Turk J Biochem 2021; 46(1): 3–8 Review Article Michael Mackness* and Eser Yildirim Sozmen A critical review on human serum Paraoxonase-1 in the literature: truths and misconceptions İnsan serum Paraoksonaz-1 enzimi ile ilgili yayınların eleştirel olarak gözden geçirilmesi: gerçekler ve kavram yanılgıları https://doi.org/10.1515/tjb-2020-0186 yanlış anlamaların literatürde yaygınlaşması gibi bir takım Received April 17, 2020; accepted April 21, 2020; published online sorunlara yol açmıştır. June 24, 2020 Bu eleştirel inceleme, PON1’in temel özelliklerini ve yayınlarda gözlenen sorunları ve yanılgıları açıklamayı Abstract: Human serum paraoxonase 1 (PON1) appears to amaçlamaktadır. play an important role in the development of a large variety Anahtar kelimeler: hastalık; laktonaz; paraoksonaz; poli- of diseases with an inflammatory component including morfizmler. heart disease, diabetes, rheumatic diseases, neurological diseases and cancer. As such PON1 research is rapidly expanding into new biomedical fields. Unfortunately, this Introduction rapid expansion has resulted in a number of problems due to poor experimental design and the spreading of mis- The paraoxonase (PON) multi-gene family consists of three conceptions in the literature. This review seeks to describe enzymes: PON1, PON2 and PON3. The genes for which are the basic properties of PON1 and the problems and mis- located adjacent to each other on human chromosome 7 conceptions that have arisen. (q21.22). All share the considerable similarity in the amino- acid sequence. All three members of the PON family are Keywords: hastalık; lactonase; paraoxonase; poly- able to retard lipid (per)oxidation in lipoproteins and cell morphisms. membranes and are believed to be important in the development of diseases with an inflammatory component Öz: İnsan serum paraoksonaz -1 (PON1) enzimi, kalp such as cardiovascular diseases, rheumatic diseases and hastalığı, diyabetes mellitus, romatizmal hastalıklar, nör- cancer [1]. Since PON1 has the capability to hydrolyse olojik hastalıklar ve kanser dahil olmak üzere inflamatuvar various substrates (including lactones, thiolactones, bileşeni olan çok çeşitli hastalıkların gelişiminde önemli organophosphorus triester pesticides and nerve gases, bir rol oynamaktadır. Bu nedenle PON1 araştırmaları hızla arylesters, oestrogen-esters, cyclic carbamates and glucu- yeni biyomedikal alanlara doğru genişlemektedir. Maalesef ronide drugs) [1–3], it may have varied physiological roles bu hızlı genişleme, deneysel tasarımın zayıf olması ve in many diseases (inflammation, organophosphate intox- ication, drug metabolism, cardiovascular disease, etc.,). *Corresponding author: Dr Michael Mackness, PhD, Avenida Princip So, PON1 activity has been extensively studied in many D’Espanya, Miami Playa, 43892, Tarragona, Spain, diseases since 1986. In this review, we searched the liter- E-mail: [email protected] ature in PubMed between 1982 and 2020, with the search Eser Yildirim Sozmen: Ege Universıty Faculty of Medicine, Department term “paraoxonase + arylesterase” and limiting the search of Medical Biochemistry, Bornova Izmir, Turkey, E-mail: [email protected]. https://orcid.org/0000-0002- to clinical trials, randomised controlled trials and clinical 6383-6724 studies. A total of 775 results were found and evaluated. Open Access. © 2021 Michael Mackness and Eser Yildirim Sozmen, published by De Gruyter. This work is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License. 4 Mackness and Sozmen: Truths and misconceptions on Paraoxonase-1 With the number of investigations in the literature rapidly thiolactones, organophosphorus triester pesticides and increasing, some misconceptions have arisen. This review nerve gases (paraoxon, diazoxon, sarin and soman to name seeks to point out potential problems and pitfalls in the a few), arylesters, oestrogen-esters, cyclic carbamates and hope that they will be addressed and avoided. glucuronide drugs [1, 14]. Due to these various enzymatic activities, the role of PON1 in detoxifying organophosphate compounds, drug metabolism, cardiovascular disease, and PON1: Structure, genetics and other diseases, has been extensively studied. These activ- ities possibly explain the varied physiological roles of this substrate specificity enzyme. PON1 has been closely linked to the reduction of oxidative stress and inflammation, which are important Human serum paraoxonase1 (PON1) is the best-known features that can markedly affect the development of member of the paraoxonase multi-gene family which also atherosclerotic plaques and cardiovascular events [1, 15]. 2+ includes PON2 and PON3. PON1 is a circulating Ca - Experiments with PON1 knockout mice have indicated that dependent enzyme with a molecular mass of 43 kDa and PON1 absence leads to an increase in endothelial adhesion – fi containing 354 amino acids [1 3], which is classi ed as an molecules and oxidative stress, confirming the role of this aryldialkylphosphatase (EC 3.1.8.1) [1]. PON1 is mainly enzyme in preventing the onset of atherosclerosis [16, 17]. synthesized by the liver and then secreted into the blood- Detailed structure/function studies have concluded stream, where it is tightly bound to high-density lipopro- that the natural substrates for PON1 are lactones and lip- tein (HDL) particles [4]. PON2 appears to be the ancestral ophylic lactones form the primary substrates [7, 18, 19]. The family member [5, 6]. The term paraoxonase is originally aromatic nature of amino acids in the active site of PON1 ’ derived from the enzyme s ability to hydrolyse paraoxon could explain why the enzyme prefers lipophilic substrates (diethyl p-nitrophenyl phosphate), which is the active [20]. PON1 is able to hydrolyse a wide range of lactones. All metabolite of the insecticide parathion [1, 7]. three members of the PON family (PON1, PON2 and PON3) The structure of PON1 is a six-bladed beta-propeller with share this property of being lactonases, albeit with distinct a central tunnel containing two calcium ions. One of these substrate specificities [7]. calcium ions is structural and therefore essential for the N-acylhomoserine γ-lactones (AHL) are produced by conformational stability of the enzyme while the second ion gram negative bacteria and regulate bacterial virulence is catalytic [8, 9]. The removal of calcium from PON1 by the and biofilm formation. All three PONs hydrolyse AHL (a + addition of EDTA results in the inactivation of Ca2 -dependent process known as quorum quenching) with PON2 having activities, including paraoxon and phenyl acetate hydrolysis, the greatest efficacy, the resulting metabolites are inactive however,itdoesnotaffecttheabilityofPON1toprotectlow- therefore the PON family could be important in preventing density lipoprotein (LDL) from oxidation. Different active bacterial infections [21]. + sites may therefore exist on PON1 for Ca2 - dependent activ- In recent years attention has turned to δ-lactone ei- ities and for protecting LDL from oxidation [10]. The amino cosanoids as PON substrates. These compounds are me- terminal end of the protein contains hydrophobic amino acid tabolites of arachidonic acid and mediate a number of residues that play a role in its binding to HDL and to other metabolic processes in vivo. 5-hydroxy-eicosatetraenoic proteins such as apoA1 and also in its self-aggregation [11]. acid 1,5 lactone (5-HL) is a substrate for all three PONs. According to recent findings, modulating the active site PON1 has the greatest hydrolytic efficacy followed by PON3 hydrophobicity of PON1 is a key factor that could affect the with PON2 having little activity towards this substrate [22]. organophosphatase activity of the enzyme [9]. PON3 has by far the highest activity towards two other A histidine–histidine (His) catalytic dyad is proposed eicosanoids, cycloepoxycyclopentenone (cyclo-EC) and to be involved in the catalytic mechanism of PON1 in which 5,6 dihydroxy-eicosatrienoic acid lactone (5,6-DHTL) fol- His-115 acts as a general base to deprotonate a single water lowed by PON1 again with PON2 having little or no activity molecule while His-134 increases His-115 basicity via a towards these substrates [22, 23]. Interestingly, this order of proton shuttle mechanism [12]. However, Grunkemeyer hydrolytic efficacy also applies to the hydrolysis of oes- et al. based on His-dyad mutagenesis data recently re- trogen esters by the PON family indicating a preference of ported that the dyad likely does not participate directly in PON3 for bulky cyclic groups. Lactonase activity in the catalysis, but may play an important role in substrate endothelium can influence vascular dilation. In this binding or orientation [13]. context, Gilad et al. [24] recently showed that PON1 pene- PON1 is a highly promiscuous enzyme and will hydro- trates endothelial cells and is able to reduce 5,6-DHTL- lyse a large variety of substrates including lactones, dependent vasodilation through its lactonase activity. Mackness and Sozmen: Truths and misconceptions on Paraoxonase-1 5 PON1 inhibits lipid oxidation in LDL, thereby reducing Study design levels of oxidized lipids that are critical for the initiation and propagation of atherosclerosis and is believed to play a Because of the over 40 fold variation in PON1 activity be- central role in the antioxidant activity of HDL [1]. PON1 is tween individuals which has a large genetic (and epige- also an important determinant of HDL dysfunctionality netic) component due, as far as is currently understood, [15].