Vol. 31, Issue 2, 202-205, February 2003

Comparison of the Formation of N-Alkylprotoporphyrin IX after Interaction of Porphyrinogenic Xenobiotics with Single cDNA-Expressed Human P450 Enzymes in Microsomes Prepared from Baculovirus-Infected Insect Cells and Human Lymphoblastoid Cell Lines⁺

Jeremy T. Gamble, Kanji Nakatsu, and Gerald S. Marks

Department of Pharmacology and Toxicology, Faculty of Heath Sciences, Queen's University, Kingston, Ontario, Canada

In a previous study using microsomes from human lymphoblastoid cell lines (HLCL) containing single cDNA-expressed human cytochrome P450 (P450) enzymes, human P450 enzymes were identified that are susceptible to mechanism-based inactivation by the porphyrinogenic xenobiotics, 3-[(arylthio)ethyl]sydnone (TTMS), 3,5-diethoxycarbonyl-1,4-dihydro-2,6-dimethyl-4-ethylpyridine (4-ethylDDC) and allylisopropylacetamide (AIA). In this study, we tested the hypothesis that N-alkylprotoporphyrin IX (N-alkylPP) formation following interaction of porphyrinogenic xenobiotics with single cDNA-expressed human P450 enzymes in microsomes from HLCL would occur only with P450 enzymes that had undergone mechanism-based inactivation. In a previous study, when 4-ethylDDC and NADPH interacted with human liver microsomes possessing elevated levels of CYP1A2 and 2C9, N-ethylprotoporphyrin IX (N-ethylPP) was not formed despite the fact that it was formed in microsomes from baculovirus-infected insect cell lines (BIICL) containing either CYP1A2 or 2C9. In this study, we tested the hypothesis that 4-ethylDDC underwent biotransformation by CYP3A4 present in human liver microsomes, diverting the xenobiotic from CYP1A2 and 2C9. Fluorometry was used to measure N-alkylPP formation following interaction of porphyrinogenic xenobiotics and NADPH with cDNA-expressed human P450 enzymes in microsomes from HLCL or BIICL. With TTMS and 4-ethylDDC but not with AIA, N-alkylPP formation was observed only with human P450 enzymes CYP2D6, 1A2, 3A4, or 2C9 in microsomes from HLCL, which had undergone mechanism-based inactivation. Microsomes from BIICL containing CYP3A4 were added to a mixture of NADPH, 4-ethylDDC, and microsomes from BIICL containing CYP1A2 and 2C9. The addition of CYP3A4 to CYP1A2 and 2C9 did not decrease N-ethylPP formation, providing no support for the hypothesis.