Vitamin K1 2,3-epoxide and quinone reduction: mechanism and inhibition

The chemical and enzymatic pathways of vitamin K1 epoxide and quinone reduction have been investigated. The reduction of the epoxide by thiols is known to involve a thiol-adduct and a hydroxy vitamin K enolate intermediate which eliminates water to yield the quinone. Sodium borohydride treatment resulted in carbonyl reduction generating relatively stable compounds that did not proceed to quinone in the presence of base. NAD(P)H:quinone oxidoreductase (DT-diaphorase, E.C. 1.6.99.2) reduction of vitamin K to the hydroquinone was a significant process in intact microsomes, but 1/5th the rate of the dithiothreitol (DTT)-dependent reduction. No evidence was found for DT-diaphorase catalyzed reduction of vitamin K1 epoxide, nor was it capable of mediating transfer of electrons from NADH to the microsomal epoxide reducing enzyme. Purified diaphorase reduced detergent- solubilized vitamin K1 10(-5) as rapidly as it reduced dichlorophenylindophenol (DCPIP). Reduction of 10 microM vitamin K1 by 200 microM NADH was not inhibited by 10 microM dicoumarol, whereas DCPIP reduction was fully inhibited. In contrast to vitamin K3 (menadione), vitamin K1 (phylloquinone) did not stimulate microsomal NADPH consumption in the presence or absence of dicoumarol. DTT-dependent vitamin K epoxide reduction and vitamin K reduction were shown to be mutually inhibitory reactions, suggesting that both occur at the same enzymatic site. On this basis, a mechanism for reduction of the quinone by thiols is proposed. Both the DTT-dependent reduction of vitamin K1 epoxide and quinone, and the reduction of DCPIP by purified DT-diaphorase were inhibited by dicoumarol, warfarin, lapachol, and sulphaquinoxaline.