Identification of the metabolites of polybrominated diphenyl ether 99 and its related cytochrome P450s

Objective：To investigate the metabolites of polybrominated diphenyl ether 99（BDE-99）and its related cytochrome P450s in an in vitro system.Methods：Rat primary hepatocytes were isolated and treated with BDE-99 for 24-72 h.Metabolites were then extracted from the hepatocytes and media,and detected by GC/MS.Several mRNAs of metabolic enzymes were also extracted from the same cells and the gene expression levels were determined using quantitative real-time PCR.In addition,selected recombinant cytochrome P450s（CYPs） were expressed in a bacurovirus/sf9 system,and these were further used to explore the metabolism of BDE-99 in vitro.The parent depletion approach was used for screening the ability of CYPs to eliminate BDE-99.Results： A reductively debrominated metabolite,BDE-47,and three oxidative metabolites,2,4,5-tribromophenol,5-OH-BDE-47,and 5＇-OH-BDE-99,were identified from the BDE-99-treated rat hepatocytes,whereas no MeO metabolite was detected in the system.RT-PCR analysis showed that CYP 3A23/3A1,1A2,and 2B1/2 were induced by BDE-99.Furthermore,using the heterological expressed CYP proteins in in vitro BDE-99 metabolism experiments we found that CYP1A2 and CYP3A4 showed the highest metabolic efficiency for BDE-99,with the metabolic clearance rates of CYP1A2 and CYP3A4 being 30.3%and 27.7%,respectively.CYP1A1 and CYP2A6 displayed relatively low clearance rates,while CYP2E1 seemed not to be associated with the BDE-99 metabolism.Conclusions：In our in vitro rat primary hepatocyte metabolism system,four metabolites of BDE-99 were identified,and CYP3A4 and CYP1A2 were demonstrated to be involved in the BDE-99 metabolism.