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ABSTRACT:Irosustat is a novel steroid sulfatase inhibitor for hormone-dependent cancer therapy. Its structure is a tricyclic coumarin-based sulfamate that undergoes desulfamoylation in aqueous solution, yielding the sulfamoyl-free derivative, 667-coumarin. The aim of the present work was to study the in vitro metabolism of irosustat, including its metabolic profile in liver microsomes and hepatocytes, the potential species differences, and the identification of the main metabolites and of the enzymes participating in its metabolism. Irosustat was extensively metabolized in vitro, showing similar metabolite profiles among rat, dog, monkey, and humans (both sexes). In liver microsomes, the dog was the species that metabolized irosustat most similarly to metabolism in humans. Marked differences were found between liver microsomes and hepatocytes, meaning that phase I and phase II enzymes contribute to irosustat metabolism. Various monohydroxylated metabolites of irosustat and of 667-coumarin were found in liver microsomes, which mostly involved hydroxylations at the C8, C10, and C12 positions in the cycloheptane ring moiety. 667-Coumarin was formed by degradation but also by non-NADPH-dependent enzymatic hydrolysis, probably catalyzed by microsomal steroid sulfatase. The main metabolites formed by hepatocytes were glucuronide and sulfate conjugates of 667-coumarin and of some of its monohydroxylated metabolites. The major cytochrome P450 enzymes involved in the transformation of irosustat were CYP2C8, CYP2C9, CYP3A4/5, and CYP2E1. Moreover, various phase II enzymes (UDP-glucuronosyltransferases and sulfotransferases) were capable of conjugating many of the metabolites of irosustat and 667-coumarin; however, the clinically relevant isoforms could not be elucidated.

Hairy root cultures were obtained from hybrid clones of Duboisia myoporoides x D. leichhardtii following transformation by Agrobacterium rhizogenes strain A4. Shoots spontaneously regenerating from the hairy root cultures were rooted and transferred to soil. The plants displayed typical morphological alterations known as hairy root syndrome to varying degrees. PCR analysis confirmed that all transformed plants contained the rolA, rolB and rolC genes, irrespective of the degree of morphological alterations. A field test of the transformed regenerated plants revealed that those plants displaying the strongest hairy root syndrome symptoms had the highest content of the tropane alkaloid scopolamine. However, the overall scopolamine and hyoscyamine yield of all transformed plants was clearly reduced compared to untransformed control plants. These results demonstrate that the A. rhizogenes-transformed plants tested in this study do not provide a viable alternative to agricultural farming of hybrid clones of D. myoporoides x D. leichhardtii obtained by conventional breeding.

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