, "Cyclopropylamine inactivation of cytochromes P450. Role of metabolic intermediate complexes." Arch. Biochem. Biophys. 436, 265-275 (2005).
Keywords:Cytochrome P450, flavin-containing monooxygenase, metabolic intermediate complex, mechanismbased inactivation, suicide substrate
Abstract:The inactivation of cytochrome P450 enzymes by cyclopropylamines has been attributed to a mechanism involving initial one-electron oxidation at nitrogen followed by scission of the cyclopropane ring leading to covalent modification of the enzyme. Herein we report that in liver microsomes Ncyclopropylbenzylamine (1) and related compounds inactivate P450 to a large extent via formation of metabolic intermediate complexes (MICs) in which a nitroso metabolite coordinates tightly to the heme iron, thereby preventing turnover. MIC formation from 1 does not occur in reconstituted P450 systems with CYP2B1/2, 2C11 or 2E1, or in microsomes exposed to gentle heating to inactivate the flavincontaining monooxygenase (FMO). In contrast, N-hydroxy-N-cyclopropylbenzylamine (3) and Nbenzylhydroxylamine (4) generate MICs much faster than 1 in both reconstituted and microsomal systems. MIC formation from nitrone 5 (PhCH=N(O)cPr) is somewhat faster than from 1, but very much faster than the hydrolysis of 5 to a primary hydroxylamine. Thus the major overall route from 1 to a P450 MIC complex would appear to involve FMO oxidation to 3, further oxidation by P450 and/or FMO to nitrone 5' (C2H4C=N(O)CH2Ph), hydrolysis to 4, and P450 oxidation to α-nitrosotoluene as the precursor to oxime 2 and the major MIC from 1.