Metabolic pathways of the mutagen 2-amino-3,8-dimethylimidazo[4,5-f]quinoxaline (MeIQx) remain incompletely characterized in humans. In this study, the metabolism of MeIQx was investigated in primary human hepatocytes. Six metabolites were characterized by UV and mass spectroscopy. Novel metabolites were additionally characterized by 1H NMR spectroscopy. The carcinogenic metabolite, 2-(hydroxyamino)-3,8-dimethylimidazo[4,5-f]quinoxaline, which is formed by cytochrome P450 1A2 (P450 1A2), was found to be transformed into the N(2)-glucuronide conjugate, N(2)-(beta-1-glucosiduronyl)-2-(hydroxyamino)-3,8-dimethylimidazo[4,5-f]quinoxaline. The phase II conjugates N(2)-(3,8-dimethylimidazo[4,5-f]quinoxalin-2-yl)sulfamic acid and N(2)-(beta-1-glucosiduronyl)-2-amino-3,8-dimethylimidazo[4,5-f]quinoxaline, as well as the 7-oxo derivatives of MeIQx and N-desmethyl-MeIQx, 2-amino-3,8-dimethyl-6-hydro-7H-imidazo[4,5-f]quinoxalin-7-one (7-oxo-MeIQx), and 2-amino-6-hydro-8-methyl-7H-imidazo[4,5-f]quinoxalin-7-one (N-desmethyl-7-oxo-MeIQx), thought to be formed exclusively by the intestinal flora, were also identified. A novel metabolite was characterized as 2-amino-3-methylimidazo[4,5-f]quinoxaline-8-carboxylic acid (IQx-8-COOH), and it was the predominant metabolite formed in hepatocytes exposed to MeIQx at levels approaching human exposure. IQx-8-COOH formation is catalyzed by P450 1A2. This metabolite is a detoxication product and does not induce umuC gene expression in Salmonella typhimurium strain NM2009. IQx-8-COOH is also the principal oxidation product of MeIQx excreted in human urine [Turesky, R., et al. (1998) Chem. Res. Toxicol. 11, 217-225]. Thus, P450 1A2 is involved in both the metabolic activation and detoxication of this procarcinogen in humans. Analogous metabolism experiments were conducted with hepatocytes of untreated rats and rats pretreated with the P450 inducer 3-methylcholanthrene. Unlike human hepatocytes, the rat cell preparations did not produce IQx-8-COOH but catalyzed the formation of 2-amino-3,8-dimethyl-5-hydroxyimidazo[4,5-f]quinoxaline as a major P450-mediated detoxication product. In conclusion, our results provide evidence of a novel MeIQx metabolism pathway in humans through P450 1A2-mediated C(8)-oxidation of MeIQx to form IQx-8-COOH. This biotransformation pathway has not been detected in experimental animal species. Considerable interspecies differences exist in the metabolism of MeIQx by P450s, which may affect the biological activity of this mutagen and must be considered when assessing human health risk.

Metabolism of the carcinogen 2-amino-1-methyl-6-phenylimidazo[4,5-b]pyridine (PhIP) has been compared in human and rat hepatocytes. The identities of seven metabolites were confirmed by UV and mass spectroscopy and by co-elution with reference standards using HPLC. In human hepatocytes, the major biotransformation pathway of PhIP was cytochrome P4501A2 (CYP1A2)-mediated N-oxidation to form the genotoxic metabolite 2-(hydroxyamino)-1-methyl-6-phenylimidazo[4,5-b]pyridine (HONH-PhIP), which underwent glucuronidation at the N(2) and N3 positions of PhIP to form stable conjugates. These products combined accounted for as much as 60% of the added PhIP. Direct glucuronidation of PhIP at the N(2) and N3 positions also occurred, accounting for up to 20% of the amount added. Glucuronide and sulfate conjugates of 2-amino-4'-hydroxy-1-methyl-6-phenylimidazo[4,5-b]pyridine (4'-HO-PhIP) were also detected, comprising 5 and 12% of the products, respectively. The CYP1A2 inhibitor furafylline diminished the formation of both HONH-PhIP glucuronide conjugates in a concentration-dependent manner, however, levels of 4'-HO-PhIP were unchanged, indicating that CYP1A2 does not significantly contribute to 4'-hydroxylation of PhIP. Hepatocytes of male rats, both untreated and pretreated with the CYP1A2 inducer 3-methylcholanthrene (3-MC) transformed PhIP into 4'-HO-PhIP as the prominent product. Unconjugated and conjugated 4'-HO-PhIP metabolites combined accounted for 18 and 46% of the PhIP products in untreated and in 3-MC-pretreated rat hepatocytes, respectively. The isomeric glucuronide conjugates of HONH-PhIP combined accounted for 11 and 26% of the PhIP, respectively, in untreated and 3-MC-pretreated hepatocytes. The regioselectivity of glucuronidation of PhIP was different in human and rat hepatocytes. Human liver UDP-glucuronosyltransferases favored conjugation to the N(2) positions of PhIP and HONH-PhIP, while the N3 atom was the preferred site of conjugation for the rat enzymes. Thus, important differences exist between human and rat enzymes in catalytic activity and regioselectivity of PhIP metabolism. Some human hepatocyte populations are more active at transforming PhIP to a genotoxic species than rat hepatocytes pretreated with the potent CYP1A2 inducer 3-MC.

Recent studies have demonstrated that two chemoprotective agents, oltipraz (OPZ), a synthetic derivative of the natural compound 1, 2-dithiole-3-thione (D3T), and sulforaphane (SF), an isothiocyanate, are not only inducers of glutathione S-transferases but also inhibitors of some major cytochrome P450 enzymes (P450s) involved in xenobiotic metabolism. We examined P450 inhibition by the two compounds and compared two OPZ metabolites (OPZ M(3) and M(8)) and D3T using human P450s expressed in Escherichia coli membranes. OPZ was a more potent inhibitor than D3T or SF, in the following order of inhibition: P450 1A2 > 3A4 > 1A1 approximately 1B1 > 2E1. OPZ M(3) also inhibited P450s 1A2, 1A1, 1B1, and 3A4 but not more effectively than OPZ. OPZ M(8) was not inhibitory. OPZ behaved as a competitive inhibitor of P450 1A2, with a K(i) of 1.5 microM. Incubation of P450 1A2 with OPZ and NADPH led to a first-order loss of the P450 spectrum, and the loss was not blocked by glutathione. No such time-dependent loss of P450 was seen with P450 1A2 and D3T, P450 1A2 and OPZ M(3), P450 1A2 and SF, P450 3A4 and OPZ, P450 3A4 and D3T, P450 2E1 and OPZ, or P450 2E1 and D3T. The time- and concentration-dependent loss of P450 1A2 activity in the presence of OPZ was characterized with a K(i) of 9 microM and a k(inactivation) of 0.19 min(-)(1). The activation of 2-amino-3,5-dimethylimidazo[4, 5-f]quinoline (MeIQ) in an E. coli lac-based mutagenicity tester system containing functional human P450 1A2 was inhibited by OPZ (IC(50) < 1 microM) but not appreciably by 40 microM D3T. Our results indicate that OPZ is a competitive and mechanism-based inhibitor of P450 1A2, and the extent of this inhibition is significantly greater than that of other chemoprotective chemicals with P450 1A2 or other human P450s.