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PubMedDate not supplied

2,3-Dithioerythritol, a possible new arsenic antidote.

British antilewisite (2,3-dimercaptopropanol; BAL) has long been used as an arsenic antidote, but its therapeutic efficacy is limited by its inherent toxicity. We synthesized two less toxic derivatives of BAL and investigated their potential as antidotes to organic arsenic. The new compounds, 2,3-dithioerythritol (DTE) and 2,2-dimethyl-4-(hydroxymethyl)-1,3-dithiolane (isopropylidene derivative of BAL), react readily with phenyldichloroarsine (PDA) to yield the expected corresponding cyclic 1,3-dithioarsolanes. The BAL derivatives were compared to BAL in terms of their cytotoxicity and their ability to rescue PDA-poisoned mouse lymphoma cells in culture. The dithiolane was not a good antidote in the cultured cell system. In contrast, DTE was less toxic than BAL or DMSA and was superior at improving cell survival in PDA-exposed cells.

Animals↗
PubMedDate not supplied

Mercurials and dimercaptans: synergism in the induction of chemoprotective enzymes.

The induction of NAD(P)H:quinone reductase (EC 1.6.99.2; QR) in Hepa 1c1c7 murine hepatoma cells provides a versatile quantitative model for measuring the potencies of inducers for Phase 2 detoxication enzymes. Since many inducers of these enzymes also protect animals and their cells against the toxic and neoplastic effects of carcinogens, understanding the mechanisms of induction of Phase 2 enzymes is important. Both HgCl2 and 2,3-dimercaptopropanol (BAL) are inducers of QR in these cells, and paradoxically BAL (which is about 30 times less potent than HgCl2) enhances the inducer potency of HgCl2 substantially. This synergism depends on the presence of two thiol groups on adjacent carbon atoms. Since nonchelated mercury(II)-thiol compounds did not show synergism, the formation of very high affinity bidentate chelates appears to be essential for such synergism. A major mechanism for the augmentation of the inducer potency of mercury(II) by BAL is the more rapid cellular uptake and the accumulation of higher intracellular concentrations of mercury. It is also possible that BAL-mercury chelates are intrinsically more potent as inducers. Although equimolar mixtures of BAL and HgCl2 and the synthetic chelate isolated from such mixtures were more potent inducers than HgCl2 alone, the presence of excess BAL increased this inducer synergism even further. By chromatography we showed the reversible formation of higher order complexes between BAL and mercury(II). Such complexes are transported into cells more efficiently and appear to be more potent than free HgCl2 or the chelate obtained from equimolar mixtures of BAL and HgCl2.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)

Animals↗
PubMed2001

Effect of dithiol chelating agents on [3H]MK-801 and [3H]glutamate binding to synaptic plasma membranes.

2,3-Dimercaptopropanol (BAL- British Anti-Lewesite) is a dithiol chelating agent used for the treatment of heavy metal poisoning, however, BAL can produce neurotoxic effects in a variety of situations. Based on the low therapeutic efficiency of BAL other dithiols were developed and DMSA (meso-2,3-dimercaptosuccinic acid) and DMPS (2,3-dimercaptopropane-1-sulfonic acid) are becoming used for treatments of humans exposed to heavy metals. In the present investigation the effect of dithiols in the glutamatergic system was examined. The results showed that BAL inhibited [3H]MK-801 and [3H]glutamate binding in a concentration-dependent manner. At 100 microM BAL and DMSA caused a significantly inhibition of [3H]MK-801 binding to brain membranes (p < 0.05 by Duncan's multiple range test). BAL at 100 microM caused an inhibition of 40% on [3H]glutamate binding. DMPS and DMSA had no significant effect on [3H]glutamate binding. Dithiotreitol (DTT), abolished the inhibitory effect of BAL on [3H]MK-801 binding. The protection exerted by DTT suggests that BAL inhibit [3H]MK-801 binding by interacting with cysteinyl residues that are important for redox modulation of receptor responses. ZnCl2 inhibited [3H]glutamate and [3H]MK-801 binding to brain synaptic membrane; nevertheless, the inhibitory effect was slight more accentuated for [3H]MK-801 than [3H]glutamate binding (p < 0.05). The inhibition caused by 10 microM ZnCl2 on [3H]MK-801 binding was attenuated by BAL. The findings present in this study may provide the evidence that BAL affect the glutamatergic system and these effects can contributed to explain, at least in part, why BAL, in contrast to DMPS and DMSA is neurotoxic.

Animals↗
PubMed2000

Investigations into the mechanism of 2,3-dimercaptopropanol neurotoxicity.

2,3 dimercaptopropanol (BAL), is a dithiol chelating agent, used for the treatment of heavy metal intoxication; however, this compound has low therapeutic efficacy and in some situations may cause neurotoxic effects. In experimental models, administration of high doses of BAL produces seizures that culminate in animal death. However, investigations on the modulation of neurotransmitter system(s) involved in BAL-induced seizures are still lacking in the literature. In the present study, the neurotoxicity of BAL, as measured by the manifestation of seizures was examined and the modulation of glutamatergic and GABAergic receptors and ion channels potentially involved in BAL-induced seizures was investigated. The results demonstrated that BAL (18.6 mg/kg) induced seizures and all mice died within one day. GABAergic allosteric modulators (3 or 12 mg/kg diazepam and 50 mg/kg phenobarbital) blocked the appearance of seizure and reduced almost completely the death caused by BAL. Carbamazepine (5 mg/kg) significantly reduced the incidence of BAL-induced seizures, while sodium valproate and MK-801 were not effective in reducing the incidence of seizures. Valproate (300 mg/kg) and MK-801(0.5 mg/kg) prolonged the latencies for onset of seizures; however, all animals died within one day after BAL administration. High doses of ZnCl2 (135 mg/kg) blocked the appearance of seizures episodes, but no animal survived more than one day. The content of total non-protein -SH in brain of mice treated with 18.6 and 124 mg/kg BAL increased from 0.9+/-0.3 nmol/g (control animals) to 1.7+/-0.3 and 3.5+/-0.8 nmol/g, respectively. In vitro, 0.1-1 mM concentrations of BAL inhibited [3H]glutamate and [3H]MK-801 binding, but increased the binding of [3H]muscimol to brain synaptic plasma membrane. The results reported here demonstrate that GABAergic allosteric modulators (diazepam and phenobarbital) and carbamazepine, a compound that acts by prolonging the recovery of voltage-activated ion channels from inactivation, are able to abolish BAL-induced seizures, while the NMDA antagonist (MK-801) prolonged the latencies for onset of seizures suggesting that modulators of this subtype of glutamate receptor have a modest role on BAL-induced seizures. The results of the present study suggest that allosteric modulators of GABAergic system and carbamazepine, a voltage-gated Na+-channel antagonist, should be considered for the treatment of animals or patients intoxicated with BAL.

Animals↗
PubMed2003

Prolonged cholestasis and ductopenia following gold salt therapy.

Hepatotoxicity, predominantly cholestatic, is a rare adverse effect of gold salt therapy, which usually completely resolves within a few months. We report the case of a female patient treated for rheumatoid arthritis, who had gold salt overdose, and in whom acute cholestatic hepatitis occurred three weeks after beginning of therapy. Evolution of gold concentration was followed in plasma and urine, as well as in cutaneous and liver dry tissue. Liver biopsy showed marked inflammatory changes of interlobular bile ducts that evolved towards ductopenia, which was responsible for prolonged cholestasis still present 15 months later. In addition, sialadenitis with sicca syndrome was noted six months after onset of the disease. The mechanism of hepatotoxicity was probably immunoallergic since liver lesions were associated with hypersensitivity syndrome including dermatitis and blood and tissue eosinophilia. This is the first report of gold salt hepatotoxicity with histological demonstration of cholangitis followed by ductopenia.

Antirheumatic Agents↗
PubMed1980

Chelation of cadmium with BAL and DTPA in rats.

Cadmium is unique among non-essential metals in several of its toxicological effects because of its long biological half life, slow excretion and delayed action on the kidneys. Although cadmium poisoning in humans is uncommon, there are reports of chronic cadmium poisoning in workmen and also in others in certain polluted areas. At present there are no suitable methods either to measure the body burden of cadmium or to treat cadmium poisoning. The therapeutic effects of various chelating agents including 2,3-dimercaptopropanol (BAL) and its soluble glycosides have been studied without much success in acute cadmium intoxication. However, those studies were done before anything was known of the specific binding of cadmium to metallothionein, an intracellular low molecular weight protein. The potential role of this protein in the detoxification and toxicity of metals has been reviewed recently. The induced synthesis of metallothionein has a marked effect on the pharmacokinetics of cadmium and other divalent metals. Thus it is important to consider the intracellular binding of cadmium with metallothionein in developing a suitable chelation therapy for chronic exposure to cadmium. The in vivo chelation of cadmium with BAL or BAL and diethylenetriamine pentaacetic acid (DTPA) from rats exposed to cadmium is reported here.

Animals↗
PubMed1980

Identification of the BAL-labile factor.

One of us has previously reported that treatment of the Keilin and Hartree heart-muscle preparation with 2,3-dimercaptopropanol (BAL), in the presence of air, leads to the complete inactivation of the succinate oxidase system with little if any effect on the activities of succinate dehydrogenase (until more than half the BAL was oxidized) or cytochrome c oxidase. The inactivation of the complete succinate oxidase system requires the oxidation of BAL by air in the presence of the enzyme. It is not caused by H2O2 or BAL disulphides produced during the oxidation of BAL. Spectroscopic studies identified the block as lying between cytochromes b and c. It was suggested that a BAL-labile factor is present which transfers electrons from cytochrome b to cytochrome c and which is destroyed by coupled oxidation with BAL. The factor is also required for NADH oxidation. Subsequent work showed it is not identical with cytochrome c1 (ref. 4), myoglobin present in the preparation or the antimycin-binding site. We report here that this factor is identical to the iron-sulphur protein in the central portion of the respiratory chain first identified by Rieske.

Cell-Free System↗
PubMed1973

Induction of mutations in DNA-repair deficient bacteria by a liver microsomal metabolite of aflatoxin B1.

Certain strains of Salmonella typhimurium and Escherichia coli, particularly those which are very sensitive to u.v. light, are killed when incubated with rat liver mixed function oxidases and aflatoxin B(1). UvrA or recA strains of E. coli are more susceptible than the wild-type strain, while the double mutant uvrA recA is the most sensitive strain yet tested. The aflatoxin B(1) metabolite is also able to induce reverse mutations in 2 histidine auxotrophic strains of S. typhimurium, one strain of which is reverted specifically by frame shift mutagens and the other by agents inducing base pair substitutions.Pretreatment of rats with either 3-methylcholanthrene or benzo(a)pyrene, both inducers of liver microsomal mixed function oxidases, did not alter the amount of lethal aflatoxin B(1) metabolite formed, whereas an increase was observed after phenobarbitone pretreatment. Addition of the nucleophiles methionine, cysteine, glutathione, sodium thiosulphate or sodium sulphide, or the epoxide hydrase inhibitor, cyclohexene oxide to the toxicity assay medium did not alter bacterial killing by the aflatoxin B(1) metabolite. 2,3-Dimercaptopropanol had some protective action.Toxic metabolites were also formed when 5-methoxysterigmatocystin, O-methylsterigmatocystin, parasiticol or versicolorin A, but not vericolorin B, were incubated with mixed function oxidases. The relationship between the metabolite of aflatoxin B(1) lethal to bacteria and that which initiates liver cancer is discussed.

Aflatoxins↗
PubMed1998

Increased level of exhaled nitric oxide and up-regulation of inducible nitric oxide synthase in patients with primary lung cancer.

Monocyte-macrophage series have an important role in host surveillance against cancer. The cytotoxic/cytostatic activity of macrophages is, to a great extent, attributed to the up-regulation of inducible nitric oxide synthase (iNOS) and production of nitric oxide (NO). Here, in 28 patients with primary lung cancer and 20 control subjects, we measured the concentration of exhaled NO and nitrite in epithelial lining fluid (ELF) using a chemiluminescence NO analyser, and studied NOS expression in alveolar macrophages (AM) and lung tissues by flow cytometry; immunohistochemical analysis was also undertaken. The mean fluorescence intensity (FI) of iNOS expression in AM was significantly increased in patients with lung cancer (tumour side 263.5 +/- 15.2 FI, normal side 232.4 +/- 18.6 FI; n = 28) compared with that in control subjects (27.3 +/- 3.2 FI; n = 20, P< 0.001). The level of exhaled NO from cancer patients (16.9 +/- 0.9 p.p.b.; n = 28) was significantly higher than that in the control group (6.0 +/- 0.5 p.p.b.; n = 20, P < 0.001). The level of nitrite was also significantly higher in ELF from cancer patients (tumour side 271.1 +/- 28.9 nM and normal side 257.4 +/- 19.6 nM vs control subjects 32.9 +/- 4.1 nM; P< 0.001). The intensity of iNOS expression in AM was correlated with the level of exhaled NO (rs = 0.73, n = 76, P< 0.001) and the nitrite released in ELF (rs = 0.56, n = 76, P< 0.001). The nitrite generation of cultured AM from patients with lung cancer was significantly enhanced compared with that of control subjects after culture for 24 h (tumour side 5.75 +/- 0.69 and normal side 5.68 +/- 0.58 microM per 106 cells vs control group 38.3 +/- 3.6 nM per 106 cells; P< 0.001). The distribution of iNOS was identified in AM, tumour-associated macrophages, endothelium, chondrocytes, airway epithelium of both lungs and malignant cells (adenocarcinoma and alveolar cell carcinoma) of cancer patients. cNOS was labelled in alveolar macrophages, endothelial cells and nerve elements from lung tissue. Our results indicate that, in patients with primary lung cancer, the production of NO from alveolar macrophages was increased as a result of the up-regulation of iNOS activity. The increased NO production was not specific to the tumour side and might be attributed to the tumour-associated non-specific immunological and inflammatory processes of the host.

Adult↗
PubMed2000

The phosphatidylinositol 4-kinase inhibitor phenylarsine oxide blocks evoked neurotransmitter release by reducing calcium entry through N-type calcium channels.

The effects of the phosphatidylinositol 4-kinase inhibitor, phenylarsine oxide (PAO), on acetylcholine (ACh) release and on prejunctional Ca(2+) currents were studied at the frog neuromuscular junction using electrophysiological recording techniques. Application of PAO (30 microM) increased both spontaneous ACh release reflected as miniature end-plate potential (mepp) frequencies and evoked ACh release reflected as end-plate potential (epp) amplitudes with a similar time course. Following the initial increase in epp amplitudes produced by PAO, epps slowly declined and were eventually abolished after approximately 20 min. However, mepp frequencies remained elevated over this time period. PAO (30 microM) also inhibited the perineural voltage change associated with Ca(2+) currents through N-type Ca(2+) channels (prejunctional Ca(2+) currents) at motor nerve endings. Addition of British anti-lewisite (BAL, 1 mM), an inactivator of PAO, partially reversed both the inhibition of epps and the inhibition of the prejunctional Ca(2+) current. The effects of PAO on N-type Ca(2+) channels were investigated more directly using the whole cell patch clamp technique on acutely dissociated sympathetic neurons. Application of PAO (30 - 40 microM) to these neurons decreased the voltage-activated calcium currents through N-type Ca(2+) channels, an effect that was partially reversible by BAL. In combination, these results suggest that inhibition of neurotransmitter release by PAO occurs as a consequence of the inhibition of Ca(2+) entry via N-type calcium channels. The relationship between the effects of PAO on N-type Ca(2+) channels in motor nerve endings and in neuronal soma is discussed.

1-Phosphatidylinositol 4-Kinase↗
PubMed1995

Influence of 2,3-dimercaptopropanol and other sulfur compounds on oxophenylarsine-mediated inhibition of glucose uptake in MDCK cells.

Trivalent monosubstituted organoarsenicals, e.g., oxophenylarsine (PhAsO), exert various detrimental effects on mammalian cells. In addition to their well known interference with pyruvate and ketoglutaric acid oxidation, the effect on other cellular functions such as uptake of glucose may contribute to their acute toxicity. Different effects of PhAsO on insulin-stimulated and insulin-independent uptake of hexoses in various tissues have been reported. It has been shown previously that PhAsO inhibits the stereospecific uptake of glucose in MDCK cells. In this work, the insulin dependence of glucose uptake in these cells and the effects of 2,3-dimercaptopropanol (BAL), dithiothreitol (DTT) and 2-mercaptoethanol (ME) on PhAsO-induced inhibition of glucose uptake were investigated. A 200 mumol l-1 concentration of insulin had no measurable effect on cellular 14C accumulation from D-[6(-14)C]glucose, indicating an insulin-independent hexose transport system. In the presence of 2 mumol l-(-1) of PhAsO, glucose uptake was lowered to less than 50% of controls within 30 min. Greater inhibition was observed with higher concentrations of PhAsO, but cell viability as assessed by formazan formation started to decrease at concentrations > or = to 5 mumol l-1, especially after longer exposure times. When BAL was added in a ten-fold molar excess 30 min after beginning incubation with PhAsO (2 mumol l-1, virtually complete recovery of inhibited glucose uptake occurred within 10 min after addition. ME at up to a 100-fold molar excess over arsenic had no influence on the inhibition of glucose uptake within 120 min after addition.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)

Animals↗
PubMed2001

Lipolytic activity of ricin from Ricinus sanguineus and Ricinus communis on neutral lipids.

The present study was carried out with a view of determining ricin lipolytic activity on neutral lipids in emulsion and in a membrane-like model. Using 2,3-dimercapto-1-propanol tributyrate (BAL-TC(4)) as substrate, the lipolytic activity of ricin was found to be proportional to ricin and substrate concentrations, with an apparent K(m) (K(m,app)) of 2.4 mM, a k(cat) of 200 min(-1) and a specific activity of 1.0 unit/mg of protein. This work was extended to p-nitrophenyl (pNP) fatty acid esters containing two to twelve carbon atoms. Maximum lipolytic activity was registered on pNP decanoate (pNPC(10)), with a K(m,app) of 3.5 mM, a k(cat) of 173 min(-1) and a specific activity of 3.5 units/mg of protein. Ricin lipolytic activity is pH and galactose dependent, with a maximum at pH 7.0 in the presence of 0.2 M galactose. Using the monolayer technique with dicaprin as substrate, ricin showed a lipolytic activity proportional to the ricin concentration at 20 mN/m, which is dependent on the surface pressure of the lipid monolayer and is detectable up to 30 mN/m, a surface pressure that is of the same order of magnitude as that of natural cell membranes. The methods based on pNPC(10) and BAL-TC(4) hydrolysis are simple and reproducible; thus they can be used for routine studies of ricin lipolytic activity. Ricin from Ricinus communis and R. sanguineus were treated with diethyl p-nitrophenylphosphate, an irreversible serine esterase inhibitor, and their lipolytic activities on BAL-TC(4) and pNPC(10), and cytotoxic activity, were concurrently recorded. A reduction in lipolytic activity was accompanied by a decrease in cytotoxicity on Caco2 cells. These data support the idea that the lipolytic activity associated with ricin is relevant to a lipase whose activity is pH and galactose dependent, sensitive to diethyl p-nitrophenylphosphate, and that a lipolytic step may be involved in the process of cell poisoning by ricin. Both colorimetric tests used in this study are sensitive enough to be helpful in the detection of possible lipolytic activities associated with other cytotoxins or lectins.

Amino Acid Sequence↗