In vitro effects of various heterocyclic thiol compounds and beta-lactam antibiotics on vitamin K-dependent gamma-glutamylcarboxylation activity in liver microsomes.

The in vitro effect of N-methyltetrazolethiol (NMTT), one of the common substituents at the 3'-position of the cephem in various beta-lactam antibiotics, on liver microsomal gamma-glutamylcarboxylation (gamma-carboxylation) activity was examined using solubilized rat liver enzyme. The enzyme activity was inhibited by coexisting with NMTT and NADH, and this inhibitory activity could be suppressed by the addition of a sulfhydryl compound such as dithiothreitol (DTT), glutathione or cysteine. Various five-membered heterocyclic thiol compounds exhibited concentration-dependent inhibition of microsomal gamma-carboxylation activity. These inhibitory actions diminished markedly in the presence of 1 mM DTT. In vitro gamma-carboxylation activity also decreases upon addition of various beta-lactam antibiotics at 1 or 10 mM, depending upon the concentration of the drug. Among the heterocyclic thiol compounds, there is a correlation between their inhibitory activities and hydrophobicities. Thus, the in vitro inhibitory activity of heterocyclic thiol compounds and beta-lactam antibiotics on microsomal gamma-carboxylation activity is not correlated with their molecular structures, but rather depends on their hydrophobicities and with the concentrations in the reaction mixture.