Characterization of a major form of human isatin reductase and the reduced metabolite.

Isatin, an endogenous indole, has been shown to inhibit monoamine oxidase, and exhibit various pharmacological actions. However, the metabolism of isatin in humans remains unknown. We have found high isatin reductase activity in the 105,000 g supernatants of human liver and kidney homogenates, and have purified and characterized a major form of the enzyme in the two tissues. The hepatic and renal enzymes showed the same properties, including an M(r) of 31 kDa, substrate specificity for carbonyl compounds and inhibitor sensitivity, which were also identical to those of recombinant human carbonyl reductase. The identity of the isatin reductase with carbonyl reductase was immunologically demonstrated with an antibody against the recombinant carbonyl reductase. About 90% of the soluble isatin reductase activity in the liver and kidney was immunoprecipitated by the antibody. The Km (10 microm) and k(cat)/K(m) (1.7 s(-1) x microm(-1)) values for isatin at pH 7.0 were comparable to those for phenanthrenequinone, the best xenobiotic substrate of carbonyl reductase. The reduced product of isatin was chemically identified with 3-hydroxy-2-oxoindole, which is also excreted in human urine. The inhibitory potency of the reduced product for monoamine oxidase A and B was significantly lower than that of isatin. The results indicate that the novel metabolic pathway of isatin in humans is mediated mainly by carbonyl reductase, which may play a critical role in controlling the biological activity of isatin.     

The endogenous oxindoles 5-hydroxyoxindole and isatin are antiproliferative and proapoptotic

Oxindole-core synthetic molecules are currently being developed as anticancer drugs that target protein tyrosine kinases associated with growth factor receptors. Oxindole, 5-Hydroxyoxindole, and 2, 3-dioxindole [isatin] are natural molecules found in mammalian body fluids and tissues and we addressed the question of similar properties of endogenous oxindoles. 5-Hydroxyoxindole and isatin, but not oxindole, inhibited N1E-115, BALB/c3T3, BBC, PC12, and HL60 proliferation at submicromolar concentrations. Acute treatment with 5-hydroxyoxindole and isatin reduced the activity of extracellular signal regulated protein kinases (ERKs) by 35% at 100 microM and ERK1 activity was strongly inhibited by 5-Hydroxyoxindole at 10 microM. Survival of PMA-differentiated HL60 and FGF(2)-differentiated PC12 cells was not affected by 5-Hydroxyoxindole and isatin treatment, suggesting that endogenous oxindoles interact with growth factors signaling. The physiological implications of these data and the potential utility of 5-Hydroxyoxindole and isatin as antitumor agents are discussed.     

Isatin-enzyme interactions. VII. Mechanism of inhibition of rat kidney alkaline phosphatase.

Isatin has been found to inhibit rat kidney alkaline phosphatase (EC 3.1.3.1). The inhibition is dependent on isatin concentration and is of un-competitive type. The hydrolysis of disodium phenyl phosphate by the enzyme at different temperatures (17--37 degrees C) obeys the Arrhenius equation. Energy of activation in the absence and presence of isatin has been found to be 9.84 and 10.24 kCal/mol. The hyperbolic profile of isatin inhibition; the lowering of both Km and Vmax in the presence of isatin, and, small changes in enthalpy, free energy and entropy in the presence of isatin suggest a non-allosteric un-competitive inhibition of the enzyme.     

Potentiation of NO-dependent activation of soluble guanylate cyclase by 5-nitroisatin and the antiviral agent arbidol

Isatin (indole-dione-2,3) is an endogenous indole that exhibits a wide spectrum of biological and pharmacological activities. The effect of isatin derivatives, 5-nitroisatin and arbidol (an antiviral agent) on spermine NONO-induced activation of human platelet soluble guanylate cyclase has been investigated. 5-Nitroisatin and arbidol had no effect on basal activity, but synergistically increased in a concentration-dependent manner the spermine NONO-induced activation of this enzyme. 5-Nitroisatin and arbidol, like YC-1, sensitized guanylate cyclase towards nitric oxide (NO) and produced a leftward shift of the spermine NONO concentration response curve. However, both compounds did not influence the activation of guanylate cyclase by YC-1 and did not change the synergistic increase of spermine NONO-induced activation of soluble guanylate cyclase in the presence of YC-1. This suggests that 5-nitroisanin and arbidol did not compete with YC-1. Addition of isatin did not change the synergistic increase in the spermine NONO-induced guanylate cyclase activation by 5-nitroisatin and arbidol and did not influence a leftward shift of the spermine NONO concentration response curve produced by these compounds. These data suggest lack of competitive interaction between isatin and both its derivatives used.     

Isatin, an endogenous monoamine oxidase inhibitor, triggers a dose- and time-dependent switch from apoptosis to necrosis in human neuroblastoma cells

Isatin is an endogenous indole that is increased in stress, inhibits monoamine oxidase (MAO) B and improves bradykinesia and striatal dopamine levels in rat models of Parkinson's disease. Consequently, it has been suggested that isatin might be a possible treatment for Parkinson's disease although little is known about its effects on neural cell growth and survival. The aim of this study was to investigate the survival of dopaminergic human neuroblastoma (SH-SY5Y) cells following treatment with increasing concentrations of isatin. SH-SY5Y cells were exposed to isatin for defined time points, after which cell survival was determined by MTT assay. A combination of Annexin V binding and propidium iodide (PI) exclusion was used to distinguish apoptosis from necrosis in flow cytometry experiments and FACS profiles of permeabilised PI-labelled cells were employed for the assessment of cell cycle distribution. Isatin treatment (1-400 microM) for 24h induced a significant dose-dependent increase in MTT metabolism by SH-SY5Y cells in culture, but this was not due to an increase in cell division. At the higher concentrations (200-400 microm) isatin triggered cell death, although MTT metabolism was still increased in the culture, suggesting that surviving cells were hypermetabolic. Following a longer (48 h) exposure, isatin was found to cause cell death in a dose-dependent manner; at lower concentrations (50 microM), the predominant mode of cell death was apoptosis while at the highest concentration (400 microm) increasing numbers of necrotic cells were also evident. Thus, in dopaminergic SH-SY5Y cells isatin induces cell death in dose- and time-dependent manner. This death occurred as a continuum of survival, apoptosis and necrosis. Our results re-emphasise that caution should be exercised when considering high doses of isatin as a putative anti-Parkinson's disease therapeutic.     

Glycosides of hydroxylamine derivatives: I. Phase transfer synthesis and the study of the influence of glucosaminides of isatine 3-oximes on bacterial luminescence

Easily deprotoned hydroxyl groups of isatine 3-oximes were glycosylated in high yields by α-D-glucosaminyl chloride peracetate in the solid potassium carbonate-acetonitrile phase transfer system. It was found that catalytic amounts of 15-crown-5 supported a twofold acceleration of the process. The resulting β-D-glucosaminides were identified by ¹H NMR spectroscopy. Specific features of the NMR spectra of the synthesized compounds are discussed in comparison with those of other l-O-derivatives of N-acetylglucosamine. Biological activities of oximes with different substituents in the isatin residue were studied by the bacterial luminescence inhibition test with marine luminescent bacteria Photobacterium leiognathi Sh1. The relationship of the structures of the isatin N-substituent and the 5-indolyl substituent and the glycoside capacity to suppress bacterial luminescence was analyzed.     

Inhibition of NO-dependent soluble human platelet guanylate cyclase by isatin

Isatin (indole-dione-2,3) is an endogenous indole that exhibits a wide spectrum of biological and pharmacological activities. Physiologically relevant concentrations of isatin (ranged from 1 nM to 10 μM) did not influence basal activity of soluble human platelet guanylate cyclase (sGC), but caused a bell-shaped inhibition of the NO-activated enzyme. Inhibition of the NO-dependent activation by isatin did not depend on a chemical nature of the NO donors. The inhibitory effects of ODC (a heme-dependent inhibitor of sGC) and isatin were non-additive suggesting that the inhibitory effect of isatin may involve the heme binding domain (possibly heme iron) and experiments with hemin revealed some isatin-dependent changes in its spectrum. Isatin also inhibited sGC activation by the allosteric activator YC-1. It is suggested that the bell shaped inhibition of the NO-dependent activation of sGC by isatin may be attributed to complex interaction of isatin with the heme binding domain and the allosteric YC-1-binding site of sGC.     

Effect of affinity Sorbent on proteomic profiling of isatin-binding proteins of mouse brain

Use of small molecules for isolation of particular sub-proteomes is often complicated by the need for chemical modification of a parent compound for affinity sorbent preparation. Isatin (indoledione-2,3) is an endogenous indole that exhibits a wide spectrum of biological activities. Using 5-aminocaproylisatin for proteomic profiling of fractionated rodent brain homogenates, we previously identified more than sixty individual proteins. However, proteins tested in an optical biosensor study for validation of their isatin-binding capacity demonstrated different affinity for immobilized 5-aminocaproylisatin and 5-aminoisatin. In this study, we comparatively evaluated proteomic profiles of isatin-binding proteins separated using both isatin analogs as the affinity ligands. The total number of identified proteins was higher with the shorter isatin analog (88 versus 66), and only 22 proteins were identical in the two proteomic profiles. Thus, proteomic profiling of brain isatin-binding proteins is significantly influenced by the length of the spacer between the amino group used for affinity ligand coupling to Sepharose and the isatin moiety. This suggests that the actual number of brain proteins interacting with endogenous (unmodified) isatin still remains underestimated due to different affinity of proteins for the isatin analogs used for the affinity-based proteomic profiling.     

The effect of isatin (tribulin) on metabolism of indoles in the rat brain and pineal: In vitro and in vivo studies

Isatin (Tribulin) produced a dose-dependent inhibition of both MAO A and MAO B in broken cell preparations from rat brain and pineal. However, isatin administered in vivo (80–160 mg/kg) to the intact animal significantly increased brain, but not pineal, serotonin and did not affect 5HIAA or other indoles in either brain or pineal. Further, in vivo administration did not produce detectable MAO inhibition in either tissue. In pineal organ culture, addition of isatin up to 1mM had no influence on the concentrations of pineal indoles or the activities of monoamine oxidase or serotonin N-acetyltransferase. However, the diazepam augmentation of beta adrenergic induction of serotonin N-acetyltransferase activity was blocked by isatin. The results of these studies call into question the proposed role of isatin as an endogenous monoamine oxidase inhibitor but support a possible role as a benzodiazepine receptor blocker.     

Electrogenerated chemiluminescence reaction of lucigenin with isatin at a platinum electrode

The electrogenerated chemiluminescence (ECL) reaction of lucigenin with isatin was investigated at a platinum electrode in a neutral aqueous solution. The ECL intensity of lucigenin at ?0.65 V was greatly enhanced by isatin, and the ECL intensity was about 50 times higher than that of lucigenin without isatin. The enhanced ECL was believed to be produced by the chemiluminescence reaction between reduced lucigenin and superoxide anion that was generated by the reaction of electrochemically reduced isatin with dissolved oxygen. The conditions for the determination of isatin were optimized. Under the optimized condition, the enhanced ECL intensity vs. isatin concentration was linear in the range 4.8 × 10^?7?1.9 × 10^?5 g/mL; with a detection limit of 3.3 × 10^?8 g/mL, and the relative standard derivation 1.0 × 10^?6 g/mL isatin was 3.8%. Copyright © 2004 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Inhibition of monoamine oxidase by selected C5- and C6-substituted isatin analogues

Previous studies have shown that (E)-5-styrylisatin and (E)-6-styrylisatin are reversible inhibitors of human monoamine oxidase (MAO) A and B. Both homologues are reported to exhibit selective binding to the MAO-B isoform with (E)-5-styrylisatin being the most potent inhibitor. To further investigate these structure-activity relationships (SAR), in the present study, additional C5- and C6-substituted isatin analogues were synthesized and evaluated as inhibitors of recombinant human MAO-A and MAO-B. With the exception of 5-phenylisatin, all of the analogues examined were selective MAO-B inhibitors. The C5-substituted isatins exhibited higher binding affinities to MAO-B than the corresponding C6-substituted homologues. The most potent MAO-B inhibitor, 5-(4-phenylbutyl)isatin, exhibited an IC₅₀ value of 0.66 nM, approximately 13-fold more potent than (E)-5-styrylisatin and 18,500-fold more potent than isatin. The most potent MAO-A inhibitor was found to be 5-phenylisatin with an IC₅₀ value of 562 nM. The results document that substitution at C5 with a variety of substituents is a general strategy for enhancing the MAO-B inhibition potency of isatin. Possible binding orientations of selected isatin analogues within the active site cavities of MAO-A and MAO-B are proposed.     

Isatin‐induced increase in the affinity of human ferrochelatase and adrenodoxin reductase interaction

Isatin (indol‐2,3‐dione) is an endogenous non‐peptide regulator exhibiting a wide range of biological and pharmacological activities, which are poorly characterized in terms of their molecular mechanisms. Identification of many isatin‐binding proteins in the mammalian brain and liver suggests that isatin may influence their functions. We have hypothesized that besides direct action on particular protein targets, isatin can act as a regulator of protein–protein interactions (PPIs). In this surface plasmon resonance‐based biosensor study we have found that physiologically relevant concentrations of isatin (25‐100 μM) increase affinity of interactions between human recombinant ferrochelatase (FECH) and NADPH‐dependent adrenodoxin reductase (ADR). In the presence of increasing concentrations of isatin the Kd values demonstrated a significant (up to 6‐fold) decrease. It is especially important that the interaction of isatin with each individual protein (FECH, ADR) was basically negligible and therefore could not contribute to the observed effect. This effect was specific only for the FECH/ADR complex formation and was not observed for other protein complexes studied: FECH/cytochrome b5(CYB5A) and FECH/SMAD4.     

Inhibition of monoamine oxidase by C5-substituted phthalimide analogues

Literature reports that isatin as well as C5- and C6-substituted isatin analogues are reversible inhibitors of human monoamine oxidase (MAO) A and B. In general, C5- and C6-substitution of isatin leads to enhanced binding affinity to both MAO isozymes compared to isatin and in most instances result in selective binding to the MAO-B isoform. Crystallographic and modeling studies suggest that the isatin ring binds to the substrate cavities of MAO-A and -B and is stabilized by hydrogen bond interactions between the NH and the C2 carbonyl oxygen of the dioxoindolyl moiety and water molecules present in the substrate cavities of MAO-A and -B. Based on these observations and the close structural resemblances between isatin and its phthalimide isomer, a series of phthalimide analogues were synthesized and evaluated as MAO inhibitors. While phthalimide and N-aryl-substituted phthalimides were found to be weak MAO inhibitors, phthalimide homologues containing C5 substituents were potent reversible inhibitors of recombinant human MAO-B with IC(50) values ranging from 0.007 to 2.5 μM and moderately potent reversible inhibitors of recombinant human MAO-A with IC(50) values ranging from 0.22 to 9.0 μM. By employing molecular docking the importance of hydrogen bonding between the active sites of MAO-A and -B and the phthalimide inhibitors are highlighted.     

Isatin-enzyme interactions. VI. Inhibition of rat kidney alkaline phosphatase.]

Interaction of isatin with rat kidney alkaline phosphatase has been studied. Mode of attachment of isatin with the enzyme protein is most likely through amino group(s), which is also imperative for catalysis. Sulphydryl group(s) do not seem to be involved in enzyme action. Zinc is also needed for enzyme activity. Use of sulphydryl compounds suggests that isatin inhibition of the enzyme is through attachment at the metal site. However, this inhibition may not only be due to simple chelation of the metal by isatin.     

Effect of isatin on the electrical activity in the rat hippocampus cells

In vitro superfusion of rat hippocampal slices with isatin changed the population spikes. Isatin perfusion produced two clear effects. 50 microM isatin it increased the amplitude of the population spike in the CA1 evoked by stimulation of stratum radiatum. This effect was readily reversible. 100 microM isatin decreased the population spike amplitude with minimal effect on its latency. High initial response were more suppressed. This effect on the population spike amplitude was not eliminated even after 1 h of washing with saline. The data obtained suggest that isatin-induced electrophysiological changes are involved into the anticonvulsant effect of isatin.     

Isatin inhibition of rat testicular alkaline phosphatase. A non-allosteric phenomenon.

Isatin has been found to inhibit rat testicular alkaline phosphatase (EC 3.1.3.1) uncompetitively. The hyperbolic curve relating inhibition as a function of substrate concentration; the persistence of inhibition after the tertiary structure of the enzyme has been altered by heat denaturation, exposure to urea or papain digestion; the small changes in entropy, free energy and enthalpy in the presence of isatin, and the number of isatin molecules (n = 1.29) combining with one molecule of enzyme indicate the non-allosteric nature of inhibition.     

Interaction of pyruvate kinase with isatin and deprenyl

The key glycolytic enzyme, pyruvate kinase, exhibits moderate affinity [³H]isatin binding (K_D ～10 μM) which is inhibited by ATP (IC₅₀ 25 μM) and deprenyl (IC₅₀ 5 μM). Interaction of pyruvate kinase with isatin and its inhibition by ATP and deprenyl has also been confirmed using an independent biosensor technique and the immobilized isatin analogue, aminoisatin. This effect has some specificity because the enzyme, creatine phosphokinase, does not exhibit specific isatin-binding. It is suggested that interaction of pyruvate kinase with isatin may reflect some non-glycolytic functions of this enzyme.     

Identification of enzymes involved in indole-3-acetic acid degradation

Strains of Bradyrhizobium japonicum with the ability to catabolize indole-3-acetic acid (IAA) and strains of B. japonicum, Rhizobium loti, and Rhizobium galegae, unable to catabolize IAA, were analyzed for enzymes involved in the pathway for IAA degradation. Two enzymes having isatin as substrate were detected. An isatin amidohydrolase catalyzing the hydrolysis of isatin into isatinic acid was found in some B. japonicum strains and in two Rhizobium species, R loti and R. galegae. The enzyme was inducible (4–5-fold) by its substrate, isatin, and the partially purified enzyme from R. loti showed an apparent K_M of 11 M for isatin. A NADPH-dependent isatin reductase was measured in extracts from a strain of B. japonicum lacking the isatin amidohydrolase. The structure of the reaction product, dioxindole was verified by NMR spectroscopy. Isatin reductase activity was also detected in extracts of dry pea seeds, and present in at least two isoforms. A low K_M of 10 M for isatin was found with a partially purified preparation of the pea enzyme. The presence of such an enzyme activity in pea indicates dioxindole and isatin as possible intermediates in IAA degradation in pea.     

Isatin‐binding proteins of rat and mouse brain: Proteomic identification and optical biosensor validation

Isatin (indole‐2,3‐dione) is an endogenous indole that has a distinct and discontinuous distribution in the brain and in other mammalian tissues and body fluids. Its output is increased under conditions of stress and anxiety. Isatin itself and its analogues exhibit a wide range of pharmacological activities but its specific biological targets still are not well characterized. Affinity chromatography of Triton X‐100 lysates of soluble and particulate fractions of mouse and rat whole brain homogenates on 5‐aminocaproyl‐isatin‐Sepharose followed by subsequent proteomic analysis resulted in identification of 65 and 64 individual proteins, respectively. Isatin‐binding capacity of some of the identified proteins has been validated in an optical biosensor study using a Biacore 3000 optical biosensor, 5‐aminocarproyl‐isatin, and 5‐aminoisatin as the affinity ligands. The K_d values (of 0.1–20 μM) obtained during the optical biosensor experiments were consistent with the range of K_d values recently reported for [³H]isatin binding to brain sections. Although the number of isatin‐binding proteins identified in the mouse and rat brain was similar, only 21 proteins (about one‐third) were identical in the two species. This may be one reason for the differences in isatin effects in rats and mice reported in the literature.     

Effect of isatin (2,3-dioxoindoline) on audiogenic seizures in rats and its relationship to electrographic and behavioural phenomena.

In doses of 160 and 80 mg/kg, isatin (2,3-dioxoindoline) significantly reduced the total incidence of audiogenic epileptic seizures in rats highly sensitive to an acoustic epileptogenic stimulus. The number of severest forms of seizure (running, clonic convulsions) was higher than in the control tests, however. The acoustic epileptogenic stimuls was applied one hour after the i.p. injection of isatin. At that time some postural reflexes were still inhibited after 160 mg isatin/kg, while after smaller doses they were already normal again. One hour after administering isatin there were marked changes in the electroencephalogram, the chief ones being an increase in rhythmic episodic activity against a desynchronization background and a decrease in slow wave sleep activity.