Enzymatic Synthesis of Epoxidized Metabolites of Docosahexaenoic, Eicosapentaenoic, and Arachidonic Acids

Summary

We present a method useful for large-scale enzymatic synthesis and purification of specific enantiomers and regioisomers of epoxides of arachidonic acid (AA), docosahexaenoic acid (DHA), and eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA) with the use of a bacterial cytochrome P450 enzyme (BM3).

Abstract

The epoxidized metabolites of various polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFAs), termed epoxy fatty acids, have a wide range of roles in human physiology. These metabolites are produced endogenously by the cytochrome P450 class of enzymes. Because of their diverse and potent biological effects, there is considerable interest in studying these metabolites. Determining the unique roles of these metabolites in the body is a difficult task, as the epoxy fatty acids must first be obtained in significant amounts and with high purity. Obtaining compounds from natural sources is often labor intensive, and soluble epoxide hydrolases (sEH) rapidly hydrolyze the metabolites. On the other hand, obtaining these metabolites via chemical reactions is very inefficient, due to the difficulty of obtaining pure regioisomers and enantiomers, low yields, and extensive (and expensive) purification. Here, we present an efficient enzymatic synthesis of 19(S),20(R)- and 16(S),17(R)-epoxydocosapentaenoic acids (EDPs) from DHA via epoxidation with BM3, a bacterial CYP450 enzyme isolated originally from Bacillus megaterium (that is readily expressed in Escherichia coli). Characterization and determination of purity is performed with nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy (NMR), high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC), and mass spectrometry (MS). This procedure illustrates the benefits of enzymatic synthesis of PUFA epoxy metabolites, and is applicable to the epoxidation of other fatty acids, including arachidonic acid (AA) and eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA) to produce the analogous epoxyeicosatrienoic acids (EETs) and epoxyeicosatetraenoic acids (EEQs), respectively.

Introduction

As interest in the role that polyunsaturated fatty acids (particularly omega-3 and omega-6 polyunsaturated fatty acids) play in human biology has grown in recent years, researchers have taken notice of the wide range of appealing benefits that their metabolites exhibit. In particular, epoxy fatty acid metabolites produced by the cytochrome P450 class of enzymes have been a large point of focus. For example, many PUFA epoxides, including epoxyeicosatrienoic acids (EETs), epoxydocosapentaenoic acids (EDPs) and epoxyeicosatetraenoic acids (EEQs), play a critical role in regulation of blood pressure and inflammation^1,2<....

Protocol

CAUTION: Please consult all relevant material safety data sheets (MSDS) before using the listed chemicals.

1. Expression of wild-type BM3

1. Inoculate pBS-BM3 transfected DH5α E. coli (a generous donation from Dr. F. Ann Walker) in 5 mL of sterile LB broth with 0.5 mg of ampicillin added into a 20 mL culture tube.
2. Incubate the cell culture in a shaker at 37 ˚C for 24 h at 200 rpm. Add the overnight starter culture (5 mL) and 100 mg of ampicillin to 1 L of sterile LB broth in a Fernbach or Erlenmeyer flask. Shake at 37 ˚C for 6 h at 200 rpm, then at 30 ˚C for 18 h at 200 rpm.
3. Collect ....

Results

The flash column chromatogram (performed using an automated flash purification system as described below) obtained upon purification of the crude mixture from enzymatic epoxidation is shown in Figure 1. Following esterification and separation of the regioisomers, pure 16(S),17(R)-EDP and 19(S),20(R)-EDP methyl esters were obtained. Typically, they are present in an approximate 1:4 to 1:5 ratio, with the major product being .......

Discussion

We present here an operationally simple and cost-effective method for preparing the two most abundant epoxy metabolites of DHA - 19,20 and 16,17-EDP. These epoxy fatty acids can be prepared in highly enantiopure (as their S,R-isomers) form using wild-type BM3 enzyme. Several critical points which may be used for troubleshooting, and the extension of our method to preparing enantiopure epoxy metabolites of AA and EPA, are described below.

BM3 storage guidelines

Materials

List of materials used in this article

Name	Company	Catalog Number	Comments
Ammonium Bicarbonate	Sigma	9830	NA
Ampicillin	GoldBio	A30125	NA
Anhydrous magnesium sulfate	Fisher Scientific	M65-3	NA
Anhydrous methanol	Sigma-Aldrich	322515	NA
Anhydrous sodium sulfate	Fisher Scientific	S421-500	NA
Anhydrous toluene	Sigma-Aldrich	244511	NA
Arachidonic Acid (AA)	Nu-Chek Prep	U-71A	Air-sensitive.
Diethyl Ether	Sigma	296082	NA
DMSO (molecular biology grade)	Sigma-Aldrich	D8418	NA
Docosahexaenoic Acid (DHA)	Nu-Chek Prep	U-84A	Air-sensitive.
EDTA (ethylenediaminetetraacetic acid)	Invitrogen	15576028	NA
Eicosapentaenoic Acid (EPA)	Nu-Chek Prep	U-99A	Air-sensitive.
Ethyl acetate	Sigma	34858	NA
Flash column cartridges 25, 40, 4, 12 g sizes	Fisher Scientific	145170203, 145154064, 5170200	Alternatively, conventional column chromatography can be used
Formic acid (HPLC Grade)	J.T. Baker	0128-01	NA
Glycerol	Sigma	G7757	NA
Hexanes	VWR	BDH24575	NA
LB Broth	Sigma	L3022	NA
Lithium hydroxide	Sigma-Aldrich	442410	NA
Magnesium chloride	Fisher Scientific	2444-01	NA
Methanol (HPLC grade)	Sigma-Aldrich	34860-41-R	NA
NADPH Tetrasodium Salt	Sigma-Aldrich	481973	Air-sensitive.
Oxalic acid	Sigma-Aldrich	194131	NA
pBS-BM3 transfected DH5α E. coli	NA	NA	NA
PMSF (phenylmethanesulfonyl fluoride)	Sigma	P7626	Toxic!
Potassium Permanganate	Sigma-Aldrich	223468	For TLC staining.
Potassium phosphate dibasic	Sigma	795496	NA
Potassium phosphate monobasic	Sigma	795488	NA
Q Sepharose Fast Flow resin (GE Healthcare life sciences)	Fisher Scientific	17-0515-01	For anion exchange purification of enzyme
Sodium Chloride	Sigma	71376	NA
Tetrahydrofuran, anhydrous	Sigma-Aldrich	186562	NA
TMS-Diazomethane (2.0 M in hexanes)	Sigma-Aldrich	362832	Very toxic.
Tris-HCl	GoldBio	T-400	NA
Also necessary:
Automatic flash purification system (we used a Buchi Reveleris X2)	Buchi
C18 HPLC column (Zorbax Eclipse XDB-C18)	Agilent
Centrifuge capable of 10,000 x g
Chiral HPLC Column (Lux cellulose-3), 250 x 4.6 mm, 5 µM, 1000 Å)	Phenomenex
General chemistry supplies: a 2 L separatory funnel, beakers and Erlenmeyer flasks with 1000-2000 L capacity, 20 mL vials, HPLC vials, small round-bottomed flasks and stir-bars.
HPLC (we use a Shimadzu Prominence LC-20AT analytical pump and SPD-20A UV-vis detector	Shimadzu
Nanodrop 2000 Spectrophotometer	Thermo-Fisher Scientific
NMR	NMR: Agilent DD2 spectrometer (500 MHz)
Rotary evaporator	Buchi
Sonic dismembrator or ultrasonic homogenizer	Cole-Parmer