The 2-oxidation activity on the pyrimidine ring of RS-8359, a MAO-A inhibitor, is the major metabolic pathway catalysed by aldehyde oxidase. This study investigated the species differences in the 2-oxidation activity by using liver cytosolic fractions from rats, mice, guinea-pigs, rabbits, dogs, monkeys and humans. The Vmax/Km value for the (S)-enantiomer of RS-8359 was extremely high in monkeys and humans, moderate in guinea-pigs, and low in rats and mice. Dogs were deficient in 2-oxidation activity. The (R)-enantiomer was only oxidized at a very low rate in guinea-pigs, monkeys and humans, and not oxidized in rats, mice and rabbits. Thus, marked species differences and enantioselectivity were obvious for the 2-oxidation of the (S)-enantiomer of RS-8359. The in vitro results were in good accordance with previously reported in vivo excretion data of the 2-keto metabolite and the non-detectable plasma concentrations of the (S)-enantiomer in monkeys and humans after administration of racemic RS-8359. Enantioselectivity was also observed for the oxidation of cinchona alkaloids catalysed by aldehyde oxidase. Among the four cinchona alkaloids studied, the oxidation activity of cinchonidine, which has no substituents at the 6-hydroxy group but bears (8S,9R)-configurations, was highest. As opposed to the (S)-enantiomer, an extremely high catalytic activity of cinchonidine was confirmed in rabbits, but not in monkeys or humans. Rabbit liver aldehyde oxidase was suggested to have characteristic properties around the active site.

In this study, we investigated the properties of monkey liver aldehyde oxidase directed toward the clarification of species differences. The aldehyde oxidase preparation purified from male cynomolgus monkey liver cytosol showed a major 150 kDa Coomassie brilliant blue (CBB)-stained band together with a minor 130 kDa band using sodium dodecyl sulfate-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis (SDS-PAGE). Both bands were identified as being aldehyde oxidase by a database search of the MS data obtained with nano-liquid chromatography, quardrupole time of flight, mass spectrometry (nano-LC Q/TOF MS). Based on the sequence coverage, the 130 kDa protein was presumed to be deficient in 20-30 kDa mass from the N-terminus. Full male cynomolgus monkey aldehyde oxidase cDNA was cloned and sequenced with the four degenerate primers designed by considering the peptide sequences containing the amino acids specific for monkey aldehyde oxidase. The deduced amino acid sequences had 96% amino acid identity with those of human enzyme. The aldehyde oxidase expressed in Escherichia coli also exhibited two immunoreactive bands on SDS-PAGE/Western blot analysis. Further, the biphasic pattern was observed for Eadie-Hofstee plots of the (S)-enantiospecific 2-oxidation activity of RS-8359 with the expressed and cytosolic monkey liver aldehyde oxidase. The results suggested that two forms of aldehyde oxidase in monkey were the expression products by a single gene. In contrast, the similarly expressed rat aldehyde oxidase showed only one immunoreactive protein and monophasic pattern. The biphasic phenomenon could be caused by the existence of two aldehyde oxidase isoforms or two active sites in a single enzyme or some other reasons. Further studies on the problems of the biphasic pattern and species differences in aldehyde oxidase are needed.

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In a previous paper by the authors on RS-8359, a new selective and reversible monoamine oxidase A (MAO-A) inhibitor, it was reported that the (S)-enantiomer of RS-8359 is rapidly eliminated from rats, monkeys and humans as a result of the formation of a 2-oxidative metabolite. The present study investigates the properties of the enzyme responsible for the 2-oxidation of RS-8359. Subcellular localization, cofactor requirement and the inhibitory effects of typical compounds were studied using rat liver preparations. In addition, the enzyme was purified from rat liver cytosol for further characterization. The enzyme activity was localized in the cytosolic fraction without the need for any cofactor and was extensively inhibited by menadione, chlorpromazine and quinacrine. The purified enzyme was also a homodimer with a monomeric molecular weight of 140 kDa and it had an A280/A450 ratio of 5.1 in the absorption spectrum. The results suggest that the enzyme responsible for the biotransformation of RS-8359 to give the 2-keto derivative is aldehyde oxidase (EC 1.2.3.1). The reaction of aldehyde oxidase is highly stereoselective for the (S)-configuration of RS-8359 and the (9R)-configuration of cinchona alkaloids.

Aldehyde oxidase catalysed 2-oxidation activity of the (S)-enantiomer of RS-8359, a selective and reversible monoamine oxidase A (MAO-A) inhibitor, was investigated in liver cytosolic fractions from ten rat strains. Remarkably large strain differences were observed with approximately a 230 variation between the highest activity in the Wistar-Imamichi strain and the lowest activity in the Slc:Wistar strain. The activities of Crj:SD and Slc:SD strain rats were considerably low, and that of the F344/DuCrj strain was very low. Among six Wistar strains, Crj:Wistar, Slc:Wistar, WKY/Izm, WKAH/Hkm, Jcl:Wistar and Wistar-Imamichi, the Slc:Wistar strain rats showed exceptionally low 2-oxidation activity that was comparable to that of the F344/DuCrj strain. The rat strain differences in the catalytic activity of aldehyde oxidase could correlate in part with the expressed levels of protein based on the mRNA of aldehyde oxidase. However, no small discrepancy existed in the almost negligible catalytic activity and the fairly high expression levels of protein and mRNA in the F344/DuCrj and Slc:Wistar strain rats. Some genetic factors might possibly be one of reasons for the discrepancy.