Zhican Wang

University of Washington Seattle, Seattle, WA, USA

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Publications (12)54.72 Total impact

  • Article: Enhancement of hepatic 4-hydroxylation of 25-hydroxyvitamin D(3) through CYP3A4 induction in vitro and in vivo: Implications for drug-induced osteomalacia.
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    ABSTRACT: Long-term therapy with certain drugs, especially P450 inducing agents, confers an increased risk of osteomalacia that is attributed to vitamin D deficiency. Human CYP24A1, CYP3A4 and CYP27B1 catalyze the inactivation and activation of vitamin D and have been implicated in the adverse drug response. In this study, the inducibility of these enzymes and monohydroxylation of 25OHD(3) were evaluated following exposure to P450 inducing drugs. With human hepatocytes, treatment with phenobarbital, hyperforin, carbamazepine and rifampin significantly increased the levels of CYP3A4 but not CYP24A1 or CYP27B1 mRNA. In addition, rifampin pretreatment resulted in an 8-fold increase in formation of the major metabolite of 25OHD(3) , 4β,25(OH)(2) D(3) . This inductive effect was blocked by the addition of 6',7'-dihydroxybergamottin, a selective CYP3A4 inhibitor. With human renal proximal tubular HK-2 cells, treatment with the same inducers did not alter CYP3A4, CYP24A1 or CYP27B1 expression. 24R,25(OH)(2) D(3) was the predominant monohydroxy metabolite produced from 25OHD(3) , but its formation was unaffected by the inducers. With healthy volunteers, the mean plasma concentration of 4β,25(OH)(2) D(3) was increased 60% (p < 0.01) after short-term rifampin administration. This was accompanied by a statistically significant reduction in plasma 1α,25(OH)(2) D(3) (-10%; p = 0.03), and a non-significant change in 24R,25(OH)(2) D(3) (-8%; p = 0.09) levels. Further analysis revealed a negative correlation between the increase in 4β,25(OH)(2) D(3) and decrease in 1α,25(OH)(2) D(3) levels. Examination of the plasma monohydroxy metabolite/25OHD(3) ratios indicated selective induction of the CYP3A4-dependent 4β-hydroxylation pathway of 25OHD(3) elimination. These results suggest that induction of hepatic CYP3A4 may be important in the etiology of drug-induced osteomalacia. © 2012 American Society for Bone and Mineral Research.
    Journal of bone and mineral research: the official journal of the American Society for Bone and Mineral Research 12/2012; · 6.04 Impact Factor
  • Article: Interplay between vitamin D and the drug metabolizing enzyme CYP3A4.
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    ABSTRACT: Cytochrome P450 3A4 (CYP3A4) is a multifunctional enzyme involved in both xenobiotic and endobiotic metabolism. This review focuses on two aspects: regulation of CYP3A4 expression by vitamin D and metabolism of vitamin D by CYP3A4. Enterohepatic circulation of vitamin D metabolites and their conjugates will be also discussed. The interplay between vitamin D and CYP3A4 provides new insights into our understanding of how enzyme induction can contribute to vitamin D deficiency. This article is part of a Special Issue entitled 'Vitamin D Workshop'.
    The Journal of steroid biochemistry and molecular biology 09/2012; · 2.66 Impact Factor
  • Article: Characterizing Antibody Cross-Reactivity for Immunoaffinity Purification of Analytes prior to Multiplexed Liquid Chromatography-Tandem Mass Spectrometry.
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    ABSTRACT: BACKGROUND:Immunoassays for 1α,25-dihydroxyvitamin D [1α,25(OH)(2)D] lack analytical specificity. We characterized the cross-reactivity of an anti-1α,25(OH)(2)D antibody with purified vitamin D metabolites and used these data to map the chemical features of 1α,25(OH)(2)D that are important for antibody binding. Additionally, we hypothesized that when combined with isotope-dilution liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry (LC-MS/MS), antibody cross-reactivity could be used to semiselectively enrich for structurally similar metabolites of vitamin D in a multiplexed assay.METHODS:Sample preparation consisted of immunoaffinity enrichment with a solid-phase anti-1α,25(OH)(2)D antibody and derivatization. Analytes were quantified with LC-MS/MS. Supplementation and recovery studies were performed for 11 vitamin D metabolites. We developed a method for simultaneously quantifying 25(OH)D(2), 25(OH)D(3), 24,25(OH)(2)D(3), 1α,25(OH)(2)D(2), and 1α,25 (OH)(2)D(3) that included deuterated internal standards for each analyte.RESULTS:The important chemical features of vitamin D metabolites for binding to the antibody were (a) native orientation of the hydroxyl group on carbon C3 in the A ring, (b) the lack of substitution at carbon C4 in the A ring, and (c) the overall polarity of the vitamin D metabolite. The multiplexed method had lower limits of quantification (20% CV) of 0.2 μg/L, 1.0 μg/L, 0.06 μg/L, 3.4 pg/mL, and 2.8 pg/mL for 25(OH)D(2), 25(OH)D(3), 24,25(OH)(2)D(3), 1α,25(OH)(2)D(2), and 1α,25 (OH)(2)D(3), respectively. Method comparisons to 3 other LC-MS/MS methods yielded an r(2) value >0.9, an intercept less than the lower limit of quantification, and a slope statistically indistinguishable from 1.0.CONCLUSIONS:LC-MS/MS can be used to characterize antibody cross-reactivity, a conclusion supported by our multiplexed assay for 5 vitamin D metabolites with immunoenrichment in a targeted metabolomic assay.
    Clinical Chemistry 09/2012; · 7.91 Impact Factor
  • Article: Human PXR-mediated induction of intestinal CYP3A4 attenuates 1α,25-dihydroxyvitamin D₃ function in human colon adenocarcinoma LS180 cells.
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    ABSTRACT: Oxidative catabolism of 1α,25-dihydroxyvitamin D(3) [1α,25(OH)(2)D(3)] is mediated by either CYP24A1 or CYP3A4. In this paper, we tested whether induction of CYP3A4 in the LS180 intestinal cell model enhances clearance of 1α,25(OH)(2)D(3) and blunts its hormonal effect on expression of the apical membrane calcium transport protein, TRPV6. Treatment with the hPXR agonist rifampin significantly increased CYP3A4 mRNA content and catalytic activity, but had no effect on CYP24A1 or TRPV6 mRNA content. Pre-treating cells with rifampin for 48h, prior to a 24h 1α,25(OH)(2)D(3) treatment phase, was associated with a subsequent 48% increase in the elimination of 1α,25(OH)(2)D(3) and a 35% reduction of peak TRPV6 mRNA. Introduction of the CYP3A4 inhibitor, 6',7'-dihydroxybergamottin, an active inhibitor in grapefruit juice, reversed the effects of rifampin on 1α,25(OH)(2)D(3) clearance and TRPV6 expression. Over-expression of hPXR in LS180 cells greatly enhanced the CYP3A4 responsiveness to rifampin pretreatment, and elicited a greater relative suppression of TRPV6 expression and an increase in 1α,25(OH)(2)D(3) disappearance rate, compared to vector expressed cells, following hormone administration. Together, these results suggest that induction of CYP3A4 in the intestinal epithelium by hPXR agonists can result in a greater metabolic clearance of 1α,25(OH)(2)D(3) and reduced effects of the hormone on the intestinal calcium absorption, which may contribute to an increased risk of drug-induced osteomalacia/osteoporosis in patients receiving chronic therapy with potent hPXR agonists. Moreover, ingestion of grapefruit juice in the at-risk patients could potentially prevent this adverse drug effect.
    Biochemical pharmacology 05/2012; 84(3):391-401. · 4.25 Impact Factor
  • Article: An inducible cytochrome P450 3A4-dependent vitamin D catabolic pathway.
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    ABSTRACT: Vitamin D(3) is critical for the regulation of calcium and phosphate homeostasis. In some individuals, mineral homeostasis can be disrupted by long-term therapy with certain antiepileptic drugs and the antimicrobial agent rifampin, resulting in drug-induced osteomalacia, which is attributed to vitamin D deficiency. We now report a novel CYP3A4-dependent pathway, the 4-hydroxylation of 25-hydroxyvitamin D(3) (25OHD(3)), the induction of which may contribute to drug-induced vitamin D deficiency. The metabolism of 25OHD(3) was fully characterized in vitro. CYP3A4 was the predominant source of 25OHD(3) hydroxylation by human liver microsomes, with the formation of 4β,25-dihydroxyvitamin D(3) [4β,25(OH)(2)D(3)] dominating (V(max)/K(m) = 0.85 ml · min(-1) · nmol enzyme(-1)). 4β,25(OH)(2)D(3) was found in human plasma at concentrations comparable to that of 1α,25-dihydroxyvitamin D(3), and its formation rate in a panel of human liver microsomes was strongly correlated with CYP3A4 content and midazolam hydroxylation activity. Formation of 4β,25(OH)(2)D(3) in primary human hepatocytes was induced by rifampin and inhibited by CYP3A4-specific inhibitors. Short-term treatment of healthy volunteers (n = 6) with rifampin selectively induced CYP3A4-dependent 4β,25(OH)(2)D(3), but not CYP24A1-dependent 24R,25-dihydroxyvitamin D(3) formation, and altered systemic mineral homeostasis. Our results suggest that CYP3A4-dependent 25OHD(3) metabolism may play an important role in the regulation of vitamin D(3) in vivo and in the etiology of drug-induced osteomalacia.
    Molecular pharmacology 12/2011; 81(4):498-509. · 4.53 Impact Factor
  • Article: Simultaneous measurement of plasma vitamin D(3) metabolites, including 4β,25-dihydroxyvitamin D(3), using liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry.
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    ABSTRACT: Simultaneous and accurate measurement of circulating vitamin D metabolites is critical to studies of the metabolic regulation of vitamin D and its impact on health and disease. To that end, we have developed a specific liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry (LC-MS/MS) method that permits the quantification of major circulating vitamin D(3) metabolites in human plasma. Plasma samples were subjected to a protein precipitation, liquid-liquid extraction, and Diels-Alder derivatization procedure prior to LC-MS/MS analysis. Importantly, in all human plasma samples tested, we identified a significant dihydroxyvitamin D(3) peak that could potentially interfere with the determination of 1α,25-dihydroxyvitamin D(3) [1α,25(OH)(2)D(3)] concentrations. This interfering metabolite has been identified as 4β,25-dihydroxyvitamin D(3) [4β,25(OH)(2)D(3)] and was found at concentrations comparable to 1α,25(OH)(2)D(3). Quantification of 1α,25(OH)(2)D(3) in plasma required complete chromatographic separation of 1α,25(OH)(2)D(3) from 4β,25(OH)(2)D(3). An assay incorporating this feature was used to simultaneously determine the plasma concentrations of 25OHD(3), 24R,25(OH)(2)D(3), 1α,25(OH)(2)D(3), and 4β,25(OH)(2)D(3) in healthy individuals. The LC-MS/MS method developed and described here could result in considerable improvement in quantifying 1α,25(OH)(2)D(3) as well as monitoring the newly identified circulating metabolite, 4β,25(OH)(2)D(3).
    Analytical Biochemistry 07/2011; 418(1):126-33. · 3.00 Impact Factor
  • Article: Unexpected hormonal activity of a catechol equine estrogen metabolite reveals reversible glutathione conjugation.
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    ABSTRACT: 4-Hydroxyequilenin (4-OHEN) is a major phase I metabolite of the equine estrogens present in widely prescribed hormone replacement formulations. 4-OHEN is autoxidized to an electrophilic o-quinone that has been shown to redox cycle, generating ROS, and to covalently modify proteins and DNA and thus potentially to act as a chemical carcinogen. To establish the ability of 4-OHEN to act as a hormonal carcinogen at the estrogen receptor (ER), estrogen responsive gene expression and proliferation were studied in ER(+) breast cancer cells. Recruitment by 4-OHEN of ER to estrogen responsive elements (ERE) of DNA in MCF-7 cells was also studied and observed. 4-OHEN was a potent estrogen, with additional weak activity associated with binding to the arylhydrocarbon receptor (AhR). The potency of 4-OHEN toward classical ERalpha mediated activity was unexpected given the reported rapid autoxidation and trapping of the resultant quinone by GSH. Addition of thiols to cell cultures did not attenuate the estrogenic activity of 4-OHEN, and preformed thiol conjugates added to cell incubations only marginally reduced ERE-luciferase induction. On reaction of the 4OHEN-GSH conjugate with NADPH, 4-OHEN was observed to be regenerated at a rate dependent upon NADPH concentration, indicating that intracellular nonenzymatic and enzymatic regeneration of 4-OHEN accounts for the observed estrogenic activity of 4-OHEN. 4-OHEN is therefore capable of inducing chemical and hormonal pathways that may contribute to estrogen-dependent carcinogenesis, and trapping by cellular thiols does not provide a mechanism of termination of these pathways.
    Chemical Research in Toxicology 08/2010; 23(8):1374-83. · 3.78 Impact Factor
  • Article: Redox cycling of catechol estrogens generating apurinic/apyrimidinic sites and 8-oxo-deoxyguanosine via reactive oxygen species differentiates equine and human estrogens.
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    ABSTRACT: Metabolic activation of estrogens to catechols and further oxidation to highly reactive o-quinones generates DNA damage including apurinic/apyrimidinic (AP) sites. 4-Hydroxyequilenin (4-OHEN) is the major catechol metabolite of equine estrogens present in estrogen replacement formulations, known to cause DNA strand breaks, oxidized bases, and stable and depurinating adducts. However, the direct formation of AP sites by 4-OHEN has not been characterized. In the present study, the induction of AP sites in vitro by 4-OHEN and the endogenous catechol estrogen metabolite, 4-hydroxyestrone (4-OHE), was examined by an aldehyde reactive probe assay. Both 4-OHEN and 4-OHE can significantly enhance the levels of AP sites in calf thymus DNA in the presence of the redox cycling agents, copper ion and NADPH. The B-ring unsaturated catechol 4-OHEN induced AP sites without added copper, whereas 4-OHE required copper. AP sites were also generated much more rapidly by 4-OHEN. For both catechol estrogens, the levels of AP sites correlated linearly with 8-oxo-dG levels, implying that depuriniation resulted from reactive oxygen species (ROS) rather than depurination of estrogen-DNA adducts. ROS modulators such as catalase, which scavenges hydrogen peroxide and a Cu(I) chelator, blocked the formation of AP sites. In MCF-7 breast cancer cells, 4-OHEN significantly enhanced the formation of AP sites with added NADH. In contrast, no significant induction of AP sites was detected in 4-OHE-treated cells. The greater redox activity of the equine catechol estrogen produces rapid oxidative DNA damage via ROS, which is enhanced by redox cycling agents and interestingly by NADPH-dependent quinone oxidoreductase.
    Chemical Research in Toxicology 08/2010; 23(8):1365-73. · 3.78 Impact Factor
  • Article: Selective estrogen receptor modulator delivery of quinone warheads to DNA triggering apoptosis in breast cancer cells.
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    ABSTRACT: Estrogen exposure is a risk factor for breast cancer, and estrogen oxidative metabolites have been implicated in chemical carcinogenesis. Oxidation of the catechol metabolite of estrone (4-OHE) and the beta-naphthohydroquinone metabolite of equilenin (4-OHEN) gives o-quinones that produce ROS and damage DNA by adduction and oxidation. To differentiate hormonal and chemical carcinogensis pathways in estrogen receptor positive ER(+) cells, catechol or beta-naphthohydroquinone warheads were conjugated to the selective estrogen receptor modulator (SERM) desmethylarzoxifene (DMA). ER binding was retained in the DMA conjugates; both were antiestrogens with submicromolar potency in mammary and endometrial cells. Cytotoxicity, apoptosis, and caspase-3/7 activation were compared in ER(+) and ER(-)MDA-MB-231 cells, and production of ROS was detected using a fluorescent reporter. Comparison was made to DMA, isolated warheads, and a DMA-mustard. Conjugation of warheads to DMA increased cytotoxicity accompanied by induction of apoptosis and activation of caspase-3/7. Activation of caspase-3/7, induction of apoptosis, and cytotoxicity were all increased significantly in ER(+) cells for the DMA conjugates. ROS production was localized in the nucleus for conjugates in ER(+) cells. Observations are compatible with beta-naphthohydroquinone and catechol groups being concentrated in the nucleus by ER binding, where oxidation and ROS production result, concomitant with caspase-dependent apoptosis. The results suggest that DNA damage induced by catechol estrogen metabolites can be amplified in ER(+) cells independent of hormonal activity. The novel conjugation of quinone warheads to an ER-targeting SERM gives ER-dependent, enhanced apoptosis in mammary cancer cells of potential application in cancer therapy.
    ACS Chemical Biology 10/2009; 4(12):1039-49. · 6.45 Impact Factor
  • Article: Development of a liquid chromatography electrospray ionization tandem mass spectrometry method for analysis of stable 4-hydroxyequilenin-DNA adducts in human breast cancer cells.
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    ABSTRACT: Estrogen-DNA adducts are potential biomarkers for assessing cancer risk and progression in estrogen-dependent cancer. 4-Hydroxyequilenin (4-OHEN), the major catechol metabolite of equine estrogens present in hormone replacement therapy formulations, autoxidizes to a reactive o-quinone that subsequently causes DNA damage. The formation of stable stereoisomeric cyclic 4-OHEN-DNA adducts has been reported in vitro and in vivo, but their removal by DNA repair processes in cells has not been determined. Such studies have been hampered by low yields of cyclic adducts and poor reproducibility when treating cells in culture with 4-OHEN. These problems are attributed in part to the instability of 4-OHEN in aerobic, aqueous media. We show herein that low yields and reproducibility can be overcome by 4-OHEN diacetate as a novel, cell-permeable 4-OHEN precursor, in combination with a sensitive LC-MS/MS method developed for detecting adducts in human breast cancer cells. This method involves isolation of cellular DNA, DNA digestion to deoxynucleosides, followed by the addition of an isotope-labeled internal standard (4-OHEN-(15)N(5)-dG adduct) prior to analysis by LC-MS/MS. A concentration-dependent increase in adduct levels was observed in MCF-7 cells after exposure to 4-OHEN diacetate. The chemical stabilities of the adducts were also investigated to confirm that adducts were stable under assay conditions. In conclusion, this newly developed LC-MS/MS method allows detection and relative quantification of 4-OHEN-DNA adducts in human breast cancer cells, which could be adapted for adduct detection in human samples.
    Chemical Research in Toxicology 05/2009; 22(6):1129-36. · 3.78 Impact Factor
  • Article: Estrogen Receptor {alpha} Enhances the Rate of Oxidative DNA Damage by Targeting an Equine Estrogen Catechol Metabolite to the Nucleus.
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    ABSTRACT: Exposure to estrogens increases the risk of breast and endometrial cancer. It is proposed that the estrogen receptor (ER) may contribute to estrogen carcinogenesis by transduction of the hormonal signal and as a "Trojan horse" concentrating genotoxic estrogen metabolites in the nucleus to complex with DNA, enhancing DNA damage. 4-Hydroxyequilenin (4-OHEN), the major catechol metabolite of equine estrogens present in estrogen replacement formulations, autoxidizes to a redox-cycling quinone that has been shown to cause DNA damage. 4-OHEN was found to be an estrogen of nanomolar potency in cell culture using a luciferase reporter assay and, using a chromatin immunoprecipitation assay, was found to activate ERalpha binding to estrogen-responsive genes in MCF-7 cells. DNA damage was measured in cells by comparing ERalpha(+) versus ERalpha(-) cells and 4-OHEN versus menadione, a reactive oxygen species (ROS)-generating, but non-estrogenic, quinone. 4-OHEN selectively induced DNA damage in ERalpha(+) cells, whereas menadione-induced damage was not dependent on cellular ER status. The rate of 4-OHEN-induced DNA damage was significantly enhanced in ERalpha(+) cells, whereas ER status had no effect on the rate of menadione-induced damage. Imaging of ROS induced by 4-OHEN showed accumulation selective for the nucleus of ERalpha(+) cells within 5 min, whereas in ERalpha(-) or menadione-treated cells, no selectivity was observed. These data support ERalpha acting as a Trojan horse concentrating 4-OHEN in the nucleus to accelerate the rate of ROS generation and thereby amplify DNA damage. The Trojan horse mechanism may be of general importance beyond estrogen genotoxins.
    Journal of Biological Chemistry 02/2009; 284(13):8633-42. · 4.77 Impact Factor
  • Article: Quinone formation as a chemoprevention strategy for hybrid drugs: balancing cytotoxicity and cytoprotection.
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    ABSTRACT: Cellular defense mechanisms that respond to damage from oxidative and electrophilic stress, such as from quinones, represent a target for chemopreventive agents. Drugs bioactivated to quinones have the potential to activate antioxidant/electrophile responsive element (ARE) transcription of genes for cytoprotective phase 2 enzymes such as NAD(P)H-dependent quinone oxidoreductase (NQO1) but can also cause cellular damage. Two isomeric families of compounds were prepared, including the NO-NSAIDs (NO-donating nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs) NCX 4040 and NCX 4016; one family was postulated to release a quinone methide on esterase bioactivation. The study of reactivity and GSH conjugation in model and cell systems confirmed the postulate. The quinone-forming family, including NCX 4040 and conisogenic bromides and mesylate, was rapidly bioactivated to a quinone, which gave activation of ARE and consequent induction of NQO1 in liver cells. Although the control family, including NCX 4016 and conisogenic bromides and mesylates, cannot form a quinone, ARE activation and NQO1 induction were observed, compatible with slower SN2 reactions with thiol sensor proteins, and consequent ARE-luciferase and NQO1 induction. Using a Chemoprevention Index estimate, the quinone-forming compounds suffered because of high cytoxicity and were more compatible with cancer therapy than chemoprevention. In the Comet assay, NCX 4040 was highly genotoxic relative to NCX 4016. There was no evidence that NO contributes to the observed biological activity and no evidence that NCX 4040 is an NO donor, instead, rapidly releasing NO3- and quinone. These results indicate a strategy for studying the quinone biological activity and reinforce the therapeutic attributes of NO-ASA through structural elements other than NO and ASA.
    Chemical Research in Toxicology 01/2008; 20(12):1903-12. · 3.78 Impact Factor