Effects of (-)-menthol on arylamine N-acetyltransferase activity in human liver tumor cells

To evaluate whether or not (-)-menthol affects arylamine N-acetyltransferas e (NAT) activity, we selected human liver tumor cell tine (J 5) for examina tion. By using high performance liquid chromatography, NAT activity for ace tylation of 2-aminofluorene (AF) was determined. (-)Menthol displayed a dos e-dependent inhibition to cytosolic NAT activity. Time-course experiments s howed that NAT activity measured from intact human liver tumor cells was in hibited by (-)-menthol for up to 24 hrs. But in human liver tumor intact ce lls, the low doses (0.0032 and 0.032 mM) of (-)-menthol promoted the NAT ac tivity and the high doses (3.2 and 32 mM) of (-)-menthol inhibited NAT acti vity and the 0.32 mM (-)-menthol did not show any significant differences b etween control and (-)-menthol treated groups. Using standard steady-state kinetic analysis, it was demonstrated that (-)-menthol was a possible uncom petitive inhibitor (decrease Km and Vmax) to NAT activity in cytosols. This report is the first demonstration which showed (-)-menthol affect on human liver tumor cells NAT activity.