• Proceedings of the Korean Society of Toxicology Conference
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• 2001.05a
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• pp.121-121
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• 2001

Thioacetamide has been known to cause immune suppression. In this report we studied the role of metabolic activation by flavin-containing monooxygenase in the thioacetamide-induced immune response. To determine whether the metabolites of thioacetamide produced by flavin-containing monooxygenase result in the immunosuppression, methimazole, a flavin-containing monooxygenase inhibitor, was used to block the flavin-containing monooxygenase pathway.(omitted)

• Environmental Analysis Health and Toxicology
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• v.15 no.4
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• pp.139-145
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• 2000

The Flavin-containing monooxygenase (FMOs) (EC1.14.13.8) are NADPH-dependent flavoenzymes that catalyze oxidation of soft nucleophilic heteroatom centers in a range of structurally diverse compounds, including foods, drugs, pesticides, and other xenobiotics. In humans, FMO3 is quantitatively a major human liver monooxygenase. In the present study, the baculovirus expression vector system was used to overexpress human FMO3 in insect cells for catalytic studies. Six commercially available organic selenium compounds were examined for substrate activity with microsomes isolated from Spodoptera frugiperda (Sf)9 cells infected with human FMO3 recombinant baculovirus. While none of the aromatic heterocyclic selenides tested showed detectable activity, all dialkyl- and alkylaryl-selenides free from ionic groups catalyzed the NADPH- and O$_2$-dependent oxidation. Kinetic constants demonstrate that (based on Km) dialkyl-and alkylaryl- selenides are better substrates for human FMO3 than analogous nitrogen or sulfur compounds .

• Environmental Analysis Health and Toxicology
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• v.16 no.2
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• pp.97-102
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• 2001

The flavin-containing monooxygenases(FMOs) (EC1.14.13.8) are NADPH0dependent flavoenzymes that catalyze oxidation of soft nucleophilic heteroatom centers in a range of structurally diverse compounds, including foods, drugs, pesticides, and other xenobiotics. In humans, FMO3 is quantitatively a major human liver monooxygenase. In the present study, the baculovirus expression vector system was used to overexpress human FMO3 in sect cells for stalytic studies. Microsomes isolated from Spodoptera frugiperda(Sf)9 cells infected with human FMO3 recombinant baculovirus catalyzed the NADPH-and O$_2$-dependent oxidation of methimazole, thiourea, and phenylthiourea. However there was no detectable activity with 1, 3-diphenylthiourea or larger thiocarbamides. Microsomes from control Sf9 cells were devoid of methimazole or thiourea S-oxygenase activity. 1, 3-diphenylthiourea is apparently completely excluded from the catalytic site, these amines drugs are probably approaching the upper size limits of xenobiotics accepted by human FMO3. The substrate specificity of this iosform in humans appears considerably more restriceted than that of pig, guinea pig, rat or rabbit FMO3.

• Proceedings of the Korea Environmental Mutagen Society Conference
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• 2002.05a
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• pp.73-73
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• 2002

• Proceedings of the Korean Society of Toxicology Conference
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• 2002.05a
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• pp.73-73
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• 2002

Thioacetamide has been known to cause immune suppression. The object of the present study is to investigate the role of metabolic activation by flavin- containing monooxygenases (FMO) in thioacetamide-induced immune response. To determine whether the metabolites of thioacetamide produced by FMO causes the immunosuppression, methimazole (MMI), an FMO inhibitor, was used to block the FMO pathway.(omitted)

• The Korean Journal of Physiology and Pharmacology
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• v.1 no.5
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• pp.591-595
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• 1997

An ex vivo assay determining the flavin-containing monooxygenase (FMO) activity in perfused rat liver has been developed by assessing the rate of thiobenzamide S-oxide (TBSO) formation from the infused thiobenzamide (TB). The hepatotoxicity by TB or TBSO was not a critical factor for maintaining the FMO activity for up to 50 min. The FMO activity expressed in nmoles TBSO produced/g liver/min was the same for the recycling and non-recycling perfusion. This implies that reduction of the oxidized TBSO back to the parent compound (TB) is negligible. Hydrolysis of the collected perfusates with either ${\beta}-glucuronidase$ or arylsulfatase did not increase the TBSO level and thus, TBSO does not appear to undergo conjugation either to glucuronide or sulfate esters. Thus, measuring the rate of TB S-oxidation in the isolated perfused liver with 1 mM TB for 50 min provides a useful tool for evaluation of the hepatic FMO activity in the absence of hepatic necrosis and without the interferences caused by further conjugation or back reduction of the TBSO to the parent TB.

• Journal of Food Hygiene and Safety
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• v.14 no.4
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• pp.415-421
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• 1999

The flavin-containing monooxygenases (FMOs) (EC 1.14. 13.8) are NADPH-dependent flavoenzymes that catalyze oxidation of soft nucleophilic heteroatom centers in a range of structurally diverse compounds including foods, drugs, pesticides, and other xenobiotics. In humans, FMOl appears to be the predominant form expressed in human fetal liver. cDNA-expressed human FMO and human liver microsomal FMO have been observed to N- and S-oxy-genate nucleophilic nitrogen- and sulfur-containing drugs and chemicals, respectively. In the present study, FMOl can be expressed in the baculovirus expression vector system at level of 2.68 nmol FMOl/mg of membrane protein. This isoform was examined for its capacity to metabolize methimazole to its S-oxide using thiocholine assay. Kinetic studies of its S-oxide by recombinant human FMO1 result in Km of 7.66 $\mu$M and Vmax of 17.79 nmol/min/mg protein.

• The Korean Journal of Physiology and Pharmacology
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• v.7 no.3
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• pp.157-162
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• 2003

Our earlier studies found a significant correlation between the activities of ranitidine N-oxidation catalyzed by hepatic flavin-containing monooxygenase (FMO) and the presence of mutations in exon 4 (E158K) and exon 7 (E308G) of the FMO3 gene in Korean volunteers. However, caffeine N-1 demethylation (which is also partially catalyzed by FMO) was not significantly correlated with these FMO3 mutations. In this study, we examined another common mutation (V257M) in exon 6 of FMO3 gene. The V257M variant, which is caused by a point mutation (G769A), was commonly observed (13.21% allele frequency) in our subjects (n=159). This point mutation causes a substitution of $Val^{257}$ to $Met^{257}$, with transformation of the secondary structure. The presence of this mutant allele correlated significantly with a reduction in caffeine N-1-demethylating activity, but was not correlated with the activity of N-oxidation of ranitidine. In a family study, the low FMO activity observed in a person heterozygous for a nonsense mutation in exon 4 (G148X) and heterozygous for missense mutation in exon 6 (V257M) of FMO3 was attributed to the mutations. Our results suggest that various point mutations in the coding regions of FMO3 may influence FMO3 activity according to the probe substrates of varying chemical structure that correlate with each mutation on the FMO3 gene.

• 대한임상약리학회:학술대회논문집
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• 1999.12a
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• pp.30-30
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• 1999

• The Korean Journal of Physiology and Pharmacology
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• v.8 no.4
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• pp.213-218
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• 2004

Primary fish-odor syndrome (FOS) is a genetic disorder caused by defective flavin-containing mono-oxygenase 3 gene (FMO3) with deficient N-oxidation of trimethylamine (TMA), causing trimethylaminuria (TMAU). By contrast, secondary FOS can be acquired by decreased FMO activities in patients with chronic liver diseases, but the underlying mechanisms are unknown. In the present study, we examined plasma NOx concentrations and viral DNA contents as well as in vivo FMO activities and their correlations in chronic viral hepatitis (CVH) patients. Plasma concentration of NOx was significantly increased by 2.1 fold $(56.2{\pm}26.5\;vs.\;26.6{\pm}5.4\;{\mu}M,\;p<0.01)$, and it was positively correlated with plasma hepatitis B virus (HBV) DNA contents $(r^2=0.2838,\;p=0.0107)$. Furthermore, the elevated plasma NOx values were inversely and significantly correlated with in vivo FMO activities detected by ranitidine-challenged test $(8.3%\;vs.\;20.0%,\;r^2=0.2109,\;p=\0.0315)$. TMA N-oxidation activities determined in CVH patients without challenge test were also significantly low (73.6% vs. 95.7%, p< 0.05). In conclusion, these results suggested that secondary FOS could be acquired by the endogenously elevated NO in patients with CVH.