Inactivation of prostaglandin endoperoxide synthase by acylating derivatives of indomethacin

Derivatives of the potent antiinflammatory agent and cyclooxygenase inhibitor indomethacin were synthesized in which the carboxylic acid moiety was converted into reactive acylating agents. Indomethacin imidazole (indomethacin-IM) and indomethacin N-hydroxysuccinimide (indomethacin-NHS) inactivated both the cyclooxygenase and peroxidase activities when incubated with the apo form of purified prostaglandin endoperoxide synthase (PGH synthase) at a stoichiometry of 1:1. Treatment of the inactivated enzyme with hydroxylamine at neutral pH led to recovery of all peroxidase and about 50% of the cyclooxygenase activity. Hydroxylamine did not regenerate the cyclooxygenase activity of indomethacin-inactivated protein. Reconstitution of the apoprotein with heme protected against inactivation by indomethacin-NHS. Visible spectroscopy established that indomethacin-NHS-inactivated apoenzyme had a reduced capacity to bind heme. Indomethacin-NHS also substantially protected the apoenzyme from cleavage at the trypsin-sensitive Arg277 site. Incubation of [2-14C]indomethacin-NHS with PGH synthase led to incorporation of radioactivity into the protein, but no adduct was detected by reversed-phase HPLC, suggesting it was unstable to the chromatographic conditions. Incubation of indomethacin-NHS with apoprotein followed by HPLC analysis led to the formation of greater amounts of the hydrolysis product indomethacin than did similar treatment of holoprotein. The results suggest that indomethacin-IM and indomethacin-NHS covalently and selectively label PGH synthase near the heme binding site, leading to loss of both catalytic activities of the enzyme.