Differential inhibitory effects of three nitric oxide donors on ornithine decarboxylase activity in human colon carcinoma cells.

Ornithine decarboxylase (ODC, EC 4.1.1.17) is the enzyme responsible for the synthesis of polyamines, which are absolutely necessary for cell proliferation. In the present work, we tested the effects of 3 nitric oxide (NO) donors, namely, sodium nitroprusside (SNP), (Z)-1-(N-methyl-N-[6-(N-methylammoniohexyl)amino] diazen-1-ium-1,2-diolate (MAHMA/NO) and 1,1-diethyl-2-hydroxy-2-nitroso-hydrazine sodium (DEA/NO), on ODC activity in human-colon carcinoma cells (HT-29). SNP was the most effective inhibitor of ODC activity with a concentration of 8 micromol/L inducing 50% inhibition of basal activity. The effect of SNP was reversed by haemoglobin (Hb), but not by GSH or L-cysteine (CYS). Very little of the SNP in solution was degraded into nitrite, but the presence of cellular homogenate increased the production of nitrite. MAHMA/NO and DEA/NO were much less effective than SNP as ODC inhibitors, since the concentrations of these agents which induce 50% inhibition of basal activity were 20- to 60-fold higher than that of SNP. The effects of MAHMA/NO and DEA/NO were not reversed by haemoglobin. In solution, these latter 2 agents were totally degraded into nitrites. In conclusion, SNP on the one hand and MAHMA/NO and DEA/NO on the other appeared to release different NOx species with different efficiency on ODC activity.