Identification and preliminary characterization of UDP-glucuronosyltransferases catalyzing formation of ethyl glucuronide

Abstract

Ethyl glucuronide (EtG), a minor metabolite of ethanol, is used as a marker of alcohol consumption in a variety of clinical and forensic settings. At present there are very few studies of UDP-glucuronosyltransferases (UGT), responsible for catalyzing EtG formation, and the possible effect of nutritional components, e.g. flavonoids, which are extensively glucuronidated, on EtG formation has not been addressed at all. The following incubation conditions were optimized with regard to previously published conditions: buffer, substrate concentration, and incubation time. Isolation of EtG from the incubation mixture was also optimized. Recombinant UGT enzymes (UGT1A1, 1A3, 1A4, 1A6, 1A9, 2B7, 2B10, 2B15) were screened for their activity towards ethanol, and kinetic data were then established for all enzymes. It was decided to study the effect of the flavonoids quercetin and kaempferol on glucuronidation of ethanol. Isolation was by solid-phase extraction (SPE) to minimize matrix effects. Analysis was performed by liquid chromatography–tandem mass spectrometry (LC–MS–MS), with EtG-d₅ as the internal standard. SPE was vital to avoid severe ion suppression after direct injection of the incubation solution. EtG formation was observed for all enzymes under investigation; their kinetics followed the Michaelis–Menten model, meaning the maximum reaction rate achieved at saturating substrate concentrations (V _max) and the substrate concentration at which the reaction rate is half of V _max (Michaelis–Menten constant, K _m) could be calculated. The highest rate of glucuronidation was observed with UGT1A9 and 2B7. After co-incubation with both flavonoids, formation of EtG was significantly reduced for all enzymes except for UGT2B15, whose activity did not seem to be affected. Results reveal that multiple UGT isoforms are capable of catalyzing glucuronidation of ethanol; nevertheless, the effect of UGT polymorphism on glucuronidation of ethanol needs further study. Formation of EtG is inhibited by the flavonoids under investigation. Obviously, nutritional components affect conversion of ethanol to EtG. This observation may serve as a partial explanation of its variable formation in man.