Browsing by Author "Ivanetich, Kathryn M"

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    The biological properties of three trichothecene mycotoxins produces by fusaris
    (1986) Janse Van Rensburg, Daniel Francois; Thiel, Pieter G; Ivanetich, Kathryn M
    The highly toxic fungal metabolite, neosolaniol monoacetate, was isolated and purified from cultures of Fusarium sambucinum. Since little is known about its toxic properties, the biological effects of this trichothecene were compared to those caused by diacetoxy-scirpenol in male Wistar rats. The lesions caused by the two toxins were very similar. Chronic exposure to either toxin led to a significant decrease (P<0.05) in red blood cell counts and a significant increase (P<0.05) in platelet size. The major pathological lesions observed were atrophy of the actively dividing cells of the bone marrow, thymus, spleen and lymph nodes. The reported species difference in T-2 toxin toxicity was investigated by determining the deacylation rate of T-2 toxin to HT-2 toxin, one of the first steps in the detoxification of this trichothecene. The high deacylation rate catalysed by rat microsomes correlated with the low sensitivity of this species to T-2 toxin, whereas the low deacylation rates with cat and monkey microsomes agreed with their high sensitivity. In contrast to this, the apparently high toxicity of T-2 toxin to humans does not correlate with the high deacylation rate observed in human hepatic microsomes. Involvement of the UDP-glucuronyltransferases in the detoxification of T-2 toxin was studied with rat and pig hepatic microsomes. T-2 toxin and two of its metabolites, HT-2 toxin and T-2 tetraol, did not appear to act as substrates for these enzymes under the in vitro conditions used.
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    A comparison of the effects of xenobiotics on hepatic haem metabolism
    (1983) Ziman, Melanie Ruth; Ivanetich, Kathryn M
    Hepatic microsomal cytochrome P-450 has previously been postulated to be an important factor in determining the rates of hepatic haem biosynthesis and biodegradation. The basis for this proposal is that the haem moiety of cytochrome P-450 appears to be in equilibrium between binding to apocytochrome P-450 and existing in some form in the central hepatic pool of haem concerned with the regulation of the haem metabolic pathways. Consequently, any change in the levels of hepatic cytochrome P-450 would be anticipated to affect the pathways of hepatic haem biosynthesis and biodegradation. At the onset of this project, relatively few chemical agents were known to destroy cytochrome P-450 (either by degradation of the haem moiety of, or dissociation of the haem moiety from hepatic microsomal cytochrome P-450) and to affect hepatic haem biosynthesis and/or haem biodegradation (e.g. AIA, Cs₂ and various metals). We thus attempted to further establish the relationship between the ability of compounds to affect hepatic cytochrome P-450 and to affect hepatic haem metabolism in vivo, using the three anaesthetic agents, fluroxene, halothane and trichloroethylene. During the preparation of this thesis, several other chemicals have been found which destroy cytochrome P-450 and affect hepatic haem metabolism (e.g. norethisterone, morphine). In addition to the above, it has been attempted to clarify the roles of the degradation of different forms of cytochrome P-450 and of the different mechanisms of destruction of cytochrome P-450 in the control of hepatic haem metabolism. The three anaesthetic agents, fluroxene, halothane and trichloroethylene were chosen for study since they destroy cytochrome P-450 by apparently different mechanisms. Both fluroxene and trichloroethylene specifically degrade the haem moiety of different forms of cytochrome P-450, but fluroxene converts the haem moiety of cytochrome P-450 to an N-substituted porphyrin, while TCE apparently degrades the haem into uncoloured products. In contrast, halothane appears to degrade the haem of cytochrome P-450 to uncoloured products as well as to facilitate the dissociation of haem from intact cytochrome P-450.
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    The interaction of three local anaesthetic agents with hepatic microsomal cytochrome P-450
    (1981) Van den Honert, Leonard Howard; Ivanetich, Kathryn M
    The effect of inducing agents of cytochrome P-450 on the binding and metabolism of three local anaesthetic agents: lidocaine, mepivacaine and bupivacaine has been investigated. All three local anaesthetic agents bound to the type I binding site of cytochrome P-450, which is characteristic of substrate binding to cytochrome P-450, and stimulated the CO-inhibitable oxidation of NADPH. Lidocaine is shown to be metabolized by cytochrome P-450 to the products MEGX and acetaldehyde. The forms of cytochrome P-450 elevated with phenobarbital and/or pregnenolone-16α-carbonitrile were shown to play an important role in the binding of lidocaine to cytochrome P-450. Cytochrome P-448 did not appear to be involved in the binding of lidocaine to cytochrome P-450. These findings are supported by the ability of the inhibitors of cytochrome P-450 viz. metyrapone, SKF 525-A and CO:O₂ to inhibit binding of lidocaine to cytochrome P-450. No single form of cytochrome P-450 appears to preferentially metabolize lidocaine, but rather multiple forms of the enzyme appear to be involved in the metabolism of lidocaine. The phenobarbital inducible form of cytochrome P-450 appears to play a major role in the binding of mepivacaine to cytochrome P-450. Cytochrome P-450 in microsomes from rats pretreated with β-naphthoflavone and pregnenolone-16α-carbonitrile does not appear to have a significant role in the binding of mepivacaine to cytochrome P-450. All forms of cytochrome P-450 are involved in the metabolism of mepivacaine· to metabolic products as assessed by the oxidation of NADPH. However, the form of cytochrome P-450 induced by pretreatment of rats with phenobarbital may play a predominant role in the total metabolism of mepivacaine. Multiple forms of cytochrome P-450 appear to be involved in the binding and total metabolism of bupivacaine. As in the case of mepivacaine, the total metabolism of bupivacaine, as assessed by the oxidation of NADPH, may be predominantly catalyzed by the form of cytochrome P-450 found in microsomes from rats pretreated with phenobarbital. Partially purified cytochrome P-450 was found to bind lidocaine in a type I manner and, in the presence of the artificial electron donor H₂O₂, produce MEGX. This further supports the role of cytochrome P-450 in the in vitro metabolism of lidocaine. Hepatocytes were found to metabolize lidocaine to MEGX, indicating that lidocaine metabolism in vivo might well be mediated by cytochrome P-450.
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    The interaction of xenobiotics and anaesthetic agents with hepatic microsomal stearate desaturase
    (1980) Manca, Veronica; Harrison, Gaisford Gerald; Ivanetich, Kathryn M
    This thesis comprises an investigation into the reaction of halogenated xenobiotics and anaesthetic agents, with hepatic microsomal stearate desaturase. The levels of stearate desaturase in the hepatic microsomes were routinely elevated by re-feeding the experimental animals a high carbohydrate diet. The interaction of the xenobiotics with stearate desaturase was assessed by monitoring their effects on the redox steady state of hepatic microsomal cytochrome b₅, in the presence and absence of cyanide.
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    Isoflurane : interaction with hepatic microsomal enzymes
    (1992) Bradshaw, Jennifer Jean; Gevers, Wieland; Ivanetich, Kathryn M
    lsoflurane interacts with cytochrome P-450 in rat and human hepatic microsomes and the Δ6- and Δ5-desaturases in rat hepatic microsomes. The interaction of isoflurane with cytochrome P-450 results in its metabolism to fluoride ion and organofluorine metabolites. The cytochrome P-450 isozymes catalysing the defluorination of isoflurane were assessed in hepatic microsomes from phenobarbital-, β-naphthoflavone- and pregnenolone-16α-carbonitrilepretreated and untreated rats. One or more of the cytochrome P-450 isozymes induced by phenobarbital and pregnenolone-16α-carbonitrile appear to defluorinate isoflurane, but those induced by β-naphthoflavone do not. From a comparison of the extent of defluorination of isoflurane in hepatic microsomes from phenobarbital- and pregnenolone-16α-carbonitrile-pretreated rats, and their Kₘ and Vₘₐₓ values, it appears that isoflurane is defluorinated by one or more isozymes induced by both phenobarbital and pregnenolone-16α-carbonitrile. The major isozyme is probably cytochrome P-450PCN1. The metabolites of isoflurane were identified in human and phenobarbital-induced rat hepatic microsomes. In microsomes from phenobarbital-pretreated rats, isoflurane is metabolised to fluoride ion and trifluoroacetaldehyde; trifluoroacetic acid is not produced in measureable amounts. The trifluoroacetaldehyde produced binds to microsomal constituents. In human hepatic microsomes, the organofluorine metabolite is identified as trifluoroacetic acid. It is proposed that isoflurane is metabolised by different pathways in human and phenobarbital-induced rat hepatic microsomes. The interaction of isoflurane with the cyanide-sensitive factors was assessed by several criteria. Firstly, using the reoxidation of cytochrome b₅ as an index of fatty acid desaturase activity, isoflurane appears to interact with the Δ6- and/or Δ5-desaturases, but not the Δ9-desaturase. Secondly, these results were confirmed and clarified by the use of direct assays to measure the fatty acid desaturase activity. Using the direct assay, we confirmed that isoflurane did not inhibit the Δ9-desaturase and inhibited Δ6-desaturation of linoleic acid, but not the Δ6-desaturation of α-linolenic acid. The inhibition of the Δ6-desaturation of linoleic acid occurred at low millimolar concentrations of isoflurane. lsoflurane inhibits the Δ5-desaturation of eicosa-8, 11, 14-trienoic acid to a small extent which is only apparent at much higher concentrations of isoflurane than that which inhibits the Δ6-desaturase. Further studies focussed on measurement of the activity of Δ6-desaturase in order to attempt to study the kinetics of the inhibition of the Δ6-desaturase by isoflurane: Δ6-desaturase activity was assessed using hepatic microsomes as the source of the enzyme and linoleic acid as substrate precursor. In the course of these studies, we identified a number of factors that affected the apparent activity of the Δ6-desaturase in hepatic microsomes. These included significant levels of endogenous substrate and competing reactions in the hepatic microsomes. Endogenous substrate levels were quantified and corrected for. We then resorted to computer modelling to extract the kinetics of the Δ6-desaturase free of contributions from acyl-CoA synthetase and lysophospholipid acyltransferase, as well as enzyme decay. The kinetics of isoflurane inhibition of the Δ6-desaturase were then superimposed and studied by computer modelling.