NEW CHROMOPHORIC REAGENTS FOR LABELLING THE THIOL GROUPS OF PROTEINS.
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N-Substituted aromatic compounds are environmental contaminants associated with the production and use of dyes, explosives, pesticides and pharmaceuticals. In this article, we examine the potential of anaerobic granular sludge from anaerobic treatment systems towards the detoxification, transformation, and mineralization of nitroaromatic and azo compounds. Nitroaromatics and azo dyes with strong electron withdrawing are highly inhibitory to acetoclastic methanogenic bacteria. However, nitro and azo substituted aromatics are readily reductively detoxified in methanogenic consortia to their respective aromatic amines, which are several orders of magnitude less toxic. This reductive detoxification has allowed the successful operation of anaerobic reactors for the treatment of highly toxic aromatic compounds. In the course of the experiments it was discovered that some aromatic amines were mineralized. These results indicate that some N-substituted aromatic compounds can be completely mineralized and serve as a carbon and energy source for anaerobic bacteria.
A highly sensitive and simplified method for the differential determination of serum ketone bodies has been developed. Serum was deproteinized with perchloric acid, and acetoacetate contained in the supernate was reacted with newly synthesized p-nitrobenzene diazonium fluoroborate at 37 degrees C for 10 min. The formed hydrazo compound was converted by alkali to the more stable azo compound which has a peak absorbance at 645 nm. For the determination of 3-hydroxybutyrate, this was enzymatically converted to acetoacetate using 3-hydroxybutyrate dehydrogenase, LDH, NAD and pyruvate. Using 0.2 ml serum, acetoacetate and 3-hydroxybutyrate could be quantitated in 30 min. The described method is five times more sensitive than the enzymatic photometric method and can detect individual ketone bodies at concentrations as low as 20 mumol/l. Differential determination of serum levels of ketone bodies is clinically useful for the diagnosis of type 1 diabetes and in monitoring diabetic control.
[reaction: see text] Photoswitchable enantiopure sulfinyl azo compounds have been synthesized. A remarkable perturbation of the azo system by the stereogenic sulfinyl moiety has been observed by CD in both the trans and the cis azobenzenes resulting by photoisomerization. After five irradiation cycles, the configurational integrity of these chiral switches remains unchanged.
Combined sensitizations to different azo dyes, probably based both on true cross-sensitization and on simultaneous positive reactions, have frequently been described. However, since azo dyes are included in the standard series in a minority of countries, the case studies considered comprise, with few exceptions, a small number of subjects. The aim of our study was to investigate cross-reactions between different azo dyes and para-amino compounds in azo-dye-sensitive subjects, to study the clinical aspects of azo dye dermatitis, to assess the relevance of sensitization to azo dyes, and to relate the pattern of cross-sensitizations to the chemical structure of the different dyes. Out of 6203 consecutively tested patients, 236 were sensitized to at least 1 of 6 azo compounds employed as textile dyes, included in our standard series. 107 subjects reacted to Disperse Orange 3 (DO3), 104 to Disperse Blue 124 (DB124), 76 to p-aminoazobenzene (PAB), 67 to Disperse Red 1 (DR1), 42 to Disperse Yellow 3 (DY3), and 31 to p-dimethylaminoazobenzene (PDAAB). Co-sensitizations to para-phenylenediamine were present in most subjects sensitized to DO3 (66%) and PAAB (75%), in 27% and 36% of DR1 and DY3-sensitive subjects, and only in 16% of subjects sensitized to DB124. Apart from the hands and the face, the neck and the axillae were the most frequently involved skin sites. Whereas the involvement of flexural areas was mainly connected with sensitization to DB124, in patients with hand dermatitis and in those working as hairdressers, sensitization to DO3 and PAAB was more frequent. Moreover, in the former patient group, a history of textile dye allergy was most frequently obtained. Out of 33 patients tested with an additional textile dye series, only 5 subjects reacted to anthraquinone dyes. Cross-sensitizations between azo dyes and para-amino compounds can partially be explained on the basis of structural affinities.
To assess the correlation between micronucleus induction and human carcinogenicity, the rodent micronucleus assay was performed on known and potential human carcinogens in the 6th MMS/CSGMT collaborative study. Approximately 100 commercially available chemicals and chemical groups on which there was little or no micronucleus assay data were selected from IARC (International Agency for Research on Cancer) Groups 1 (human carcinogen), 2A (probable human carcinogen) and 2B (possible human carcinogen). As minimum requirements for the collaborative study, 5 male mice were treated by intraperitoneal injection or oral gavage once or twice with each chemical at three dose levels, and bone marrow and/or peripheral blood was analyzed. Five positives and 2 inconclusives out of 13 Group 1 chemicals, 7 positives and 5 inconclusives of 23 Group 2A chemicals, and 26 positives and 6 inconclusives of 67 Group 2B chemicals were found. Such low positive rates were not surprising because of a test chemical selection bias, and we excluded well-known micronucleus inducers. The overall evaluation of the rodent micronucleus assay was based on the present data combined with published data on the IARC carcinogens. After merging, the positive rates for Groups 1, 2A and 2B were 68.6, 54.5 and 45.6%, respectively. Structure-activity relationship analysis suggested that the micronucleus assay is more sensitive to the genetic toxicity of some classes of chemicals. Those to which it is sensitive consist of (1) aziridines and bis(2-chloroethyl) compounds; (2) alkyl sulfonate and sulfates; (3) acyl-type N-nitroso compounds; (4) hydrazines; (5) aminobiphenyl and benzidine derivatives; and (6) azo compounds. Those to which it is less sensitive consist of (1) dialkyl type N-nitroso compounds; (2) silica and metals and their compounds; (3) aromatic amines without other functional groups; (4) halogenated compounds; and (5) steroids and other hormones. After incorporation of structure-activity relationship information, the positive rates of the rodent micronucleus assay became 90.5, 65.2 and 60.0% for IARC Groups 1, 2A and 2B, respectively. Noteworthy was the tendency of the test to be more sensitive to those carcinogens with stronger evidence human carcinogenicity.
To investigate either the role oxidized LDL plays in atherosclerosis or structural changes on the surface of oxidized LDL, monoclonal antibodies (mAbs) are an important tool. After immunizing mice with Cu(2+)-oxidized LDL (oxLDL) and fusion of splenocytes, hybridoma supernatants were screened and cloned. Two mAbs, OB/04 and OB/09 (IgG and IgM), were further characterized. In solid-phase fluorescence immunoassays and Western blot analysis both mAbs reacted with oxLDL, LDL oxidized by a free radical-generating azo compound, or oxVLDL but not with native LDL, acetylated LDL, oxHDL3, azo-oxidized HDL3, or HDL3 modified with malondialdehyde (MDA). In competitive immunoassays with LDL modified by oxidized fatty acid-derived aldehydes, mAb OB/09 strongly reacted with MDA-LDL or MDA-VLDL and LDL modified with 4-hydroxyhexenal followed by 4-hydroxynonenal but not with 4-hydroxyoctenal or hepta-2,4-dienal. mAb OB/04 had a weak affinity for LDL after modification with these aldehydes except for MDA-LDL. LDL modified with arachidonic acid oxidation products (AAOPs) was also recognized by this mAb. However, albumin modified either by the aldehydes applied or by AAOPs did not react with either mAb. Thus, the data indicate that each of the mAbs recognizes a different epitope that is expressed only on apoB-containing lipoproteins upon oxidative modification. An immunostaining with mAb OB/04 was obtained in areas rich in macrophages and in connective tissue of a human atherosclerotic lesion.
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The crystal structure of AzoR (azoreductase) has been determined in complex with FMN for two different crystal forms at 1.8 and 2.2 A resolution. AzoR is an oxidoreductase isolated from Escherichia coli as a protein responsible for the degradation of azo compounds. This enzyme is an FMN-dependent NADH-azoreductase and catalyzes the reductive cleavage of azo groups by a ping-pong mechanism. The structure suggests that AzoR acts in a homodimeric state forming the two identical catalytic sites to which both monomers contribute. The structure revealed that each monomer of AzoR has a flavodoxin-like structure, without the explicit overall amino acid sequence homology. Superposition of the structures from the two different crystal forms revealed the conformational change and suggested a mechanism for accommodating substrates of different size. Furthermore, comparison of the active site structure with that of NQO1 complexed with substrates provides clues to the possible substrate-binding mechanism of AzoR.
One hundred and six compounds, subdivided into 12 chemical classes (5 polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons, 7 epoxides and N-oxides, 5 nitro aromatics and heterocycles, 12 aromatic and heterocyclic amines, 2 azo compounds, 17 hydrazine derivatives, 16 miscellaneous aliphatics, 5 miscellaneous heterocycles, 11 miscellaneous organics, 11 hexavalent and 7 trivalent chromium compounds, 8 miscellaneous inorganics), were studied in the Salmonella/microsome test. Fifty-eight of them (54.7%) were found to be mutagenic and 4 additional compounds (3.8%) yielded a positive response following nitrosation in human gastric juice. The results are presented in a tabulated form, providing the following information for each test compound: (a) mutagenic response in 5 S. typhimurium his- strains (TA1535, TA1537, TA1538, TA98, TA100); (b) range of activity for positive compounds or maximum dose tested for negative compounds (in nmol/plate); (c) mutagenic potency (in revertants/nmol compound), varying over a 6.5 x 10(6)-fold range; (d) effect of S-9 mix containing rat (Aroclor)liver S-9 fractions on the mutagenic response (activation, increase, no change or decrease); (e) remarks concerning the influence of other metabolic systems (up to 10 different rat tissue S-9 fractions, mouse S-9 fractions, human S-9 fractions, cell preparations or biological fluids), the interaction between different compounds, the stability and the formation of mutagenic derivatives in human gastric juice and other experimental details. Overlapping of mutagenicity and carcinogenicity data was not evaluated, since the experimental protocol intentionally included a number of non-carcinogenic mutagens and of non-mutagenic carcinogens, with the aim of explaining in some cases the conflicting nature of in vivo and in vitro conclusions.
The Bratton-Marshall reaction can be used to identify patients with adenylosuccinate lyase deficiency. These patients excrete in their urine the dephosphorylated derivative of the de novo purine synthesis intermediate 5'-phosphoribosyl-4-(N-succinylcarboxamide)-5-aminoimidazole (SAICAR). The test described here depends on a coupling reaction of N-1-naphthylethylenediamine with diazotized ribosyl-4-(N-succinylcarboxamide)-5-aminoimidazole giving rise to a fast developing purple chromaphore with a maximum absorbance at 555 nm. Using the closely related compound ribosyl-5-amino-4-imidazolecarboxamide (AICA riboside) as a standard, concentrations as low as 1.0 microM produce a visible color change. The absorption at 555 nM of the azo compound increases as a linear function of the concentration of AICA riboside in the reaction. The use of a filter-paper dipstick for urine sampling and storage is also described. The two metabolites which are present in increased concentration in biological fluids of adenylosuccinate lyase deficient patients are stable on the dipstick for at least 60 days when stored at room temperature (25 degrees C).
AzoR (azoreductase), an FMN-dependent NADH-azo compound oxidoreductase from Escherichia coli, has been crystallized in the presence of FMN by the sitting-drop vapour-diffusion method using 2-propanol as a precipitant. AzoR catalyzes the reductive cleavage of azo groups. The crystals were found to diffract X-rays to beyond 1.8 A resolution using a synchrotron-radiation source. The crystals belonged to the tetragonal space group P4(2)2(1)2, with unit-cell parameters a = b = 92.2, c = 51.9 A. The crystals are expected to contain one subunit of the homodimer in the asymmetric unit (VM = 2.6 A3 Da(-1)) and to have a solvent content of 51.6%. Data sets were also collected from heavy-atom derivatives for use in phasing. As a result, crystals soaked in a solution containing K2PtCl4 for 23 d were found to be reasonably isomorphous to the native crystals and the presence of Pt atoms could be confirmed. The data sets from the native crystals and the K2PtCl4-derivatized crystals are being evaluated for use in structure determination by single isomorphous replacement with anomalous scattering.
Erythrocyte ghosts containing varying amounts of alkaline phosphatase were used to study the localization mechanisms of three metal salt and one azo method for this enzyme. For the azo method, the minimal amount of alkaline phosphatase that can be visualized within the ghosts proved only to be limited by the optical properties of the azo compound. In contrast, for the metal salt methods, a certain threshold activity had to be present in the ghosts in order to obtain correct localization of the final reaction product. The localization properties of both azo and metal salt methods conformed to the theories of cytochemical enzyme localization presented to date. By determining the rate constant of the capture reaction and the diffusion constant of the primary product, the localization properties of the azo method could be predicted. Some remaining discrepancies between theory and practice are discussed.
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The mechanism of microsomal azoreductase is regulated by the overall Hammett sigma substituent values on each ring. A substrate dye must exhibit an overall Hammett sigma substituent value either equal or more negative than -0.37 on either ring. Dyes with Hammett sigma substituent constants less negative than -0.37 will not be reduced by microsomal cytochrome P450. Microsomal reduction of azo dyes containing only electron-donating substituents on either ring is insensitive to both oxygen and carbon monoxide. The required Hammett sigma substituent value on the opposite benzene (prime) ring for I-substrates is therefore, sigma' P < or = 0. Reduction of azo dyes containing electron-withdrawing group on opposite (prime) is sensitive to both oxygen and carbon monoxide. The required Hammett sigma substituent value on the opposite benzene (prime) ring for S-substrates is, consequently, sigma' P > 0 (Table 3). Redox Potentials. Anaerobic cyclic voltammograms of azobenzene derivatives verify the following points: A nonsubstrate azo dye will not exhibit a positive potential. (Several nonsubstrate hydrazobenzenes exhibited positive potentials, but in a low range 0.41-0.48 V. Consequently, cyclic voltammetry can distinguish between nonsubstrate azobenzenes and their nonsubstrate half-reduced hydrazo analogs.) A substrate azo dye will exhibit a positive potential in the range +1.00 to +1.50 V. I-substrate: Both negative potentials are stable in air. S-substrate: The first negative potential will immediately quench upon exposure to air. I-substrates exhibit on average potentials which are approximately 0.6 V more negative than those for S-substrates. A comparison between the oxidative and the reductive pathway of microsomal cytochrome P450 indicates a similarity in the first two steps in the reaction cycle, for example, substrate binding and uptake of the first electron by the cytochrome [76, 109, 110]. Upon reduction of the iron, ferrous cytochrome P450 may bind oxygen or carbon monoxide in a competitive manner in the oxidative cycle or may directly transfer the electrons to the substrate in a stepwise fashion in the reductive cycle [76]. Estabrook et al. [111] suggested that carbon monoxide insensitivity can occur when the formation of ferrous cytochrome P450 substrate complex is rate limiting for the overall reaction. Structure-activity relationships of azo compounds depend on (1) the electron transport component and (2) the oxidation-reduction potential of the dye, which determines its ability to accept electrons from cytochrome P-450. Nesnow et al. examined a group of 36 aryl azo dyes for their ability to be reduced by rat liver microsomal azoreductase.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 400 WORDS)
In view of the possible employment of nitroxide compounds in various fields, it is important to know how they compare with other synthetic antioxidant compounds currently used in several industries and with naturally occurring antioxidants. To address this issue, the antioxidant activity of two aromatic indolinonic nitroxides synthesized by us was compared with both commercial phenolic antioxidants (BHT and BHA) and with natural phenolic antioxidants (alpha-hydroxytyrosol, tyrosol, caffeic acid, alpha-tocopherol). DPPH radical scavenging ability and the inhibition of both lipid and protein oxidation induced by the peroxyl-radical generator, AAPH, were evaluated. The results obtained show that overall: (i) the reduced forms of the nitroxide compounds are better scavengers of DPPH radical than butylated hydroxyanisole (BHA) and butylated hydroxytoluene (BLT) but less efficient than the natural compounds; (ii) the nitroxides inhibit both linolenic acid micelles and bovine serum albumin (BSA) oxidation to similar extents as most of the other compounds in a concentration-dependent fashion. Since the aromatic nitroxides tested in this study are less toxic than BHT, these compounds may be regarded as potential, alternative sources for several applications. The mechanisms underlying the antioxidant activity of nitroxides were further confirmed by UV-Vis absorption spectroscopy experiments and macroscale reactions in the presence of radicals generated by thermolabile azo-compounds. Distribution coefficients in octanol/buffer of the nitroxides and the other compounds were also determined as a measure of lipophilicity.
This paper describes the use of complex liposomes as real membrane models to evaluate the potential benefits of several antioxidants in relation to lipid peroxidation. The xanthine oxidase/Fe(3+)-ADP-EDTA and the Fe(2+)/H2O2 systems have been used to generate hydroxyl radicals and the water soluble azo-compound 2,2'-azobis(2-amidinopropane) dihydrochloride (AAPH) to generate carbon centered radicals (A*) by thermal decomposition. The antioxidant behavior of the rosemary and citrus plant extracts and vitamin-E and vitamin-E acetate alpha-tocopherols have been analyzed. The order of effectiveness in avoiding radical chain reactions has been established by using the colorimetric thiobarbituric acid reaction and the fluorescent probe DPH-PA. ESR spectroscopy has been used to carry out the pursuit of the oxidation processes on the basis of the identification of the radical species resulting from the oxidant system and the ability of the antioxidants to act as scavengers for hydroxyl and AAPH-derived radicals. The modification of the main transition temperature for the lipid mixture and the splitting of the calorimetric peak in the presence of the antioxidants were demonstrated by differential scanning calorimetry. The results obtained showed that the phenols-containing plant extracts and alpha-tocopherols perturb the phase behavior of the BBE lipid bilayer and have a fluidifying effect that could favor the known antioxidant capability and scavenging characteristics of these compounds. 31P-NMR results could be interpreted as, after the incorporation of these antioxidants, those lipid molecules interacting with antioxidants give rise to lamellar phase spectral components with resonance position at lower fields or to isotropic signals in accordance with a higher motion of their phosphate groups.