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11B NMR spectroscopy of peptide boronic acid inhibitor complexes of alpha-lytic protease. Direct evidence for tetrahedral boron in both boron-histidine and boron-serine adduct complexes.

We have previously shown, using 15N and 1H NMR spectroscopy, that MeOSuc-Ala-Ala-Pro-boroPhe and certain other boronic acid inhibitors form boron-histidine adducts with alpha-lytic protease instead of transition-state-like tetrahedral boron-serine adducts as is generally supposed [Bachovchin, W. W., Wong, W. Y. L., Farr-Jones, S., Shenvi, A. B., & Kettner, C. (1988) Biochemistry 27, 7689-7697]. An X-ray crystallographic study of the MeOSuc-Ala-Ala-Pro-boroPhe complex with alpha-lytic protease [Bone, R., Frank, D., Kettner, C. A., & Agard, D. A. (1989) Biochemistry 28, 7600-7609] has confirmed the existence of the boron-histidine bond but has concluded that the boron atom is trigonal rather than tetrahedral. Here we report a 11B NMR study at 160.46 MHz of this histidine adduct complex and of two other complexes known to be serine adducts: alpha-lytic protease with MeOSuc-Ala-Ala-Pro-boroVal and chymotrypsin with MeOSucAla-Ala-Pro-boroPhe. The 11B NMR chemical shifts demonstrate that the boron atom is tetrahedral in both the histidine and serine adduct complexes.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)

Amino Acid Sequence

Boron neutron capture radiation therapy of cerebral gliomas: an analysis of the possible use of boron-loaded tumor-specific antibodies for the selective concentration of boron in gliomas.

The possibility of achieving a therapeutically useful tissue boron distribution for boron neutron capture therapy (BNCT) of cerebral gliomas with boron loaded tumor-specific antibodies is discussed. Using a theoretical tumor-immunological model and RBE dose-depth calculations, the effects of various parameters, e.g. antibody-antigen association constant, antigen site density, number of boron atoms per antibody molecule, etc., on the advantage depth, a relative measure of the resulting radiation dose distributions, are determined. It is shown that with this model a maximum in the advantage depth as a function of the blood boron concentration occurs, the position of which is dependent on the value of the parameters used. Frequently this maximum corresponds to a blood boron-10 concentration range of between 0.1 to 0.5 microgram 10B/g blood. It is concluded that given the pharmacodynamic properties of potentially useful antibody preparations for this type of tumor therapy, advantage depths significantly greater than those obtainable with existing "blood-brain-barrier" compounds are not likely to be easily achieved.

Antibodies, Neoplasm

The relationship of blood- and urine-boron to boron exposure in borax-workers and usefulness of urine-boron as an exposure marker.

Daily dietary-boron intake and on-the-job inspired boron were compared with blood- and urine-boron concentrations in workers engaged in packaging and shipping borax. Fourteen workers handling borax at jobs of low, medium, and high dust exposures were sampled throughout full shifts for 5 consecutive days each. Airborne borax concentrations ranged from means of 3.3 mg/m3 to 18 mg/m3, measured gravimetrically. End-of-shift mean blood-boron concentrations ranged from 0.11 to 0.26 microgram/g; end-of-shift mean urine concentrations ranged from 3.16 to 10.72 micrograms/mg creatinine. Creatinine measures were used to adjust for differences in urine-specific gravity such that 1 ml of urine contains approximately 1 mg creatinine. There was no progressive increase in end-of-shift blood- or urine-boron concentrations across the days of the week. Urine testing done at the end of the work shift gave a somewhat better estimate of borate exposure than did blood testing, was sampled more easily, and was analytically less difficult to perform. Personal air samplers of two types were used: one, the 37-mm closed-face, two-piece cassette to estimate total dust and the other, the Institute of Occupational Medicine (IOM) sampler to estimate inspirable particulate mass. Under the conditions of this study, the IOM air sampler more nearly estimated human exposure as measured by blood- and urine-boron levels than did the sampler that measured total dust.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)

Adult

Borocaptate sodium: a potential boron delivery compound for boron neutron capture therapy evaluated in dogs with spontaneous intracranial tumors.

Borocaptate sodium (Na2B12H11SH) is a boron-carrying compound under consideration for use in boron neutron capture therapy. The biodistribution of boron from borocaptate sodium administration will partly determine boron neutron capture therapy efficacy and normal tissue radiation tolerance. The biodistribution of boron was determined in 30 dogs with spontaneous intracranial tumors at 2, 6, or 12 hr after intravenous borocaptate sodium infusion. Blood and tissue boron concentrations were measured using inductively coupled plasma atomic emission spectroscopy. Mean tumor boron concentration (mean +/- standard error) was 35.9 +/- 4.6 (n = 15), 22.5 +/- 6.0 (n = 9), and 7.0 +/- 1.1 micrograms of boron per g (n = 6) at 2, 6, and 12 hr, respectively, after borocaptate sodium infusion. Peritumor boron concentrations were elevated above that of normal brain in half of the dogs. Normal brain boron concentration (mean +/- standard error) was 4.0 +/- 0.5, 2.0 +/- 0.4, and 2.0 +/- 0.3 micrograms of boron per g at 2, 6, and 12 hr after infusion, respectively. Some cranial and systemic tissues, and blood, had high boron concentration relative to tumor tissue. Geometric dose sparing should partly offset these relatively high normal tissue and blood concentrations. Borocaptate sodium biodistribution is favorable because tumor boron concentrations of recommended magnitude for boron neutron capture therapy were obtained and there was a high tumor-to-normal brain boron concentration ratio.

Animals

Biodistribution of boron sulfhydryl for boron neutron capture therapy in patients with intracranial tumors.

The biodistribution of boron sulfhydryl (BSH) was evaluated for boron neutron capture therapy of brain tumors. A selective boron delivery to the neoplasm is a prerequisite for successful therapy. The uptake of BSH after intravenous administration was analyzed in neoplastic and normal tissues in 61 patients undergoing craniotomies for intracranial tumors. The patients received 10 to 100 mg of BSH/kg (5-50 mg of 10B/kg) body weight, 2 to 72 hours before surgery. The tumor boron concentrations ranged from 0.2 ppm (micrograms/g) in a low-grade glioma to 19.5 ppm in a high-grade glioma. The tumor to blood boron ratio rose above 1 in 15 of 24 high-grade intracerebral tumors, 18 h or more after BSH infusion. The boron concentration in high-grade tumors was heterogeneous. Low-grade intracerebral tumors showed a low boron concentration with a tumor to blood ratio below 1. Extracerebral tumors, mainly meningiomas, showed boron concentrations comparable with high-grade tumors, with a tumor to blood ratio above 1 in 10 of 17 patients. The boron concentrations in skin and muscle compared roughly with the blood values. Boron did not enter normal brain in any significant amount. In high-grade tumors, tumor to brain ratios were above 2. Low boron concentrations in normal brain make BSH safe for a Phase I normal tissue tolerance study. Computed tomographic contrast enhancement was evaluated to tumor boron uptake for 30 patients. Tumor enhancement on computed tomography does not permit the prediction of individual tumor boron concentrations; however, the absence of a contrast enhancement was always associated with low boron uptake.

Adult

Boron neutron capture therapy: linkage of a boronated macromolecule to monoclonal antibodies directed against tumor-associated antigens.

Two new protein-binding polyhedral boron derivatives, isocyanatoundecahydro-closo-dodecaborate(2-) (1) and isocyanato(trimethylamino)octahydro-closo-decaborate(1 -) (2), were synthesized. These anionic isocyanates have long hydrolysis half-lives at pH 7 and react readily with primary or secondary aliphatic amines resulting in spontaneous urea linkage. Utilizing 1, 1100 boron atoms (7.3% boron by weight) were incorporated per molecule of a polyclonal antibody directed against human thymocytes (anti-thymocyte globulin) without denaturation. However, immunoreactivity of the conjugates was lost. Reaction of 1 and 2 with polylysine yielded boronated macromolecules containing 21-28% boron by weight (up to 2000 boron atoms per molecule). Polylysine boronated with 2 was successfully linked to antibody molecules employing the heterobifunctional linking molecules N-succinimidyl 3-(2-pyridyldithio)propionate (SPDP) and m-maleimidobenzoyl sulfosuccinimide ester (sulfo-MBS). Separation of the conjugated antibody from the free boronated macromolecules and unconjugated antibody molecules has been achieved by gel filtration on a Sephacryl S-300 column. By linking boronated polylysine to antibodies, greater than 10(3) boron atoms were incorporated with the attachment of this species to one or more sites on the antibody molecule. The resulting immunoconjugates contained greater than 10(3) boron atoms per molecule, retained their immunoreactivity, and potentially might be useful for the selective delivery of large numbers of boron atoms to tumor cells.

Animals

Model studies directed toward the boron neutron-capture therapy of cancer: boron delivery to murine tumors with liposomes.

The successful treatment of cancer by boron neutron-capture therapy (BNCT) requires the selective concentration of boron-10 within malignant tumors. The potential of liposomes to deliver boron-rich compounds to tumors has been assessed by the examination of the biodistribution of boron delivered by liposomes in tumor-bearing mice. Small unilamellar vesicles with mean diameters of 70 nm or less, composed of a pure synthetic phospholipid (distearoyl phosphatidylcholine) and cholesterol, have been found to stably encapsulate high concentrations of water-soluble ionic boron compounds. The hydrolytically stable borane anions B10H10(2-), B12H11SH2-, B20H17OH4-, B20H19(3-), and the normal form and photoisomer of B20H18(2-) were encapsulated in liposomes as their soluble sodium salts. The tissue concentration of boron in tumor-bearing mice was measured at several time points over 48 h after i.v. injection of emulsions of liposomes containing the borane anions. Although the boron compounds used do not exhibit an affinity for tumors and are normally rapidly cleared from the body, liposomes were observed to selectively deliver the borane anions to tumors. The highest tumor concentrations achieved reached the therapeutic range (greater than 15 micrograms of boron per g of tumor) while maintaining high tumor-boron/blood-boron ratios (greater than 3). The most favorable results were obtained with the two isomers of B20H18(2-). These boron compounds have the capability to react with intracellular components after they have been deposited within tumor cells by the liposome, thereby preventing the borane ion from being released into blood.

Animals

Experimental boron neutron capture therapy for melanoma: systemic delivery of boron to melanotic and amelanotic melanoma.

The boron-containing melanin precursor analogue p-boronophenylalanine (BPA) has previously been shown to selectively deliver boron to pigmented murine melanomas when administered in a single intragastric dose. If boron neutron capture therapy is to become a clinically useful method of radiation therapy for human malignant melanoma, the boron carrier must be capable of delivering useful amounts of boron to remote tumor sites (metastases) and to poorly pigmented melanomas. We have now determined the ability of BPA to accumulate in several nonpigmented melanoma models including human melanoma xenografts in nude mice. The absolute amount of boron in the nonpigmented melanomas was about 50% of that observed in the pigmented counterparts but was still selectively concentrated in the tumor relative to normal tissues in amounts sufficient for effective neutron capture therapy. Single intragastric doses of BPA resulted in selective localization of boron in the amelanotic Greene melanoma carried in the anterior chamber of the rabbit eye and in a pigmented murine melanoma growing in the lungs. The ratio of the boron concentration in these tumors to the boron concentration in the immediately adjacent normal tissue was in the range of 3:1 to 4:1. These distribution studies support the proposal that boron neutron capture therapy may be useful as a regional therapy for malignant melanoma.

Animals

A comparative study on the pharmacokinetics and biodistribution of boronated porphyrin (BOPP) and sulfhydryl boron hydride (BSH) in the RG2 rat glioma model.

Boron neutron capture therapy is a treatment modality for cancer that depends on the specific uptake of boron by the tumor cells. The infiltrative growth of malignant gliomas requires that boron reach and accumulate in migrating cells outside the margin of the tumor; thus, it is important that the biodistribution of new boron compounds is also studied in the surrounding healthy brain tissue. This study is undertaken in the present work, in which the biodistribution and pharmacokinetics of sulfhydryl boron hydride (BSH) and boronated porphyrin (BOPP) in the RG2 rat glioma model are investigated. This model mimics the characteristics of human glioma with cells migrating into the surrounding brain. The animals were infused intravenously with either BSH (25 micrograms or 175 micrograms of boron per gram of body weight) or BOPP (12 micrograms of boron per gram body weight). For the low dose of BSH, the maximum tumor-boron content was 8 ppm at approximately 9 hours after the infusion with a tumor-to-blood ratio of 0.6. At the higher dose, the corresponding figures were 15 ppm after 12 hours with a tumor-to-blood ratio of 0.5. For BOPP, a tumor-boron concentration of 81 ppm was achieved 24 hours after the infusion and sustained in that range for at least 72 hours. The tumor-to-blood ratio at 24 hours was slightly above 6, but continued to increase as the blood was cleared. These results indicate that both compounds are spread into the normal brain tissue following the same pathways as the migrating tumor cells and in this way can be taken up even in distant tumor cell foci.

Animals

Plasma boron and the effects of boron supplementation in males.

Recently, a proliferation of athletic supplements has been marketed touting boron as an ergogenic aid capable of increasing testosterone. The effect of boron supplementation was investigated in male bodybuilders. Ten male bodybuilders (aged 20 to 26) were given a 2.5-mg boron supplement, while nine male bodybuilders (aged 21 to 27) were given a placebo for 7 weeks. Plasma total and free testosterone, plasma boron, lean body mass, and strength measurements were determined on day 1 and day 49 of the study. A microwave digestion procedure followed by inductively coupled argon plasma spectroscopy was used for boron determination. Twelve subjects had boron values at or above the detection limit with median value of 25 ng/ml (16 ng/ml lower quartile and 33 ng/ml upper quartile). Of the ten subjects receiving boron supplements, six had an increase in their plasma boron. Analysis of variance indicated no significant effect of boron supplementation on any of the other dependent variables. Both groups demonstrated significant increases in total testosterone (p < 0.01), lean body mass (p < 0.01), and one repetition maximum (RM) squat (p < 0.001) and one RM bench press (p < 0.01). The findings suggest that 7 weeks of bodybuilding can increase total testosterone, lean body mass, and strength in lesser-trained bodybuilders, but boron supplementation affects these variables not at all.

Adult

Effects of boron supplementation on bone mineral density and dietary, blood, and urinary calcium, phosphorus, magnesium, and boron in female athletes.

The effects of boron supplementation on blood and urinary minerals were studied in female college students--17 athletes and 11 sedentary controls--over a one-year period. The athletes had lower percent body fat and higher aerobic capacities than sedentary controls. Athletic subjects consumed more boron in their normal diets than sedentary subjects; all other dietary measures were similar between the two groups. The athletes showed a slight increase in bone mineral density, whereas the sedentary group showed a slight decrease. Serum phosphorus concentrations were lower in boron-supplemented subjects than in subjects receiving placebos, and were lower at the end of the study period than during baseline analysis. Activity depressed changes in serum phosphorus in boron-supplemented subjects. Serum magnesium concentrations were greatest in the sedentary controls whose diets were supplemented with boron, and increased with time in all subjects. A group x supplement interaction was observed with serum magnesium; exercise in boron-supplemented subjects lowered serum magnesium. In all subjects, calcium excretion increased over time; in boron-supplemented subjects, boron excretion increased over time. In all subjects, boron supplementation affected serum phosphorus and magnesium, and the excretion of urinary boron.

Adult

Enhanced boron uptake in RG 2 rat gliomas by electropermeabilization in vivo--a new possibility in boron neutron capture therapy.

Accumulation of boron in tumor tissue is an indispensable requirement for boron neutron capture therapy and it is important that the uptake is as high as possible. In this work we have studied the influence of electropermeabilization in vivo on the uptake of boron in normal and RG 2 glioma bearing Fischer 344 rats. Two different boron compounds, a sulfhydryl boron hydride (BSH) and a boronated porphyrin (BOPP), have been investigated. The rats were infused intravenously during 5 min with 175 micrograms BSH/g body weight or 12 micrograms BOPP/g body weight. Two electrodes were placed 5 mm apart in the brain and electropermeabilization was performed with eight square 400 V pulses at 4 and 7 min after the end of the infusion. After 6 h the animals were killed, and the boron content in the tumors and the surrounding brain was measured with neutron-activated autoradiography. In electropermeabilized healthy animals the BOPP uptake was low and limited to the electrode lesions, whereas BSH was spread extensively throughout the hemisphere. Rats with gliomas showed doubled (BOPP) to 10-fold (BSH) uptake of boron in the tumor when electropermeabilization was performed as compared with untreated animals. We conclude that electropermeabilization in the future may provide an interesting possibility to increase the uptake of certain boron compounds before neutron capture therapy.

Animals

Analytical techniques for boron and boron 10 analysis in a solid experimental tumor EO. 771.

If a tumor can be preferentially loaded with a suitable boron-10 compound and irradiated with thermal neutrons, malignant cells can be selectively destroyed via the alpha-particle + Li 7-nucleus from the reaction 10B(n, alpha)7Li. Neutron capture therapy with two boron-10 amino acid analogs of low toxicity has been tested in recent years: (a) trimethylamine-carboxyborane, (A3) and (b) amine-carboxyborane, (A7). Now the boron-10 glycineamide analog (A8), amineboryl-carboxamide has been synthesized; it contains 13.81% boron (90% Boron 10 + 10% Boron 11) and shows a very low toxicity in mice. The effects of this compound were tested on the syngeneic solid adenocarcinoma EO 771 on the right hind leg of male C57 BL/6J mice under standard conditions, by measuring tumor volume growth delay and cell cycle changes using flow cytometry. Boron distribution between tumor and muscle was analyzed by emission spectroscopy with inductively coupled plasma (ICP) following injection of a suspension of peanut oil emulsion. In addition, boron-10 concentration in the tumor were analyzed with prompt gamma-activation analysis and neutron capture radiography (Kodak-Pathé LR 115) at the MRR reactor in Brookhaven after i.p. injection of 0.4 mg/g A8. Application of A8 alone (0.4 mg/g i.p.) or thermal neutron irradiation of the tumor EO. 771 produced a tumor growth delay of 1-2 days for tumor volume doubling. Application of the boron 10 glycine-amide analog A8 i.p. plus 5 X 10(12)n/cm2 resulted in a growth delay of 3-6 days. In contrast intratumoral application of A8 plus 4 X 10(12)n/cm2 neutrons gave a growth delay of 7-14 days; the fraction of (G2 + M) cells rose from 35% (neutrons alone) to 52%, as evaluated from flow cytometry.

Adenocarcinoma

Effect of boron supplementation on blood and urinary calcium, magnesium, and phosphorus, and urinary boron in athletic and sedentary women.

It has been reported that boron may be beneficial for optimal calcium metabolism and, thus, optimal bone metabolism. Therefore, we designed a study to determine the effects of boron supplementation on blood and urinary minerals in athletic subjects and sedentary control subjects consuming self-selected typical Western diets. Serum phosphorus concentrations were lower in boron-supplemented subjects than in placebo-supplemented subjects. Compared with all other subjects, serum magnesium concentrations were greatest in the sedentary control subjects supplemented with boron and increased with time in all subjects. Exercise training diminished changes in serum phosphorus concentrations caused by boron supplementation. Calcium excretion increased over time in all groups combined, and boron excretion increased over time in all boron-supplemented subjects. The findings suggest that boron supplementation modestly affected mineral status, and exercise modified the effects of boron supplementation on serum minerals.

Adult

In vitro determination of uptake, retention, distribution, biological efficacy, and toxicity of boronated compounds for neutron capture therapy: a comparison of porphyrins with sulfhydryl boron hydrides.

A major problem remaining in the evaluation of boronated compounds for neutron capture therapy (NCT) is the need to know the intra- or extracellular microdistribution of boron. This is a consequence of the short range of the 10B(n,alpha)7Li reaction products (approximately 10 microns), such that biological efficacy is dependent upon intracellular distribution. In particular, if boron location is predominantly extracellular, a significant reduction in efficacy would be expected. The in vitro procedure described here was developed mainly to provide information regarding the intra- and extracellular location and concentration of boron. However, use of the technique also allows the measurement of compound uptake and retention (binding) and the determination of biological efficacy by the evaluation of survival curves obtained following irradiation with thermal neutrons. Comparison is made to results obtained with boric acid (H3(10)BO3) and to results calculated for various boron distributions. Concomitantly, an indication of compound toxicity can be obtained from the plating efficiency of unirradiated control cells. Currently, most investigators utilize in vivo systems for testing and evaluating boron uptake from various carrier molecules. Given the large number of boron compounds being synthesized and needing evaluation as to their usefulness for NCT, the in vitro technique described here is simple and advantageous for initial compound screening. In addition to sparing animal lives, it is both time and cost effective and utilizes much smaller quantities of test compound than are required for an in vivo assay. A boronated porphyrin (BOPP) evaluated by the above procedure shows an uptake and retention approximately 20 times that of sulfhydryl boron hydride monomer (BSH); the latter compound is currently being used clinically for NCT in Japan and is anticipated for use in clinical trials in the United States. If the advantages demonstrated by BOPP in these in vitro studies are validated in animal experiments, BOPP should be considered for clinical application.

Animals

Performance of sulfhydryl boron hydride in patients with grade III and IV astrocytoma: a basis for boron neutron capture therapy.

This study investigated the rationale of boron neutron capture therapy (BNCT) for the treatment of Grade III and IV astrocytoma. The European Community joint research program on BNCT plans to use sulfhydryl boron hydride (BSH) in clinical trials. The work presented here, examines the performance of BSH in eight patients with Grade III and IV astrocytoma using a measurement technique which precisely correlates the boron uptake with the histology of the tumor and the peritumoral brain. Astrocytomas are exceptionally heterogeneous and spread migrating tumor cells into the surrounding brain. The patients were infused with 50 mg BSH per kilogram of body weight at 12, 18, 24 or 48 hours before surgery. At the time of operation, specimens were obtained of the tumor, skin, muscle, dura, blood, urine, and, when surgically possible, the brain adjacent to tumor. In three patients the intracellular boron distribution was investigated by subcellular fractionation. The blood clearance was biphasic with half-lives of 0.6 and 8.2 hours. After 3 days, approximately 70% of the dose injected was excreted in the urine. The maximum boron concentration in the tumor was 20 ppm, 12 hours after the infusion. The tumor-to-blood ratios ranged between 0.2 and 1.4, with the highest values after 18 to 24 hours. In the brain specimens the boron concentration never exceeded 1 ppm. This work confirms a selective uptake of boron in the tumor compared to the surrounding brain and that boron, to some extent, is incorporated in the tumor cells.

Astrocytoma

Changes in boron concentration during development and ageing of Drosophila and effect of dietary boron on life span.

Total boron concentrations in Drosophila changed during development and ageing. The highest concentration of boron was found during the egg stage followed by a decline during the larval stages. Newly emerged flies contained 35.5 ppm boron. During the adult stage the boron concentration increased by 52% by 9 weeks of age. Adding excess dietary boron during the adult stage decreased the median life span by 69% at 0.01 M sodium borate and by 21% at 0.001 M sodium borate. Lower concentrations gave small but significant increases in life span. Supplementing a very low boron diet with 0.00025 M sodium borate improved life span by 9.5%. The boron contents of young and old mouse tissues were similar to those of Drosophila and human samples. We conclude that moderate levels of dietary boron may have a general protective effect in biological systems. The mechanism of this effect at present remains unknown.

Aging