Inhibition of cytochrome-P450 reductase by polyols has an electrostatic nature

The present study was undertaken to examine the nature of the inhibitory action of glycerol on the liver microsomal monooxygenase system. In agreement with earlier observations, glycerol inhibited benzphetamine N-demethylation by liver microsomes of the phenobarbital-treated rabbit. The presence of glycerol in the medium did not affect binding of the substrate to cytochrome P450. Another polyol, ethylene glycol, was equally efficient in inhibiting benzphetamine N-demethylation. Both also inhibited reduction of rabbit cytochrome P450 LM2, cytochrome c and potassium ferricyanide by NADPH-cytochrome-P450 reductase in microsomes. Recently, we showed that the stimulation of electron transfer by increased ionic strength is due to neutralization of electrostatic interaction between NADPH-cytochrome-P450 reductase and its charged redox partners [Voznesensky, A. I. & Schenkman, J. B. (1992) J. Biol. Chem. 267, 14669-14676]. Polyols have an opposite effect to that of salt on ionic properties of a solution. They decrease the dielectric constant, thereby promoting electrostatic interactions between proteins. Addition of polyols decreased the conductivity of the medium. When rates of electron transfer to charged acceptors, cytochrome P450, cytochrome c and potassium ferricyanide, at various salt and polyol concentrations, relative to activities in 200 mM sodium phosphate, were plotted as a function of the conductivity the data for each acceptor fit on the same line. In contrast, neither alteration of ionic strength nor polyol addition affected the rate of electron transfer from NADPH-cytochrome-P450 reductase to an uncharged acceptor 1,4-benzoquinone. The data obtained is consistent with our earlier suggestion that charge repulsion limits redox interactions between rabbit cytochrome P450 LM2 and its reductase at low ionic strength, and suggest that the observed action of polyols is the result of enhancement of electrostatic interactions that inhibits electron transfer between NADPH-cytochrome-P450 reductase and its charged redox partners. In congruence with the hypothesis, the Km of rabbit cytochrome P450 LM2 for NADPH-cytochrome-P450 reductase was increased almost one order of magnitude by elevating the glycerol content from 5% to 25% (by vol.) without a change in Vmax.