Abstract

Several of the hepatic microsomal cytochromes P-450 (CYP) including CYP3A are inducible by phenobarbital (PB). However, the intracellular pathways involved in the action of PB on CYP3A remain poorly known. With the aim to unravel some of the main aspects of PB signaling, we first devised a simple model of mouse cultured primary hepatocytes in which CYP3A mRNA and protein were strongly induced by PB in the absence of dexamethasone and were at maximum levels after a 48-h treatment with a 2-mM dose of PB. Under these culture conditions, we studied the effects of inhibitors and activators of different protein kinases or phosphatases on CYP3A mRNA and protein induction by PB. CYP3A-induced expression was inhibited by activators of cyclic AMP-dependent protein kinase (PKA) (dibutyryl-cyclic AMP and forskolin) whereas inhibition of PKA by PKA inhibitor enhanced induction. 8-br-cGMP produced effects similar to the activators of PKA, and so did the specific inhibitor of cGMP-dependent protein kinase, β-phenyl-1,N²-etheno-8-bromoguanosine-3,5′-cyclic monophosphorothioate, Rp-isomer (Rp-8-Br-PET-cGMPS). Inhibition of Ca²⁺/calmodulin-dependent protein kinase by KN-62 or the intracellular Ca²⁺ chelator BAPTA-AM produced an inhibition of CYP3A induction by PB. Specific inhibitors of protein kinase C, mitogen-activated protein kinase kinase, phosphatidylinositol-3-kinase, or serine/threonine phosphatase did not produce any effect. Taken together, our results suggest that CYP3A induction by PB is regulated positively by calmodulin-dependent protein kinase and cGMP-dependent protein kinase, and negatively by PKA in mouse hepatocytes in primary culture.