Biomedical subjects
Publications and source records attributed to R D Howland.
Acrylamide was found to be tissue selective in its toxicity. Doses which were clearly neurotoxic to rats were without effect on hepatic UDP-glucuronyltransferase, total hepatic protein or microsomal protein.
The glucuronidation of o-aminophenol is unaffected by p-nitrophenyl gluronide when native microsomal fractions are the source of UDP-glucuronyltransferase. When microsomal fractions treated with Lubrol detergent are the source of the enzyme, however, p-nitrophenyl glucuronide exhibits competitive inhibition of o-aminophenol glucuronidation. In addition, the apparent K1 for p-nitrophenyl glucuronide is the same whether o-aminophenol or p-nitrophenol is the acceptor substrate. The data suggest that UDP-glucuronyltransferase has one binding site for the two phenols and that the absence of inhibition observed in native microsomal fractions is dependent on an intact microsomal membrane.
1. Hepatic microsomal UDP-glucuronyltransferase (EC 2.4.1.17) derived from either weanling or adult rats exhibits three pH optima, at pH 5.4, 7.2 and 9.2, when o-aminophenol is the acceptor substrate, whereas p-nitrophenol is the acceptor substrate only on pH optimum is observed, at pH 5.4.2. Prior treatment of rats of either age with 3-methylcholanthrene results in a 2-3-fold increase in o-aminophenol conjugation at pH 5.4 and a 6-9-fold increase at pH 9.2. At pH 7.2, the induced enzyme is 2 to 3 times more active towards o-aminophenol than the control enzyme, but no pH optimum is demonstrable. 3. o-Aminophenol conjugation at pH 5.4 and 9.2 is inhibited competitively by both p-nitrophenol and p-nitrophenyl glucuronide, suggesting that the two phenolic aglycones share the same binding site. At pH 7.2, however, p-nitrophenyl glucuronide does not inhibit o-aminophenol conjugation, suggesting that the binding site at this pH is not shared by the two phenols. These data are consistent with the existence of more than one binding site for o-aminophenol on UDP-glucuronyltransferase.