The roles of flavin-containing monooxygenases (FMOs) in the oxidation of seleno-L-methionine (SeMet) to L-methionine selenoxide (MetSeO) were investigated using cDNA-expressed human FMOs, purified rat liver FMOs, and rat liver microsomes. MetSeO and the N-2,4-dinitrophenylderivatives of SeMet and MetSeO were synthesized and characterized by 1 H-NMR and ESI/MS. These reference compounds were then used to develop a sensitive HPLC assay to monitor SeMet oxidation to MetSeO. Formation of MetSeO in rat liver microsomes was time-, protein concentration-, SeMet concentration-, and NADPH-dependent. The microsomal activity exhibited a SeMet K m value (mean ±S.D.; n=4) of 0.91 ± 0.29 mM and a V max value of 44 ± 8.0 nmol MetSeO/ mg protein/min. Inclusion of 1-benzylimidazole, superoxide dismutase or deferoxamine caused no inhibition of the rat liver microsomal activity. Because these results suggested the involvement of FMOs in the oxidation of SeMet in rat liver microsomes, formation of MetSeO was also examined using cDNA-expressed human and purified rat FMOs. The results showed that both rat and human FMO1 and FMO3 but not FMO5 can catalyze the reaction. The SeMet kinetic constants were obtained with purified rat liver FMO3 (K m = 0.11 mM, V max = 280 nmol/mg protein/min) and rat liver FMO1 (K m = 7.8 mM, V max = 1200 nmol/mg protein/min). Because SeMet has anti-cancer, chemopreventive, and toxic properties, the kinetic results suggest FMO3 is likely to play a role in the biological activities of SeMet at low exposure conditions.

ABSTRACT:S-Allyl-L-cysteine (SAC), a component of garlic and a metabolite of allyl halides, is a known substrate for multiple flavin-containing monooxygenases (FMOs). In the current study, we characterize the in vivo SAC metabolism by investigating the presence of SAC, N-acetyl-S-allyl-L-cysteine (NASAC), and their corresponding sulfoxides in the urine of rats given SAC (200 or 400 mg/kg i.p.). In some experiments, rats were given aminooxyacetic acid (AOAA), an inhibitor of cysteine conjugate ␤-lyase, or methimazole, an alternative FMO substrate, 30 min prior to treatment with 200 mg/kg SAC. Nearly 40 to 50% of the dose was recovered in the 24-h collection period. In all treatment groups, the majority of the metabolites were excreted within 8 h. The major metabolites detected were NASAC and NASAC sulfoxide (NASACS; nearly 30-40% and 5-10% of the dose, respectively). Only small amounts of the dose (approximately 1.5%) were recovered as SAC and SAC sulfoxide (SACS). Methimazole pretreatment significantly reduced amounts of both SACS and NASACS detected in the urine when compared with rats given SAC only, whereas AOAA pretreatment had no effect. In vitro assays using rat liver microsomes were also carried out to compare the sulfoxidation rates of SAC and NASAC. The results showed that SAC was much more readily oxidized than NASAC. Collectively, the results provide evidence for the involvement of FMOs in the in vivo metabolism of SAC and that SAC is a much better substrate for FMOs than its corresponding mercapturic acid. (SAC 1 ) is a significant water-soluble allyl sulfur component in garlic preparations (Weinberg et al., 1993), a component which has been shown to have antioxidant and anticancer properties in animals (Sumiyoshi and Wargovich, 1990;Hatono et al., 1996;Ho et al., 2001). SAC has been shown to have antiproliferative effects on neuroblastoma (Welch et al., 1992), melanoma (Takeyama et al., 1993), and prostate carcinoma cells (Pinto et al., 1997). However, the mechanisms of the anticancer properties of SAC are unclear. S-Allyl-L-cysteineSAC is also a known metabolite of allyl halides and allyl esters, including allyl chloride, allyl bromide, sodium allyl sulfate, and allyl nitrate (Kaye et al., 1972;Kaye, 1973). It results from the formation of the glutathione conjugate of the allyl halide or ester. The glutamate and glycine moieties of S-allyl-glutathione are then cleaved by ␥-glutamyl transpeptidase and dipeptidases to yield SAC.Our laboratory has previously shown that SAC is a substrate for multiple rabbit and human flavin-containing monooxygenases (FMOs). FMOs are microsomal enzymes that catalyze the NADPHdependent oxidation of many compounds that contain sulfur, nitrogen, selenium, and phosphorus (Ziegler, 1993). Previously, we have shown that SAC is metabolized to the greatest extent by cDNA-expressed rabbit FMO3 followed by FMO1 and then FMO2, but SAC showed no activity with rabbit FMO5 (Ripp et al., 1997). More recently and using cDNA-expressed human FMOs, SAC has been shown to be a good substr...