Search PubMed⌕ Search

Biomedical subjects

W Dekant

Publications and source records attributed to W Dekant.

At least 127 records · Page 7Linked to original sources
PubMed1986

Absorption, elimination and metabolism of trichloroethylene: a quantitative comparison between rats and mice.

The absorption, elimination and metabolism of 14C-trichloroethylene (Tri) was studied in adult female Wistar rats and NMRI mice after administration of 200, 20 and 2 mg/kg Tri. Dose-dependent biotransformation of Tri to metabolites was observed in both species. Induction of hepatic mono-oxygenases by phenobarbital or polychlorinated biphenyls resulted in a higher rate of biotransformation after a single oral dose of 200 mg/kg 14C-Tri to rats. An increase in radioactivity covalently bound to liver and kidney macromolecules of induced rats as compared to control rats parallels the toxic effects of Tri on these organs after induction of cytochrome P-450. The urinary metabolites were analysed by h.p.l.c. In both species, 1,1,1-trichlorocompounds (trichloroacetic acid, trichloroethanol and its glucuronide, comprising 88.9-93.5% of the radioactivity excreted in the urine) constituted the main metabolites; in addition, N-(hydroxyacetyl)-aminoethanol (4.1-7.2%), dichloroacetic acid (0.1-2.0%) and oxalic acid (0.7-1.8%) were identified. The pattern of metabolites in the 72 h urine remained constant for each species in the dose range studied and no change was induced by pretreatment. The percentage of radioactivity exhaled as 14CO2 increased with dose in mice, which may indicate dose-dependent formation of dichloroacetic acid and saturation of deactivating mechanisms for reactive intermediates in mice.

Animals↗
PubMed1984

Novel metabolites of trichloroethylene through dechlorination reactions in rats, mice and humans.

The excretion and biotransformation of [14C]trichloroethylene (Tri) has been studied in female rats and mice. Seventy-two hours after a single oral dose of 200 mg/kg, rats exhaled 52% and mice 11% of the recovered radioactivity as unchanged Tri, and 1.9% and 6%, respectively, as 14CO2. Rats excreted 41.2% of the recovered radioactivity in the urine, in contrast to mice where urinary activity amounted to 76%. The isolation of urinary metabolites was accomplished by reversed-phase HPLC, using a water-methanol gradient. After chemical derivatization, a combination of radio-GC and GC/MS was used for identification. The metabolites identified in rat urine were: trichloroacetic acid (15.3%); trichloroethanol, free (11.7%) and as the glucuronide (61.9%); dichloroacetic acid (2.0%); oxalic acid (1.3%) and N-(hydroxyacetyl)-aminoethanol (HAAE) (7.2%). In mice, trichloroethanol (free and in several conjugated forms) is the main metabolite of Tri (94.3%), but small amounts of HAAE (4.1%) and oxalic acid (0.7%) are also excreted. Only traces of dichloro- and trichloroacetic acids were found in this species. In human male subjects, HAAE was also identified as a urinary metabolite of Tri after exposure of two volunteers to 200 ppm Tri for 6 hr. The identification of HAAE and oxalic acid as metabolites indicates hydrolytic dechlorination reactions in the metabolism of Tri.

Administration, Oral↗
PubMedDate not supplied

Assaying the estrogenicity of phytoestrogens in cells of different estrogen sensitive tissues.

There is currently much concern that a wide range of both synthetic and naturally occurring environmental chemicals may act as endocrine disruptors (ED), and may adversely affect humans and wildlife. We examined the estrogenic effects of the phytoestrogens daidzein (DAI), equol (EQU) and O-desmethylangolensin (O-DMA), two metabolites of DAI, in three different assays. Binding affinity to the estrogen receptor alpha was 1000-10,000-fold lower compared with the endogenous estrogen estradiol. In the receptor positive cell line MCF-7 the phytoestrogens induced the expression of a reporter gene. The E-SCREEN is based on the estrogen-receptor binding induced proliferation of the human breast cancer cell line MCF-7. We also adapted the E-SCREEN for the estrogen-receptor positive human ovarian cancer cell line BG-1. The tested phytoestrogens induced cell proliferation in both cell lines, but not in the receptor negative human breast cancer cell line MDA-MB-231. The phytoestrogen-induced cell proliferation could be blocked by addition of the receptor antagonist 4-hydroxytamoxifen (OHT). Combination treatments with the endogenous estrogen estradiol showed competitive effects in MCF-7 cells. These studies demonstrated that the tested phytoestrogens exerted estrogenic responses in cells derived from two different tissues, breast and ovary. Furthermore, we demonstrated that BG-1 cells are a suitable additional cell system to investigate estrogenicity of test compounds.

Animal Testing Alternatives↗
PubMedDate not supplied

Cytotoxicity and bioactivation mechanism of benzyl 2-chloro-1,1,2-trifluoroethyl sulfide and benzyl 1,2,3,4,4-pentachlorobuta-1,3-dienyl sulfide.

The metabolism and cytotoxicity of benzyl 1,2,3,4,4-pentachlorobuta-1,3-dienyl sulfide (1) and benzyl 2-chloro-1,1,2-trifluoroethyl sulfide (2) were studied as an alternative test of the hypothesis that the toxicity of the cysteine S-conjugates S-(pentachlorobutadienyl)-L-cysteine and S-(2-chloro-1,1,2-trifluoroethyl)-L-cysteine is associated with their metabolism to unstable thiols; the expectation was that the benzyl sulfides 1 and 2 would undergo cytochrome P-450 dependent benzylic hydroxylation and that the intermediate hemimercaptals would eliminate unstable, cytotoxic thiols. This expectation was realized: 1 and 2 were cytotoxic in isolated rat hepatocytes. The cytotoxicity of 1 was greater in hepatocytes from phenobarbital-treated rats compared with control rats and in male than in female rats and was inhibited by carbon monoxide and 2-(N,N-diethylamino)ethyl 2,2-diphenylvalerate HCl (SKF 525-A). Benzyl sulfides 1 and 2 were metabolized to benzaldehyde by rat hepatic microsomal fractions and by a purified, reconstituted cytochrome P-450PB-B system. Benzaldehyde was not cytotoxic. These results provide support for the hypothesis that benzyl sulfides 1 and 2 and the corresponding cysteine S-conjugates yield unstable thiols, which may give rise to acylating agents or to stable, but toxic, terminal products that are responsible for the cytotoxic effects of the benzyl sulfides and cysteine S-conjugates.

Animals↗
PubMedDate not supplied

Thioacylating intermediates as metabolites of S-(1,2-dichlorovinyl)-L-cysteine and S-(1,2,2-trichlorovinyl)-L-cysteine formed by cysteine conjugate beta-lyase.

The bioactivation mechanism of S-(1,2-dichlorovinyl)-L-cysteine (DCVC) and S-(1,2,2-trichlorovinyl)-L-cysteine (TCVC) was studied with cysteine conjugate beta-lyase (beta-lyase) from Salmonella typhimurium and with the pyridoxal phosphate model N-dodecylpyridoxal bromide (PL-Br) as catalysts and with GC/MS to identify the metabolites formed. PL-Br converted S-2-benzothiazolyl-L-cysteine to 2-mercaptobenzothiazole and S-benzyl-L-cysteine to benzyl mercaptan, demonstrating the ability of PL-Br to serve as a model for beta-lyase. PL-Br and bacterial beta-lyase converted DCVC to chloroacetic acid and chlorothionoacetic acid and TCVC to dichloroacetic acid. Incubations of PL-Br with the S-conjugates in the presence of diethylamine resulted in the formation of N,N-diethylchlorothioacetamide from DCVC and of N,N-diethyldichlorothioacetamide from TCVC. Attempts to trap the enethiols, which are the expected initial products formed by beta-elimination, by reaction with methyl iodide in incubations with the beta-lyase model were not successful. The formation of thioacylating agents from the enethiols may contribute to the cytotoxic and mutagenic effects of DCVC and TCVC.

Acylation↗
PubMedDate not supplied

Metabolism of the nephrotoxin dichloroacetylene by glutathione conjugation.

Dichloroacetylene (DCA) is a potent nephrotoxin and nephrocarcinogen in rodents. The activation reactions responsible for this organ-specific toxicity are not known. We now report the identification of S-(1,2-dichlorovinyl)glutathione (DCVG) as a product of the glutathione (GSH) dependent metabolism of DCA in vitro and the identification of N-acetyl-S-(1,2-dichlorovinyl)-L-cysteine (N-Ac-DCVC) as a urinary metabolite of DCA in rats. Formation of DCVG from DCA, used as 1:1 complex with diethyl ether, in male rat liver and kidney subcellular fractions was dependent on time, native protein, and the presence of GSH. Initial reaction rates at 23 degrees C were determined as 2923 nmol/(min.mg) for liver and 2838 nmol/(min.mg) for kidney microsomes. With cytosol, DCVG formation rates were 705 nmol/(min.mg) (liver cytosol) and 129 nmol/(min.mg) (kidney cytosol). With liver microsomes, a KM of 7.5 mM and a Vmax of 5464 nmol/(min.mg) for GSH were obtained. The product, DCVG, was definitively identified by 1H NMR spectrometry (400 MHz), mass spectrometry, and UV spectroscopy. N-Ac-DCVC was identified as a urinary metabolite from rats by GC/MS after esterification. Urine (collected for 24 h) from male rats exposed to 36 +/- 5 ppm DCA (100 mumol of DCA introduced into the exposure system) for 1 h contained 10.7 mumol of N-Ac-DCVC as determined by HPLC analysis. Formation of DCVG, renal processing to S-(1,2-dichlorovinyl)-L-cysteine, and cleavage of this cysteine S-conjugate by cysteine S-conjugate beta-lyase in the kidney with formation of reactive and mutagenic intermediates may account for DCA nephrotoxicity and nephrocarcinogenicity.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)

Acetylcysteine↗
PubMedDate not supplied

In vivo detection and characterization of protein adducts resulting from bioactivation of haloethene cysteine S-conjugates by 19F NMR: chlorotrifluoroethene and tetrafluoroethene.

Several haloalkenes are selective nephrotoxins. The bioactivation of nephrotoxic haloalkenes involves hepatic glutathione S-conjugate formation, peptidase-catalyzed metabolism of the glutathione S-conjugates to the corresponding cysteine S-conjugates, uptake of cysteine S-conjugates by the kidneys, and renal cysteine conjugate beta-lyase-catalyzed beta-elimination of a thiol. The haloalkyl and haloalkenyl thiols thus released are unstable and yield reactive intermediates whose interactions with cellular constituents are though to contribute to the observed toxicity of S-conjugates. Tetrafluoroethene and chlorotrifluoroethene are metabolized to the cysteine S-conjugates S-(1,1,2,2-tetrafluoroethyl)-L-cysteine (TFEC) and S-(2-chloro-1,1,2-trifluoroethyl)-L-cysteine (CTFC), respectively. Administration of TFEC (1.0 mmol/kg) or CTFC (1.0 mmol/kg) to rats resulted in acylation of renal proteins, as demonstrated with 19F nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy. Single, broad resonances near 41 or 56 ppm were found in spectra of renal proteins from TFEC- or CTFC-treated rats, respectively, and these resonances were not lost on dialysis. Renal protein incubated with 2-chloro-1,1,2-trifluoroethyl-2-nitrophenyl disulfide, a proreactive intermediate that yields 2-chloro-1,1,2-trifluoroethanethiol, showed the same 19F NMR spectrum as was found with CTFC-treated rats. In vitro incubation of various N alpha-blocked amino acids with this proreactive intermediate indicated that only lysine is stably adducted, whereas histidine is transiently acylated. In each case, proteolysis of modified protein converted a single broad NMR resonance to a doublet with little change in chemical shift and with clearly resolved, characteristic H-F couplings. The single, stable amino acid adduct formed with renal proteins of rats given CTFC or TFEC was N epsilon-(chlorofluorothioacetyl)lysine and N epsilon-(difluorothioacetyl)lysine, respectively.

Amino Acids↗
PubMedDate not supplied

Genotoxicity of neurotoxic triaryl phosphates: identification of DNA adducts of the ultimate metabolites, saligenin phosphates.

2-Phenoxy-4H-1,3,2-benzodioxaphosphorin 2-oxide is an electrophilic and neurotoxic metabolite of o-tolyl phosphates. We have investigated the genotoxicity of this saligenin phosphate and the structure of adducts formed by incubation of 2-phenoxy-4H-1,3,2-benzodioxaphosphorin 2-oxide with nucleosides and DNA. o-Tolyl phosphate was mutagenic in the Ames test (695 revertants/mumol, Salmonella typhimurium TA 100) only with metabolic activation. 2-Phenoxy-4H-1,3,2-benzodioxaphosphorin 2-oxide, which is a cyclization product similar to those expected from o-tolyl phosphate, was a potent mutagen in bacteria (1452 revertants/mumol, S. typhimurium TA 100) which did not require metabolic activation. Incubation of 2-phenoxy-4H-1,3,2-benzodioxaphosphorin 2-oxide with guanosine, deoxycytidine, and deoxyadenosine resulted in formation of guanosine, deoxyuridine, and adenine adducts. These were identified as N-2-(o-hydroxybenzyl)guanosine, N-3-(o-hydroxybenzyl)deoxyuridine, N-1-(o-hydroxybenzyl)adenine, and N-3-(o-hydroxybenzyl)adenine by 1H-NMR spectroscopy, thermospray mass spectrometry, and pH-dependent electronic spectrometry. The deoxyuridine adduct is formed by an alkylation at N-3 of deoxycytidine followed by conversion of the adjacent exocyclic imino group to carbonyl (hydrolytic deamination). The formation of N-2-(o-hydroxybenzyl)-deoxyguanosine, N-3-(o-hydroxybenzyl)deoxyuridine, and N-1-(o-hydroxybenzyl)deoxyadenosine was also demonstrated when 2-phenoxy-4H-1,3,2-benzodioxaphosphorin 2-oxide was incubated with calf thymus DNA. Adducts formed with nucleosides in calf thymus DNA reacted with 2-phenoxy-4H-1,3,2-benzodioxaphosphorin 2-oxide in vitro were detected by the 32P-postlabeling technique and identified by comparison with synthetic references. DNA adducts are formed by an o-hydroxybenzylation from cyclic phosphoranes derived from o-alkyl-substituted triaryl phosphates.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)

Animals↗
PubMedDate not supplied

Metabolism of the chlorofluorocarbon substitute 1,1-dichloro-2,2,2-trifluoroethane by rat and human liver microsomes: the role of cytochrome P450 2E1.

1,1-Dichloro-2,2,2-trifluoroethane (HCFC-123) has been developed as a substitute for ozone-depleting chlorofluorocarbons. The atmospheric lifetime of HCFC-123 is expected to be much shorter than those of chlorofluorocarbons; however, due to its lower stability and the presence of carbon-hydrogen bonds, metabolism of HCFC-123 in mammals and metabolism-dependent toxicity is likely. We compared the metabolism of HCFC-123 and its analog halothane in rat and human liver microsomes. 19F-NMR studies showed that trifluoroacetic acid is a major metabolite of HCFC-123. Besides trifluoroacetic acid, chlorodifluoroacetic acid and inorganic fluoride were identified as products of the enzymatic oxidation of HCFC-123 in rat and human liver microsomes by 19F-NMR and mass spectrometry. The metabolites were not detected in incubations with halothane. HCFC-123 and halothane were transformed by liver microsomes from untreated rats at low rates. Microsomes from ethanol-and pyridine-treated rats metabolized both HCFC-123 and halothane at much higher rates. These microsomes also exhibited high rates of p-nitrophenol oxidation. p-Nitrophenol is a model substrate mainly oxidized by P450 2E1 to p-nitrocatechol. Samples of human liver microsomes showed considerable differences in the extent of HCFC-123, p-nitrophenol oxidation, and chlorzoxazone hydroxylation. In human liver microsomes, rabbit anti-rat P450 2E1 IgG recognized a single protein band corresponding in apparent molecular weight to human P450 2E1. Immunoblot analysis revealed considerable heterogenity in the P450 2E1 protein content of the human liver samples. Trifluoroacetic acid formation from HCFC-123 and halothane and p-nitrocatechol formation from p-nitrophenol were significantly reduced by the P450 2E1 inhibitor diethyldithiocarbamate.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)

Animals↗
PubMedDate not supplied

Bioactivation of [13C]dichloromethane in mouse, rat, and human liver cytosol: 13C nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopic studies.

Dichloromethane is tumorigenic in lungs and liver of B6C3F1 mice, but is not tumorigenic in rats or hamsters, and its toxicity is associated with glutathione-dependent bioactivation. The objective of the present studies was to investigate the glutathione-dependent bioactivation of [13C]dichloromethane in mouse, rat, and human liver cytosol and the fate of dichloromethane-derived reactive intermediates with 13C NMR. [13C]Formaldehyde hydrate, [13C]S-(hydroxymethyl)glutathione, and [13C]methanol were identified as metabolites of [13C]dichloromethane. [13C]S-(Chloromethyl)glutathione, a putative intermediate in the glutathione-dependent bioactivation of dichloromethane, or derived adducts were not observed. Moreover, no evidence for the formation of S,S'-methylenebis[glutathione] by reaction of glutathione and formaldehyde under physiological conditions was obtained, although methanol was observed as a product. S,S'-Methylenebis[glutathione] was, however, formed by reaction of glutathione and formaldehyde at pH 1. S-(Chloromethyl)-N-acetyl-L-cysteine methyl ester, a surrogate for S-(chloromethyl)glutathione, was prone to hydrolysis. These results corroborate the finding that formaldehyde is a reactive intermediate formed during the glutathione-dependent bioactivation of dichloromethane that may be involved in the observed tumorigenicity of dichloromethane in susceptible species. The results also indicate that S-(chloromethyl)glutathione is an intermediate in the glutathione-dependent bioactivation of dichloromethane and may also play a role in its mutagenicity and carcinogenicity.

Animals↗
PubMedDate not supplied

Metabolism of tetrachloroethene in rats: identification of N epsilon-(dichloroacetyl)-L-lysine and N epsilon-(trichloroacetyl)-L-lysine as protein adducts.

Tetrachloroethene causes renal tumors in male rats after inhalation exposure. Tetrachloroethene is metabolized by cytochrome P-450 and by glutathione conjugation. Cytochrome P-450-dependent oxidation results in the formation of trichloroacetyl chloride, which may acylate cellular nucleophiles; glutathione conjugation results in the formation of S-(1,2,2-trichlorovinyl)glutathione, which is metabolized to the corresponding cysteine S-conjugate. S-(1,2,2-Trichlorovinyl)-L-cysteine is activated by renal cysteine conjugate beta-lyase to give dichlorothioketene. Covalent binding of this electrophile is presumably responsible for the renal toxicity of tetrachloroethene. In this report, we demonstrate the formation of protein adducts formed from tetrachloroethene using SDS-PAGE and immunochemical detection with rabbit anti-trifluoroacetyl serum. This serum recognizes dichloroacetylated rabbit serum albumin prepared by chemical modification of rabbit serum albumin with S-ethyl dichlorothioacetate and exhibited a high specificity for N epsilon-(dichloroacetyl)-L-lysine residues in proteins as shown by competitive ELISA. In the liver of [14C]tetrachloroethene-treated rats, the antibody recognized several modified proteins in microsomes. A protein adduct in rat liver identified by GC/MS after hydrolysis was N epsilon-(trichloroacetyl)-L-lysine. Western blots of renal fractions from rats treated with [14C]tetrachloroethene (200 mg/kg) or S-(1,2,2-trichlorovinyl)-L-cysteine (40 mumol/kg, iv) suggested the presence of modified mitochondrial and cytosolic proteins; no modified proteins were detected in microsomes. Proteins of identical molecular weight were modified by tetrachloroethene and by S-(1,2,2-trichlorovinyl)-L-cysteine in vivo.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)

Administration, Oral↗
PubMedDate not supplied

The sulfoxidation of the hexachlorobutadiene metabolite N-acetyl-S-(1,2,3,4,4-pentachlorobutadienyl)-L-cysteine is catalyzed by human cytochrome P450 3A enzymes.

The sulfoxidation of the mercapturic acid N-acetyl-S-(1,2,3,4,4-pentachlorobuta-1,3-dienyl)-L-cysteine (N-Ac-PCBC), a urinary metabolite of the renal toxin hexachlorobutadiene (HCBD), was studied in human liver microsomes and with purified cDNA expressed human liver cytochrome P450 (P450) enzymes. N-Acetyl-S-(1,2,3,4,4-pentachlorobuta-1,3-dienyl)-L-cysteine sulfoxide (N-Ac-PCBC SO) is a major urinary metabolite of HCBD in male rats; only liver microsomes from male rats catalyze the sulfoxidation of N-Ac-PCBC. Our results presented here show that human liver microsomes from both male and female donors are capable of oxidizing N-Ac-PCBC to the corresponding sulfoxide diastereomers. The correlation of N-Ac-PCBC sulfoxidation with the rates of oxidation of P450 enzyme specific substrates suggests that only P450 3A enzymes oxidize N-Ac-PCBC. Moreover, only gestodene and troleandomycin, two selective inhibitors for P450 of the 3A family, significantly reduced the rates of N-Ac-PCBC sulfoxidation. No reduction in sulfoxidation rates was observed with inhibitors for other P450 enzymes, i.e., diethyldithiocarbamate, 4-methylpyrazole, 7,8-benzoflavone, or sulfaphenazole. Incubations of N-Ac-PCBC with purified and reconstituted recombinant P450s 1A2, 2E1, 3A4, and 3A5 resulted in sulfoxide formation only with P450s 3A4 and 3A5. In summary, these results indicate that P450 from the 3A family may sulfoxidize N-Ac-PCBC. Since these P450 enzymes account for a major fraction of the P450 in human liver and are also present in human kidney, the sulfoxidation reaction may also be expected to occur in humans exposed to HCBD.

Acetylcysteine↗
PubMedDate not supplied

Sulfoxidation of mercapturic acids derived from tri- and tetrachloroethene by cytochromes P450 3A: a bioactivation reaction in addition to deacetylation and cysteine conjugate beta-lyase mediated cleavage.

In the present study we investigated the formation of sulfoxides from N-acetyl-S-(1,2,2-trichlorovinyl)-L-cysteine (N-Ac-TCVC), N-acetyl-S-(1,2-dichlorovinyl)-L-cysteine (N-Ac-1,2-DCVC), and N-acetyl-S-(2,2-dichlorovinyl)-L-cysteine (N-Ac-2,2-DCVC), which are formed in the glutathione dependent bioactivation of tri- and tetrachloroethene. The first aim was to elucidate the enzymes involved in these oxidation reactions. N-Ac-TCVC, N-Ac-1,2-DCVC, and N-Ac-2,2-DCVC are oxidized to the corresponding sulfoxides mainly, if not exclusively, by cytochrome P450 enzymes in liver microsomes of untreated male rats, since no role for the flavin-containing monooxygenase (FMO) could be demonstrated by heat inactivation experiments and by the use of n-octylamine. The sulfoxidation rates were increased when using liver microsomes of phenobarbital and dexamethasone pretreated male rats as well as liver microsomes of dexamethasone pretreated female rats, while no sulfoxide formation was observed in liver microsomes of untreated female rats, suggesting an involvement of cytochrome P450 3A. Also, troleandomycin, a specific chemical inhibitor for cytochrome P450 3A, drastically reduced sulfoxidation rates. The observed rates of sulfoxidation also correlated well with the rates of oxidation of testosterone at the 6-beta-position, a specific marker for P450 3A activity. The second aim of this study was to compare the cytotoxicity of the sulfoxides with the cytotoxicity of the corresponding mercapturic acids in isolated rat renal epithelial cells. Both mercapturic acids and the corresponding sulfoxides were cytotoxic. Cytotoxicity of the mercapturic acids could be blocked by (aminooxy)acetic acid (AOAA), an inhibitor of cysteine conjugate beta-lyase, while the cytotoxicity of the sulfoxides was not influenced by this treatment. Moreover, the sulfoxides were significantly more cytotoxic than the corresponding mercapturic acids at equimolar doses. The results show that mercapturic acids derived from TRI and PER are oxidized to sulfoxides by microsomal monooxygenases from rat liver. The cytotoxicity of the produced sulfoxides could not be reduced by AOAA, consistent with a role of the sulfoxides as direct acting electrophiles (i.e., Michael acceptor substrates).

Acetylation↗
PubMedDate not supplied

Cysteine conjugate beta-lyase-catalyzed bioactivation of bromine-containing cysteine S-conjugates: stoichiometry and formation of 2,2-difluoro-3-halothiiranes.

1,1-Dichloroalkene-derived S-(1-chloroalkenyl)-L-cysteine conjugates, but not 1,1-difluoroalkene-derived S-(2,2-dihalo-1,1-difluoroethyl)-L-cysteine conjugates, are mutagenic in the Ames test. Recent studies have showed, however, that bromine-containing, 1,1-difluoroalkene-derived S-(2-bromo-2-halo-1,1-difluoroethyl)-L-cysteine conjugates are mutagenic [Finkelstein, M. B., et al. (1994) Chem. Res. Toxicol. 7, 157-163] and that alpha-thiolactones are formed as reactive intermediates and glyoxylate as a terminal product [Finkelstein, M. B., et al. (1995) J. Am. Chem. Soc. 117, 9590-9591]. The present studies were undertaken to examine the stoichiometry of cysteine conjugate beta-lyase-catalyzed product formation from a panel of bromine-containing and bromine-lacking cysteine S-conjugates and to search for additional metabolites. The cysteine S-conjugates were incubated with rat renal homogenates, and pyruvate:product (glyoxylate, bromide, fluoride, dihaloacetate, trihaloethene) ratios were measured. Pyruvate:glyoxylate ratios for S-(2-bromo-1,1,2-trifluoroethyl)-L-cysteine, S-(2-bromo-2-chloro-1,1-difluoroethyl)-L-cysteine, and S-(2,2-dibromo-1,1-difluoroethyl)-L-cysteine ranged from 1:0.13 to 1:0.16. With S-(2-bromo-2-chloro-1,1-difluoroethyl)-L-cysteine and S-(2-bromo-1,1,2-trifluoroethyl)-L-cysteine, pyruvate:bromide ratios were 1:1, but with the dibrominated conjugate S-(2,2-dibromo-1,1-difluoroethyl)-L-cysteine, the pyruvate:bromide ratio was 1:1.2. All bromine-containing cysteine S-conjugates gave less than complete conversion to fluoride. A search for additional metabolites led to the consideration of 2,2-difluoro-3-halothiiranes as putative intermediates. 2,2-Difluoro-3-halothiiranes may arise by internal displacement of bromide and cyclization of 2-bromo-2-halo-1,1-difluoroethanethiolates, which are beta-elimination products of cysteine S-conjugates. Such halogenated thiiranes may eliminate sulfur to give 1,1-difluoro-2-haloethenes. GC/MS analysis showed that trifluoroethene, 2-chloro-1,1-difluoroethene, and 2-bromo-1,1-difluoroethene were terminal products of S-(2-bromo-1,1,2-trifluoroethyl)-L-cysteine, S-(2-bromo-2-chloro-1,1-difluoroethyl)-L-cysteine, and S-(2,2-dibromo-1,1-difluoroethyl)-L-cysteine, respectively. The bromine-lacking conjugate S-(2-chloro-1,1,2-trifluoroethyl)-L-cysteine did not yield glyoxylate or trifluoroethene as products, but the formation of chlorofluoroacetate was confirmed. The pyruvate:chlorofluoroacetate ratio was 1:0.38, indicating that other products are formed. This is the first report of the stoichiometry of the beta-lyase-catalyzed biotransformation of haloalkene-derived cysteine S-conjugates and of the formation of 2,2-difluoro-3-halothiiranes as reactive intermediates in the biotransformation of bromine-containing cysteine S-conjugates.

Acetates↗
PubMedDate not supplied

Glutathione-dependent toxicity.

1. Recent studies show that glutathione conjugate formation is an important bioactivation mechanism for several groups of compounds with implications for organ-selective toxicity and carcinogenicity. 2. Vicinal dihaloalkanes, such as 1,2-dihaloethanes, yield S-(2-haloalkyl)glutathione conjugates that give rise to highly electrophilic episulphonium ions, which are involved in the cytotoxicity and mutagenicity of 1,2-dihaloethanes. 3. Nephrotoxic haloalkenes are metabolized to S-(haloalkenyl)- or S-(haloalkyl)-glutathione conjugates which, after metabolism to the corresponding cysteine conjugates, are bioactivated by renal cysteine conjugate beta-lyase to yield cytotoxic or mutagenic metabolites. 4. Finally, hepatic glutathione conjugate formation with hydroquinones and aminophenols yields conjugates that are directed to gamma-glutamyltransferase-rich tissues, such as the kidney, where they undergo alkylation or redox cycling reactions, or both, that cause organ-selective damage.

Aminophenols↗