Since carcinogenic arylamines are sequentially oxidized and conjugated with glucuronic acid, differences in glucuronidation may critically determine the toxic potential of these compounds. Therefore, N-glucuronidation of 1- and 2-naphthylamine (1-NA and 2-NA),4-aminobiphenyl(4-ABP) and their N-hydroxy derivatives was investigated using rat and human liver microsomes and V79 cell-expressed phenol UDP-glucuronosyltransferases (UGT) of the UGT1 gene complex. Cell-expressed UGTs included rat and human UGT1.6, which are known to conjugate planar phenols, and human UGT1.7, conjugating both planar and bulky phenol. (i) N-Glucuronidation of 1- and 2-NA and of N-hydroxy-2-NA was inducible by 3-methylcholanthrene in rat liver microsomes whereas N-glucuronidation of the bulky arylamines 4-ABP and N-hydroxy-4-ABP was not. In support of these findings mutagenicity of N-hydroxy-2-NA in the Ames test was markedly reduced upon addition of UDP-glucuronic acid using liver homogenates from 3-methylcholanthrene-treated rats. (ii) With cell-expressed rat UGT1.6, non-carcinogenic 1-NA was conjugated with the highest rate and with higher affinity than 2-NA. UGT1.6 showed poor activity towards N-hydroxy-4-ABP and 4-ABP. (iii) Substrate specificity of human UGT1.6 also appeared to be limited to planar 1-NA, 2-NA and its N-hydroxy derivative, whereas UGT1.7 showed broader substrate specificity, including the bulky arylamine 4-ABP and its N-hydroxy derivative. The results suggest marked differences in substrate specificity of different UGT isozymes for arylamines and their N-hyroxy derivatives.

Functions and regulation of selected human UDP-glucuronosyltransferases (UGT1A1, UGT1A4, UGT1A6, UGT1A9, UGT2B7, UGT2B15) are summarized. Evidence for at least two PAH-inducible UGTs (UGT1A6 and UGT1A9) is presented, which, however, are also constitutively expressed in a tissue- and cell-specific manner. These isoforms have recently been characterized to conjugate planar and bulky phenols, respectively. Using a selective RT-PCR method, UGT1A6 expression was detected in a variety of tissues (liver, kidney, lung, intestine, and pharyngeal mucosa). PAH-inducible UGTs may cooperate in the metabolism of phenolic metabolites of benzo(a)pyrene. Studies with stably expressed isoforms suggest that UGT1A9 is responsible for the formation of benzo(a)pyrene-3.6-diphenol diglucuronide, the major biliary metabolite of benzo(a)pyrene.

1. Isozymes of the cytochromes P-450, UDP-glucuronosyl transferases (UDPGT) and glutathione S-transferases appear to be differentially inducible by prototype inducers, such as 3-methylcholanthrene (MC), phenobarbital, pregnenolone 16 alpha-carbonitrile and clofibrate. 2. Mechanisms of induction include both transcriptional and post-transcriptional control. MC-type inducers (representing a large number of planar polycyclic aromatics, beta-naphthoflavone and polyhalogenated aromatics) bind with high affinity to the Ah receptor which controls gene expression similar to steroid hormone receptors. The Ah receptor controls the expression of several drug metabolizing enzymes. For example, both cytochrome P450 IA1 and UDPGT-1 appear to be co-induced by inducers with widely differing potencies, such as 2,3,7,8-tetrachloro-dibenzo-p-dioxin, 1,2,3,7,8-pentachloro-dibenzo-p-dioxin and benz(a)anthracene. Much less is known about the mechanism of action of other inducer prototypes. 3. Induction and co-induction of drug-metabolizing enzymes are generally considered as adaptive responses leading to more efficient elimination and detoxication of xenobiotics such as benzo(a)pyrene. For example, when the mutagenicity of benzo(a)pyrene and benzo(a)pyrene-3,6-quinone was studied in the Ames test, glucuronidation or glutathione conjugation (concomitant with cytochrome P-450-dependent reactions) markedly decreased their mutagenicity. The protective effect was more pronounced with the homogenate S9 fraction of MC-treated rats. However, at 'non-physiological' levels of exposure enzyme induction may lead to increased toxic risk.

Differential induction of rat-liver microsomal uridine diphospho-glucuronosyltransferase (UGT) activities by 3-methylcholanthrene or phenobarbital provided the model to separate and purify the corresponding UGT enzymes, initially termed GT1 and GT2, respectively. Characterization of these enzymes helpful in the sequencing of the first inducible UGTs, now termed UGT1A6 and UGT2B1, may be considered the founding members of the current two evolutionarily conserved UGT families. Comparison of hepatic UGT1A6 induction by Ah-receptor (AhR) ligands in different species revealed low basal expression and high induction in rodents but high constitutive expression and moderate induction in humans. Induction of UGT1A6 by AhR was studied in the Caco-2 human colon carcinoma cell line. Similar to the induction of cytochrome-1 (CYP1) enzymes, the induction of human UGT1A6 was due to the binding of AhR to a common binding motif, a xenobiotic response element (XRE) in the promoter/enhancer region of the gene. Coordinate induction of CYPs and UGTs attenuates the generation of mutagenic benzo[a]pyrene metabolites, facilitating detoxification of the carcinogen. In addition and similar to observations with CYPs, UGTs may be responsible for homeostatic control of AhR ligands, such as bilirubin, a fruitful area to be studied in the future.

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