Effect of dexamethasone treatment on the biotransformation of glyceryl trinitrate: cytochrome P450 3A1 mediated activation of rat aortic guanylyl cyclase by glyceryl trinitrate.

It is generally accepted that organic nitrates act via vascular biotransformation to an activator of guanylyl cyclase (presumably NO), resulting in increased cyclic GMP accumulation and vascular smooth muscle relaxation. Previously, we have shown that cytochrome P450 can mediate the biotransformation of glyceryl trinitrate (GTN) and that at least a portion of this biotransformation results in the formation of an activator of guanylyl cyclase. To assess the role of the cytochrome P450 3A subfamily in this phenomenon, we treated male and female rats with dexamethasone (DEX) (150 mg/kg, i.p., daily for 3 days). Under anerobic conditions, hepatic microsomal biotransformation of GTN was increased three-fold in DEX-treated male rats compared with all other treatment groups. Incubation of aortic 100,000 x g supernatant fraction from untreated rats (as a source of guanylyl cyclase) with GTN and hepatic microsomes from all groups resulted in concentration-dependent increases in guanylyl cyclase activation. Microsomes from DEX-treated male and female rats demonstrated a significantly greater activation of guanylyl cyclase compared with microsomes from untreated males and females. Furthermore, GTN-induced guanylyl cyclase activation mediated by microsomes from DEX-treated male and female rats was markedly inhibited by a polyclonal antibody raised to rat CYP3A1. Since CYP3A2 is absent or very low in hepatic microsomes from DEX-treated adult female rats, this identifies CYP3A1 as an isoform capable of biotransforming GTN to an activator of guanylyl cyclase. Similarly, CYP2C11 was identified as an isoform capable of biotransforming GTN to an activator of guanylyl cyclase, since monoclonal antibody to CYP2C11 inhibited GTN-induced activation of guanylyl cyclase mediated by microsomes from control male rats.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)