ENHANCED DECOMPOSITION OF OXYFERROUS CYTOCHROME-P450CIA1 (P450CAM) BY THE CHEMOPREVENTIVE AGENT 3-TERT-BUTYL-4-HYDROXYANISOLE

The efficacy of 2(3)-t-butyl-4-hydroxyanisole (BHA) and other chemicals as chemopreventive agents against chemically induced cancer or toxicity may involve direct modulation of cytochrome P450 activity. Direct interaction of BHA with cytochrome P450 was investigated using substrate-bound, oxyferrous cytochrome P450CIA1 either in a reconstituted system containing cytochrome P450CIA1, putidaredoxin and putidaredoxin reductase with NADH as electron donor or in the absence of physiological electron donors. In the reconstituted system, BHA caused a concentration-dependent decrease in the production of 5-exo-hydroxycamphor and a substoichiometric increase in hydrogen peroxide production. However, BHA did not appreciably inhibit either NADH oxidation or oxygen utilization under conditions optimal for accumulation of oxyferrous cytochrome P450CIA1 during steady-state metabolism of camphor. In the absence of electron donor, BHA enhanced decomposition of the ternary oxyferrous substrate complex of cytochrome P450CIA1 without the formation of any apparent spectral intermediate(s). The rate of decomposition of the oxyferrous complex was pseudo-first order and was dependent upon the concentration of BHA present. Enhanced decomposition of the complex was not attributable to catalytic turnover of cytochrome P450CIA1 (i.e., acquisition of a second electron from an indeterminate source) since no appreciable metabolism of either camphor or BHA was observed. The enhanced decomposition was accompanied by a substoichiometric increase in hydrogen peroxide production, suggesting that BHA may facilitate four-electron reduction of molecular oxygen to water. These results indicate that BHA inhibits cytochrome P450 function, presumably by enhancing autoxidation of the substrate-bound oxyferrous complex. © 1990.