Carcinogenesis Advance Access originally published online on July 8, 2006
Carcinogenesis 2006 27(12):2483-2490; doi:10.1093/carcin/bgl118
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Potent protective effect of isoimperatorin against aflatoxin B1-inducible cytotoxicity in H4IIE cells: bifunctional effects on glutathione S-transferase and CYP1A
College of Pharmacy, Chosun University Seosuk-dong, Dong-gu, Gwangju 501-759, South Korea
1 College of Pharmacy and Research Center for Transgenic Cloned Pigs, Chungnam National University Daejeon, 305-764, South Korea
*To whom correspondence should be addressed Email: kwkang{at}chosun.ac.kr or hgjeong{at}chosun.ac.kr
Typically chemopreventive agents either induce phase II detoxifying enzymes or inhibit the cytochrome P450 enzymes (CYPs) that are required for the metabolism of carcinogens. In this study, we isolated a coumarin compound, isoimperatorin from Poncirus trifoliata Raf., and studied its protective effects against aflatoxin B1 (AFB1)-induced cytotoxicity in H4IIE cells. Isoimperatorin (>0.3 µM) significantly inhibited the cytotoxic effect of AFB1. CDNB [1-chloro-2,4-dinitrobenzene; glutathine S-transferase (GST) subtype-non-specific] and NBD (7-chloro-4-nitrobenzo-2-oxa-1,3-diazole; GST
type-specific) assays revealed that isoimperatorin (0.33 µM) increased GST activity in a concentration-dependent manner. Western blot analyses using subtype-specific antibodies confirmed that GST
protein, but not GSTµ or GST
, was induced in cells treated with isoimperatorin. Reporter gene analysis using an antioxidant response element (ARE) containing construct and subcellular fractionation assays revealed that GST
induction by isoimperatorin is associated with Nrf2/ARE activation. Moreover, ethoxyresorufin-O-deethylase assays showed that isoimperatorin (2 µM) completely inhibited 3-methylchoranthrene-inducible CYP1A activity. These results indicate that isoimperatorin from Poncirus trifoliata Raf. possesses a potent hepatoprotective effect against AFB1, presumably through the induction of GST
and the direct inhibition of CYP1A, and suggest that isoimperatorin should be considered a potential chemopreventive.