Abstract

Dihydralazine is known to induce immunoallergic hepatitis, and the anti-liver microsome (anti-LM) autoantibodies found in the serum of the patients have been reported to react with cytochrome P450 1A2 (CYP1A2). It is thus suggested that a reactive metabolite of dihydralazine covalently binds to the P450 protein and triggers an immunological response as a neoantigen. We investigated the selectivity of inactivation of P450 enzymes during the metabolism of dihydralazine to evaluate the target protein of its reactive metabolite. Liver microsomes from male Wistar rats were preincubated with dihydralazine in the presence of NADPH, followed by assays of several monooxygenase activities. Preincubation of microsomes of β-naphthoflavone-treated rats with dihydralazine resulted in time-dependent loss of phenacetinO-deethylase activity (an indicator of CYP1A2 activity), showing inactivation of CYP1A2 during the dihydralazine metabolism. The preincubation with dihydralazine was less effective on ethoxyresorufinO-deethylase activity in microsomes of β-naphthoflavone-treated rats (CYP1A1) and pentoxyresorufinO-depentylase activity in microsomes of phenobarbital-treated rats (CYP2B). On the other hand, preincubation of microsomes of untreated rats with dihydralazine caused time-dependent loss of testosterone 2α-, 16α- (CYP2C11), and 6β- (CYP3A) hydroxylase activities. These results demonstrated that dihydralazine was metabolically activated by CYP1A2, and the chemically reactive metabolite bound to the enzyme itself and inactivated it, as was suggested by the appearance of anti-LM antibodies in dihydralazine-hepatitis, whereas CYP2C and -3A enzymes were also suggested to be the enzymes that activate dihydralazine and lead to the target of the reactive intermediates.