Mechanisms for epigallocatechin gallate induced inhibition of drug metabolizing enzymes in rat liver microsomes

Epigallocatechin gallate (EGCG) inhibits drug metabolizing enzymes by unknown mechanisms. Here we examined if the inhibition is due to covalent-binding of EGCG to the enzymes or formation of protein aggregates. EGCG was incubated with rat liver microsomes at 1–100 μM for 30 min. The EGCG-binding proteins were affinity purified using m-aminophenylboronic acid agarose and probed with antibodies against glyceraldehyde-3-phosphate dehydrogenase (GAPDH), actin, cytochrome P450 (CYP) 1A1, CYP1A2, CYP2B1/2, CYP2E1, CYP3A, catechol-O-methyltransferase (COMT) and microsomal glutathione transferase 1 (MGST1). All but actin and soluble COMT were positively detected at ≥1 μM EGCG, indicating EGCG selectively bound to a subset of proteins including membrane-bound COMT. The binding correlated well with inhibition of CYP activities, except for CYP2E1 whose activity was unaffected despite evident binding. The antioxidant enzyme MGST1, but not cytosolic GSTs, was remarkably inhibited, providing novel evidence supporting the pro-oxidative effects of EGCG. When microsomes incubated with EGCG were probed on Western blots, all but the actin and CYP2E1 antibodies showed a significant reduction in binding at ≥1 μM EGCG, suggesting that a fraction of the indicated proteins formed aggregates that likely contributed to the inhibitory effects of EGCG but were not recognizable by antibodies against the intact proteins. This raised the possibility that previous reports on EGCG regulating protein expression using GAPDH as a reference should be revisited for accuracy. Remarkable protein aggregate formation in EGCG-treated microsomes was also observed by analyzing Coomassie Blue-stained SDS-PAGE gels. EGCG effects were partially abolished in the presence of 1 mM glutathione, suggesting they are particularly relevant to the in vivo conditions when glutathione is depleted by toxicant insults.

► Epigallocatechin gallate (EGCG) bound to a subset of protein in the microsomes.
► EGCG decreased the Western blot signals of a selective group of protein.
► EGCG inhibited microsomal glutathione transferase 1 but not cytosolic glutathione transferase.
► EGCG effects were partially abolished by glutathione.