), which requires transport of the corresponding CoA compound into mitochondria, were reduced from 80 +/- 6 to 58 +/- 8 mumol/g/hr by ethylhexanol. In contrast, ketone body production from hexanoate, which is activated in the mitochondria, was not affected by ethylhexanol. Basal and oleate-stimulated rates of H2O2 production were not affected by ethylhexanol, indicating that peroxisomal beta-oxidation was not altered by the compound. Based on these data it is concluded that 2-ethylhexanol inhibits beta-oxidation of fatty acids in mitochondria but not in peroxisomes. Treatment of rats with ethylhexanol (0.32 g/kg, i.p.) decreased plasma ketone bodies from 1.6 to 0.8 mM, increased hepatic triglycerides and increased lipid predominantly in periportal regions of the liver lobule. These data indicate that alterations in hepatic fatty acid metabolism in periportal regions of the liver lobule may be early events in peroxisome proliferation.

Animals↗

PubMed1990

Redox interactions between catalase and alcohol dehydrogenase pathways of ethanol metabolism in the perfused rat liver.

Alcohol metabolism via alcohol dehydrogenase (ADH) and catalase was studied in perfused rat livers by measuring the oxidation of methanol and butanol, selective substrates for catalase and ADH, respectively. In livers from fasted rats, basal rates of methanol uptake of 15 +/- 1 mumol/g/h were decreased significantly to 8 +/- 2 mumol/g/h by addition of butanol. Concomitantly, pyridine nucleotide fluorescence detected from the liver surface was increased by butanol but not methanol. Both effects of butanol were blocked by an inhibitor of ADH, 4-methylpyrazole, consistent with the hypothesis that elevation of the NADH redox state by butanol inhibited H2O2 production via NAD+-requiring peroxisomal beta-oxidation, leading indirectly to diminished rates of catalase-dependent methanol uptake. In support of this idea, both butanol and butyraldehyde inhibited H2O2 generation. The NADH redox state was also elevated by xylitol, causing a 75% decrease in rates of methanol uptake by livers from fasted rats. This effect was not observed in livers from fed rats unless malate-aspartate shuttle activity was reduced by infusion of the transaminase inhibitor aminooxyacetate. Taken together, these data indicate that generation of reducing equivalents from ADH in the cytosol inhibits H2O2 generation leading to significantly diminished rates of peroxidation of alcohols via catalase. This phenomenon may represent an important physiological mechanism of regulation of ethanol oxidation in intact cells.

Alcohol Dehydrogenase↗

PubMed1989

Dehydrogenase-dependent ethanol metabolism in deer mice (Peromyscus maniculatus) lacking cytosolic alcohol dehydrogenase. Reversibility and isotope effects in vivo and in subcellular fractions.

Elimination of [2H]ethanol in vivo as studied by gas chromatography/mass spectrometry occurred at about half the rate in deer mice reported to lack alcohol dehydrogenase (ADH-) compared with ADH+ deer mice and exhibited kinetic isotope effects on Vmax and Km (D(V/K] of 2.2 +/- 0.1 and 3.2 +/- 0.8 in the two strains, respectively. To an equal extent in both strains, ethanol elimination was accompanied by an ethanol-acetaldehyde exchange with an intermolecular transfer of hydrogen atoms, indicating the occurrence of dehydrogenase activity. This exchange was also observed in perfused deer mouse livers. Based on calculations it was estimated that at least 50% of ethanol elimination in ADH- deer mice was caused by the action of dehydrogenase systems. NADPH-supported cytochrome P-450-dependent ethanol oxidation in liver microsomes from ADH+ and ADH- deer mice was not stereoselective and occurred with a D(V/K) of 3.6. The D(V/K) value of catalase-dependent oxidation was 1.8, whereas a kinetic isotope effect of cytosolic ADH in the ADH+ strain was 3.2. Mitochondria from both ADH+ and ADH- deer mice catalyzed NAD+-dependent ethanol oxidation and NADH-dependent acetaldehyde reduction. The kinetic isotope effects of NAD+-dependent ethanol oxidation in the mitochondrial fraction from ADH+ and ADH- deer mice were 2.0 +/- 0.1 and 2.3 +/- 0.3, respectively. The results indicate only a minor contribution by cytochrome P-450 to ethanol elimination, whereas the isotope effects are consistent with ethanol oxidation by the catalase-H2O2 system in ADH- deer mice in addition to the dehydrogenase systems.

Alcohol Dehydrogenase↗

PubMed1989

New perspectives in catalase-dependent ethanol metabolism.

The notion that catalase is a minor pathway of ethanol oxidation must be reexamined in view of recent work. Studies with aminotriazole demonstrate clearly that catalase can be the predominant pathway of ethanol metabolism. In addition, these studies illustrate that caution must be used in interpretation of work with aminotriazole unless the extent of inhibition of catalase is controlled carefully. Studies of rates of oxidation of butanol, a specific substrate for alcohol dehydrogenase, and methanol, a substrate for catalase, indicate that peroxidation via catalase supported by H2O2 formed by the peroxisomal beta-oxidation of fatty acids is the predominant pathway of alcohol oxidation in the fasted state.

Animals↗

PubMed1988

Hepatic ethanol metabolism is mediated predominantly by catalase-H2O2 in the fasted state.

Methanol and butanol were employed as selective substrates for catalase-H2O2 and alcohol dehydrogenase (ADH), respectively, in the perfused rat liver. As expected, rates of butanol metabolism accounted for over 85% of overall rates of alcohol oxidation indicating that ADH was the predominant pathway of alcohol metabolism in both the fed or fasted state in the absence of added substrate. In the fasted state, however, addition of oleate (1 mM) diminished butanol oxidation 20-25% yet increased rates of methanol oxidation over 4-fold. Under these conditions, methanol uptake accounted for nearly two-thirds of overall rates of alcohol oxidation. These data demonstrate that catalase-H2O2 is the predominant pathway of alcohol oxidation in the fasted state in the presence of fatty acids. Accordingly, it is concluded that diet and nutritional state play important roles in the contribution of the ADH and catalase pathways to alcohol oxidation.

Alcohol Dehydrogenase↗

PubMed1988

Catalase-dependent ethanol oxidation in perfused rat liver. Requirement for fatty-acid-stimulated H2O2 production by peroxisomes.

The purpose of this study was to measure rates of catalase-dependent ethanol uptake and rates of H2O2 generation in perfused rat livers in the presence of fatty acids of varying chain length. Rates of ethanol uptake in livers from fasted rats, perfused in a recirculating system, of about 80 mumol g-1 h-1 were decreased to about 10 mumol g-1 h-1 by the addition of an inhibitor of alcohol dehydrogenase (ADH), 4-methylpyrazole. The medium-chain-length fatty acid, laurate (12:0; 1 mM), increased rates of 4-methylpyrazole-insensitive ethanol uptake maximally to 80-85 mumol g-1 h-1. Rates of ethanol uptake diminished as the chain length of fatty acid was decreased [hexanoate (6:0) = 23 mumol g-1 h-1; octanoate (8:0) = 55 mumol g-1 h-1; decanoate (10:0) = 65 mumol g-1 h-1] or increased [myristate (14:0) = 77 mumol g-1 h-1; palmitate (16:0) = 80 mumol g-1 h-1; stearate (18:0) = 29 mumol g-1 h-1; oleate (18:1) = 60 mumol g-1 h-1; erucate (22:3) = 22 mumol g-1 h-1] from 12:0. Oleate did not increase rates of hydroxylation of p-nitrophenol, a substrate for the ethanol-inducible form of cytochrome P-450, indicating that the stimulation of ethanol uptake by fatty acids was not due to increased mixed-function oxidation. The increase of ethanol uptake was also not due to displacement of 4-methylpyrazole from ADH by fatty acids, since oleate stimulated ethanol uptake by about 50% in perfused livers from deermice genetically deficient in ADH. The increase in 4-methylpyrazole-insensitive ethanol uptake by fatty acids was blocked by the catalase inhibitor, aminotriazole, indicating the involvement of catalase. Rates of H2O2 generation by livers perfused in a non-recirculating system with 1.7% albumin were increased from 6 +/- 1 to 23 +/- 5 mumol g-1 h-1 by oleate (1 mM). Because of the discrepancy between rates of ethanol metabolism and H2O2 production, methods were developed to measure H2O2 production in a recirculating perfusion system. H2O2 generation was determined from the time necessary for steady-state level of catalase-H2O2, measured spectrophotometrically (660-640 nm) through a lobe of the liver, to return to basal values after the addition of a known quantity of methanol, which is not metabolized by ADH in the rat.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 400 WORDS)

Animals↗

PubMed1988

Identification of P-450ALC in microsomes from alcohol dehydrogenase-deficient deermice: contribution to ethanol elimination in vivo.

Isozyme 3a of rabbit hepatic cytochrome P-450, also termed P-450ALC, was previously isolated and characterized and was shown to be induced 3- to 5-fold by exposure to ethanol. In the present study, antibody against rabbit P-450ALC was used to identify a homologous protein in alcohol dehydrogenase-negative (ADH-) and -positive (ADH+) deermice, Peromyscus maniculatus. The antibody reacts with a single protein having an apparent molecular weight of 52,000 on immunoblots of hepatic microsomes from untreated and ethanol-treated deermice from both strains. The level of the homologous protein was about 2-fold greater in microsomes from naive ADH- than from naive ADH+ animals. Ethanol treatment induced the protein about 3-fold in the ADH+ strain and about 4-fold in the ADH- strain. The antibody to rabbit P-450ALC inhibited the microsomal metabolism of ethanol and aniline. The homologous protein, termed deermouse P-450ALC, catalyzed from 70 to 80% of the oxidation of ethanol and about 90% of the hydroxylation of aniline by microsomes from both strains after ethanol treatment. The antibody-inhibited portion of the microsomal activities, which are attributable to the P-450ALC homolog, increased about 3-fold upon ethanol treatment in the ADH+ strain and about 4-fold in the ADH- strain, in excellent agreement with the results from immunoblots. The total microsomal P-450 content and the rate of ethanol oxidation were induced 1.4-fold and 2.2-fold, respectively, by ethanol in the ADH+ strain and 1.9-fold and 3.3-fold, respectively, in the ADH- strain. Thus, the total microsomal P-450 content and ethanol oxidation underestimate the induction of the P-450ALC homolog in both strains. A comparison of the rates of microsomal ethanol oxidation in vitro with rates of ethanol elimination in vivo indicates that deermouse P-450ALC could account optimally for 3 and 8% of total ethanol elimination in naive ADH+ and ADH- strains, respectively. After chronic ethanol treatment, P-450ALC could account maximally for 8% of the total ethanol elimination in the ADH+ strain and 22% in the ADH- strain. Further, cytochrome P-450ALC appears to be responsible for about one-half of the increase in the rate of ethanol elimination in vivo after chronic treatment with ethanol. These results indicate that the contribution of P-450ALC to ethanol oxidation in the deermouse is relatively small. Desferrioxamine had no effect on rates of ethanol uptake by perfused livers from ADH-negative deermice, indicating that ethanol oxidation by a hydroxyl radical-mediated mechanism was not involved in ethanol metabolism in this mutant.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 400 WORDS)

Alcohol Dehydrogenase↗

PubMed1987

Inhibition of catalase-dependent ethanol metabolism in alcohol dehydrogenase-deficient deermice by fructose.

Hepatic microsomal fractions from ADH (alcohol dehydrogenase)-negative deermice incubated with an NADPH-generating system metabolized butanol and ethanol at rates around 10 nmol/min per mg. In contrast, cytosolic catalase from ADH-negative deermouse liver oxidized ethanol, but not butanol, when incubated with an H2O2-generating system. Thus butanol is oxidized by cytochrome P-450 in microsomal fractions, but not by cytosolic catalase, in tissues from ADH-negative deermice. In perfused livers from ADH-negative deermice, rates of ethanol uptake at low concentrations of ethanol (1.5 mM) were about 60 mumol/h per g, yet butanol (1.5 mM) uptake was undetectable (less than 4 mumol/h per g). At higher concentrations of alcohol (25-30 mM), rates of ethanol uptake were about 80 mumol/h per g, whereas rates of butanol uptake were only about 9 mumol/h per g. Because rates of butanol metabolism via cytochrome P-450 in deermice were more than an order of magnitude lower than rates of ethanol uptake in livers from ADH-negative deermice, it is concluded that ethanol uptake by perfused livers from ADH-negative deermice is catalysed predominantly via catalase-H2O2. In support of this conclusion, rates of H2O2 generation, which are rate-limiting for the peroxidation of ethanol by catalase, were about 65 mumol/h per g in livers from ADH-negative deermice, values similar to rates of ethanol uptake of about 60 mumol/h per g measured under identical conditions. Rates of ethanol uptake by perfused livers from ADH-positive, but not from ADH-negative, deermice were increased by about 50% by infusion of fructose. Thus it is concluded that the stimulation of hepatic ethanol uptake by fructose is dependent on the presence of ADH. Unexpectedly, fructose decreased rates of ethanol metabolism and H2O2 generation by about 60% in perfused livers from ADH-negative deermice, probably by decreasing activation of fatty acids and thus diminishing rates of peroxisomal beta-oxidation.

Alcohol Dehydrogenase↗

PubMed1987

Fatty acids supply H2O2 at high rates for the oxidation of ethanol by catalase.

Fatty acids are physiological substrates for H2O2 production via peroxisomal beta-oxidation and have been shown to increase ethanol metabolism markedly in a system that involves catalase-H2O2. To try to understand why fatty acid-stimulated ethanol uptake occurs much faster than rates of H2O2 generation reported previously, studies were conducted to measure these parameters under identical conditions in the perfused rat liver. New methods were developed to measure H2O2 generation in a recirculating perfusion system based on the fact that methanol is oxidized only by catalase in rat liver. One method for measuring H2O2 generation in the perfused liver was based on the linear decrease in the concentration of methanol per unit time and the stoichiometry between H2O2 production and methanol oxidation of nearly 1:1. A second method relied on quantitation of the time necessary for the steady-state level of catalase-H2O2 measured spectrophotometrically (660-640 nm) through a lobe of the liver to return to basal values following the addition of known quantities of methanol. Basal rates of H2O2 production measured with both new methods and rates of 4-methylpyrazole- insensitive ethanol oxidation were similar (9 to 17 mumol/g/hr). Rates of H2O2 generation were increased up to 80 mumol/g/hr by addition of oleate or palmitate (1 mM), values which compared well with rates of fatty acid-stimulated palmitate (1 mM), values which compared well with rates of fatty acid-stimulated ethanol uptake of 70 to 90 mumol/g/hr measured in the presence of 4-methylpyrazole.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)

Animals↗

PubMed1986

Catalase-dependent ethanol metabolism in vivo in deermice lacking alcohol dehydrogenase.

Pathways of ethanol elimination in alcohol dehydrogenase (ADH)-positive and -negative deermice were studied using the catalase inhibitor, 3-amino-1,2,4-triazole. To verify that aminotriazole inhibited catalase effectively, the characteristic decrease in catalase-H2O2 which occurs in saline-treated controls when ethanol is peroxidized was monitored at 660-640 nm in perfused deermouse livers. Following 1.5 hr of pretreatment with aminotriazole (1.5 g/kg), the peroxidatic activity of catalase measured in vitro was inhibited by greater than 99%. Under these conditions, ethanol did not decrease catalase-H2O2 in perfused livers, indicating that catalase was inhibited. Ethanol and aniline oxidation by microsomes were also inhibited by about 67-90% after 1.5 hr of pretreatment with aminotriazole. In ADH-positive deermice, pretreatment with aminotriazole for 1.5 hr prior to injection of ethanol (2.0 g/kg) decreased rates of ethanol elimination in vivo from 13.2 +/- 0.8 to 10.2 +/- 0.4 mmoles/kg/hr. In ADH-negative deermice, similar treatment decreased rates of ethanol elimination in vivo from 4.5 +/- 0.4 to 1.1 +/- 0.6 mmoles/kg/hr. Following pretreatment with aminotriazole (1.0 g/kg) for 6 hr, rates of ethanol elimination in ADH-negative deermice returned to near basal values. Under these conditions, the peroxidatic activity of catalase measured in vitro and the ethanol-dependent decrease in catalase-H2O2 in perfused livers also returned to near basal levels; however, the oxidation of ethanol by cytochrome P-450 was inhibited completely. It is concluded, therefore, that time of pretreatment with aminotriazole is an important variable which must be controlled carefully to inhibit catalase completely. Since catalase was active while cytochrome P-450 was not following 6 hr of pretreatment with aminotriazole, it is concluded that ethanol elimination occurs predominantly via catalase-H2O2 in ADH-negative deermice under these conditions.

Alcohol Dehydrogenase↗

PubMed1986

Mechanism of zone-specific hepatic steatosis caused by valproate: inhibition of ketogenesis in periportal regions of the liver lobule.

Microvacuolar steatosis in periportal regions of the liver lobule was produced by injection of fasted rats with a single dose of valproate (500 mg/kg, subcutaneously). In livers perfused in the absence of exogenous fatty acids, ketone body (acetoacetate + beta-hydroxybutyrate) production was decreased by valproate (500 microM) maximally by 67%. Concomitantly, NADH fluorescence detected from the liver surface declined about 30% with a time course similar to that of the inhibition of ketogenesis. Valproate had little effect on oxygen uptake but caused an elevation of the steady state level of catalase-H2O2 corresponding to an increase in H2O2 production of about 6 mumol/g/hr. In addition, valproate decreased the rate of oxidized glutathione release into bile by 45% but had little effect on bile flow. In the presence of oleate (250 microM), valproate inhibited ketone body production by 46% and decreased NADH fluorescence by 39%. Rates of ketogenesis in periportal and pericentral regions of the liver lobule were calculated from changes in NADH fluorescence detected with micro-light guides during infusion of valproate in the presence and absence of fatty acids. In the absence of valproate, endogenous ketogenesis was about 35 mumol/g/hr in both regions of the liver lobule. In the presence of oleate, however, rates were significantly higher in pericentral regions (89 +/- 2 mumol/g/hr) than in periportal areas (71 +/- 3 mumol/g/hr). In the presence of added oleate, valproate decreased rates of ketogenesis to 34 +/- 4 mumol/g/hr in periportal regions and 51 +/- 3 mumol/g/hr in pericentral areas. We conclude, therefore, that fat accumulates in periportal areas because valproate depresses ketogenesis to a greater extent in hepatocytes localized around the portal triad.

Animals↗