Biomaterial Database

Liver toxicity from norcocaine nitroxide, an N-oxidative metabolite of cocaine. 1998

F M Ndikum-Moffor, and T R Schoeb, and S M Roberts

Department of Physiological Sciences, University of Florida, Gainesville, USA.

The oxidative metabolism of cocaine to norcocaine nitroxide has been postulated to be essential for cocaine hepatotoxicity. The hepatic effects of norcocaine nitroxide have never been evaluated in vivo, however. In this study mice were administered norcocaine nitroxide i.p., and hepatotoxicity was assessed using serum alanine aminotransferase activities and microscopic examination of liver tissue. Hepatotoxicity of norcocaine nitroxide was dose-related; significant injury was detectable at doses of 20 to 30 mg/kg i.p., and severe hepatocellular necrosis was observed at doses of 40 and 50 mg/kg. Elevated serum alanine aminotransferase activities peaked between 12 and 18 hr after norcocaine nitroxide treatment. Electron microscopy revealed the presence of pronounced changes in cell morphology as early as 30 min after the norcocaine nitroxide dose. Pretreatment of mice with phenobarbital had no effect on the magnitude of hepatic injury but shifted the intralobular site of necrosis from the midzonal to the periportal region. Pretreatment with diazinon, an esterase inhibitor, increased norcocaine nitroxide-induced liver damage, whereas each of the P450 inhibitors SKF 525A, cimetidine, troleandomycin, ketaconazole and chloramphenicol significantly diminished norcocaine nitroxide hepatotoxicity. The results indicate that norcocaine nitroxide is hepatotoxic and suggest the involvement of P450 enzymes.

UI	MeSH Term	Description	Entries
D008099	Liver	A large lobed glandular organ in the abdomen of vertebrates that is responsible for detoxification, metabolism, synthesis and storage of various substances.	Livers
D008297	Male		Males
D008813	Mice, Inbred ICR	An inbred strain of mouse that is used as a general purpose research strain, for therapeutic drug testing, and for the genetic analysis of CARCINOGEN-induced COLON CANCER.	Mice, Inbred ICRC,Mice, ICR,Mouse, ICR,Mouse, Inbred ICR,Mouse, Inbred ICRC,ICR Mice,ICR Mice, Inbred,ICR Mouse,ICR Mouse, Inbred,ICRC Mice, Inbred,ICRC Mouse, Inbred,Inbred ICR Mice,Inbred ICR Mouse,Inbred ICRC Mice,Inbred ICRC Mouse
D003042	Cocaine	An alkaloid ester extracted from the leaves of plants including coca. It is a local anesthetic and vasoconstrictor and is clinically used for that purpose, particularly in the eye, ear, nose, and throat. It also has powerful central nervous system effects similar to the amphetamines and is a drug of abuse. Cocaine, like amphetamines, acts by multiple mechanisms on brain catecholaminergic neurons; the mechanism of its reinforcing effects is thought to involve inhibition of dopamine uptake.	Cocaine HCl,Cocaine Hydrochloride,HCl, Cocaine,Hydrochloride, Cocaine
D003577	Cytochrome P-450 Enzyme System	A superfamily of hundreds of closely related HEMEPROTEINS found throughout the phylogenetic spectrum, from animals, plants, fungi, to bacteria. They include numerous complex monooxygenases (MIXED FUNCTION OXYGENASES). In animals, these P-450 enzymes serve two major functions: (1) biosynthesis of steroids, fatty acids, and bile acids; (2) metabolism of endogenous and a wide variety of exogenous substrates, such as toxins and drugs (BIOTRANSFORMATION). They are classified, according to their sequence similarities rather than functions, into CYP gene families (>40% homology) and subfamilies (>59% homology). For example, enzymes from the CYP1, CYP2, and CYP3 gene families are responsible for most drug metabolism.	Cytochrome P-450,Cytochrome P-450 Enzyme,Cytochrome P-450-Dependent Monooxygenase,P-450 Enzyme,P450 Enzyme,CYP450 Family,CYP450 Superfamily,Cytochrome P-450 Enzymes,Cytochrome P-450 Families,Cytochrome P-450 Monooxygenase,Cytochrome P-450 Oxygenase,Cytochrome P-450 Superfamily,Cytochrome P450,Cytochrome P450 Superfamily,Cytochrome p450 Families,P-450 Enzymes,P450 Enzymes,Cytochrome P 450,Cytochrome P 450 Dependent Monooxygenase,Cytochrome P 450 Enzyme,Cytochrome P 450 Enzyme System,Cytochrome P 450 Enzymes,Cytochrome P 450 Families,Cytochrome P 450 Monooxygenase,Cytochrome P 450 Oxygenase,Cytochrome P 450 Superfamily,Enzyme, Cytochrome P-450,Enzyme, P-450,Enzyme, P450,Enzymes, Cytochrome P-450,Enzymes, P-450,Enzymes, P450,Monooxygenase, Cytochrome P-450,Monooxygenase, Cytochrome P-450-Dependent,P 450 Enzyme,P 450 Enzymes,P-450 Enzyme, Cytochrome,P-450 Enzymes, Cytochrome,Superfamily, CYP450,Superfamily, Cytochrome P-450,Superfamily, Cytochrome P450
D004305	Dose-Response Relationship, Drug	The relationship between the dose of an administered drug and the response of the organism to the drug.	Dose Response Relationship, Drug,Dose-Response Relationships, Drug,Drug Dose-Response Relationship,Drug Dose-Response Relationships,Relationship, Drug Dose-Response,Relationships, Drug Dose-Response
D004790	Enzyme Induction	An increase in the rate of synthesis of an enzyme due to the presence of an inducer which acts to derepress the gene responsible for enzyme synthesis.	Induction, Enzyme
D000410	Alanine Transaminase	An enzyme that catalyzes the conversion of L-alanine and 2-oxoglutarate to pyruvate and L-glutamate. (From Enzyme Nomenclature, 1992) EC 2.6.1.2.	Alanine Aminotransferase,Glutamic-Pyruvic Transaminase,SGPT,Alanine-2-Oxoglutarate Aminotransferase,Glutamic-Alanine Transaminase,Alanine 2 Oxoglutarate Aminotransferase,Aminotransferase, Alanine,Aminotransferase, Alanine-2-Oxoglutarate,Glutamic Alanine Transaminase,Glutamic Pyruvic Transaminase,Transaminase, Alanine,Transaminase, Glutamic-Alanine,Transaminase, Glutamic-Pyruvic
D000818	Animals	Unicellular or multicellular, heterotrophic organisms, that have sensation and the power of voluntary movement. Under the older five kingdom paradigm, Animalia was one of the kingdoms. Under the modern three domain model, Animalia represents one of the many groups in the domain EUKARYOTA.	Animal,Metazoa,Animalia
D051379	Mice	The common name for the genus Mus.	Mice, House,Mus,Mus musculus,Mice, Laboratory,Mouse,Mouse, House,Mouse, Laboratory,Mouse, Swiss,Mus domesticus,Mus musculus domesticus,Swiss Mice,House Mice,House Mouse,Laboratory Mice,Laboratory Mouse,Mice, Swiss,Swiss Mouse,domesticus, Mus musculus