The aqueous solution conformation of tubercidin and tubercidin 5'-phosphate.

The backbone of tubercidin and tubercidin 5'-phosphate in aqueous solution has a flexible molecular framework with preference for 2E-gg and 2E-gg-g'g' conformations, respectively. The glycosyl bond is unusually flexible and no definite preference for either anti or syn conformation could be detected. It is proposed that the incorporation of tubercidin 5'-phosphate into nucleic acids will disrupt the polymeric structure because of the high accessibility of syn conformation, and this might be related to the reported inhibition of nucleic acid and protein synthesis.

Acyltransferase-mediated binding of N-hydroxyarylamides to nucleic acids.

N-Hydroxyarylamides are metabolically activated to nucleic acid-binding species by the action of N,O-acyltransferase (AT). The substrate specificity of these enzymes in rat, guinea pig, monkey, baboon, pig, and human liver has been examined by measuring the AT-mediated nucleic acid binding of the N-formyl, N-acetyl, and N-propionyl derivatives of N-hydroxy-2-aminofluorene. Human and pig enzymes catalyzed binding in the order formyl greater than acetyl greater than propionyl, while for the other species the order was acetyl greater than propionyl greater than formyl. Ammonium sulfate fractionation of the cytosols suggested that the baboon and rat have at least two different AT's: one with a higher specificity for the formyl derivative; the other with a marked preference for acetyl and propionyl compounds. Only one form, with a high formyl group specificity, was detected from human liver. The identity of the in vitro AT-mediated DNA adducts from rat, baboon, and human liver was established. In each instance, one adduct accounted for greater than 75% of the bound 2-aminofluorene (AF) residues. This product had a high-pressure liquid chromatography retention time and pH-dependent partition characteristics identical to those of an adduct synthesized by an acid-dependent (pH 4.6) reaction of N-hydroxy-2-aminofluorene with calf thymus DNA. This synthetic adduct has been identified as N-(deoxyguanosin-8-yl)-2-aminofluorene by nuclear magnetic resonance, mass, and ultraviolet light spectroscopy. Moreover, it was identical to the product obtained from the alkaline (pH 12) hydrolysis of N-(deoxyguanosin-8-yl)-2-acetylaminofluorene. Since an arylaminated (i.e., aminofluorene) residue(s) is the major product found in rat liver DNA following administration of N-hydroxy-N-acetyl-2-aminofluorene, these data suggest that AT may play a major role in the formation of this DNA-carcinogen adduct.

Formation of DNA adducts in vitro and in Salmonella typhimurium upon metabolic reduction of the environmental mutagen 1-nitropyrene.

The polycyclic nitroaromatic hydrocarbon 1-nitropyrene is an environmental pollutant, a potent bacterial mutagen, and a carcinogen. Xanthine oxidase, a mammalian nitroreductase, catalyzed the in vitro metabolic activation of this compound to DNA-bound adducts. Maximum adduct formation occurred at pH 5.5 to 6.0 and was increased by the addition of catalase to the incubation medium. DNA binding from 1-nitropyrene was inhibited by hydrogen peroxide, L-ascorbate, and glutathione. Enzymatic hydrolysis of the modified DNA and subsequent analysis by high-pressure liquid chromatography indicated the presence of one major and two minor adducts. The major adduct was characterized by mass spectrometry and nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy as N-(deoxyguanosin-8-yl)-1-aminopyrene. The minor adducts appear to be decomposition products of the major adduct. When Salmonella typhimurium TA1538 was incubated with 1-nitropyrene, a strong correlation was found between the extent of DNA binding and the frequency of induced histidine reversions. Analysis of the bacterial DNA indicated one major adduct which had chromatographic properties and pKaS identical to those of N-(deoxyguanosin-8-yl)-1-aminopyrene. These data indicate that N-hydroxy-1-aminopyrene is probably the mutagenic and DNA-binding species formed during the metabolic reduction of 1-nitropyrene.

Metabolic activation of N-hydroxy-N,N'-diacetylbenzidine by hepatic sulfotransferase.

N-Hydroxy-N,N'-diacetylbenzidine (N-HO-DABZ) has been shown to be an in vitro metabolite of benzidine in several rodent species and may represent the proximate form of the carcinogen. Like other arylhydroxamic acids, N-HO-DABZ may be converted to an ultimate carcinogenic electrophile by metabolic O-sulfonation in hepatic cytosol. To investigate this possibility, liver cytosols from rats, mice, and hamsters were assayed for their ability to catalyze the 3'-phosphoadenosine 5'-phosphosulfate-dependent metabolism of N-HO-DABZ and the formation of an adduct with methionine. For comparative purposes, sulfotransferase activity for N-hydroxy-2-acetylaminofluorene (N-HO-AF) was also measured. In the rat, N-HO-DABZ and N-HO-AAF were metabolized at rates of 2.5 and 4.3 nmol of arylhydroxamic acid lost per in per mg of protein, respectively. In the mouse, these rates were 0.5 nmol for N-HO-DABZ and less than 0.05 nmol for N-HO-AAF. Sulfotransferase activity for these substrates in hamster liver cytosol could not be detected (less than 0.05 nmol/min/mg). The inclusion of methionine in sulfotransferase incubation mixtures and subsequent heating resulted in the formation of methylmercapto arylamides from both N-HO-DABZ and N-HO-AAF. From 20 to 40% of the N-HO-DABZ metabolized was trapped and recovered as an adduct, while 80 to 100% of the N-HO-AAF metabolized was similarly obtained. A methylmercapto-N,N'-diacetylbenzidine derivative was also obtained by reaction of N-acetoxy-N,N'-diacetylbenzidine with methionine. Its identity to the adduct formed in the sulfotransferase incubation mixture was established by high-pressure liquid chromatography, ultraviolet light, and mass spectroscopic analyses. By comparing the 13C nuclear magnetic resonance spectra of the synthetic methylmercapto derivative with several model compounds and using chemical shift additivity relationships, the adduct was identified as 3-methylmercapto-N,N'-diacetylbenzidine. Since the yield of the product from N-acetoxy-N,N'-diacetylbenzidine and methionine did not vary appreciably with pH (4 to 8), a reaction mechanism involving an electrophilic carbocation at position 3 is proposed. These studies demonstrate that N-HO-DABZ can be esterified to an electrophilic reactant by hepatic sulfotransferases in the rat and the mouse and suggest the involvement of this metabolite in the hepatocarcinogenicity of benzidine.

Synthesis, spectral analysis, and mutagenicity of 1-, 3-, and 6-nitrobenzo[a]pyrene.

The mutagenic environmental pollutants 1-, 3-, and 6-nitrobenzo[a]pyrene were synthesized. Nitration of 7,8,9,10-tetrahydrobenzo[a]pyrene with sodium nitrate in trifluoroacetic acid and acetic anhydride at ambient temperature gave a mixture of 1-, 3-, and 6-nitro-7,8,9,10-tetrahydrobenzo[a]pyrene, which was separated by chromatography. Dehydrogenation of the isolated nitrotetrahydrobenzo[a]pyrenes with 2,3-dichloro-4,5-dicyano-1,6-benzoquinone produced 1-, 3-, and 6-nitrobenzo[a]pyrene in high yield. Comparison of the spectral data of these compounds with those obtained from direct nitration of benzo[a]pyrene confirmed that 1- and 3-nitrobenzo[a]pyrenes are indeed the minor products of the latter reaction. This confirmation also verifies that 1- and 3-nitrobenzo[a]pyrene were the minor nitrated products of benzo[a]pyrene formed in model air atmospheres. The 1-, 3-, and 6-nitrobenzo[a]pyrene were mutagenic in Salmonella typhimurium tester strains TA98 and TA100 in the presence of a mammalian microsomal (S9) activating system. Both 1- and 3-nitrobenzo[a]pyrene, but not 6-nitrobenzo[a]pyrene, were also direct-acting mutagens in these strains. However, only 6-nitrobenzo[a]pyrene exhibited weak mutagenic activity when tested in Chinese hamster ovary cells, while only 3-nitrobenzo[a]pyrene produced a concentration-dependent decrease in cellular survival.

DNA adducts and carcinogenicity of nitro-polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons.

We have been interested in the structure-activity relationships of nitro-polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (nitro-PAHs), and have focused on the correlation of structural and electronic features with biological activities, including mutagenicity and tumorigenicity. In our studies, we have emphasized 1-, 2-, 3-, and 6-nitrobenzo[a]pyrenes (nitro-B[a]Ps) and related compounds, all of which are derived from the potent carcinogen benzo[a]pyrene. While 1-, 2-, and 3-nitro-B[a]P are potent mutagens in Salmonella, 6-nitro-B[a]P is a weak mutagen. In vitro metabolism of 1- and 3-nitro-B[a]P has been found to generate multiple pathways for mutagenic activation. The formation of the corresponding trans-7,8-dihydrodiols and 7,8,9,10-tetrahydrotetrols suggests that 1- and 3-nitro-B[a]P trans-7,8-diol-9,10-epoxides are ultimate metabolites of the parent nitro-B[a]Ps. We have isolated a DNA adduct from the reaction between 3-nitro-B[a]P trans-7,8-diol-anti9,10-epoxide and calf thymus DNA, and identified it as 10-(deoxyguanosin-N2-yl)-7,8,9-trihydroxy-7,8,9,10-tetrahydro-3-ni tro-B[a]P . The same adduct was identified from in vitro metabolism of [3H]3-nitro-B[a]P by rat liver microsomes in the presence of calf thymus DNA. A DNA adduct of 3-nitro-B[a]P formed from reaction of N-hydroxy-3-amino-B[a]P, prepared in situ with calf thymus DNA was also isolated. This adduct was identified as 6-(deoxyguanosin-N2-yl)-3-amino-B[a]P. The same adduct was obtained from incubating DNA with 3-nitro-B[a]P in the presence of the mammalian nitroeductase, xanthine oxidase, and hypoxanthine.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)

Conformation and configuration at the central amine nitrogen of a nucleotide adduct of the carcinogen 2-(acetylamino)fluorene as studied by 13C and 15N NMR spectroscopy.

The conformation and configuration at the central nitrogen of the adduct 8-(N-fluoren-2-ylamino)-2'-deoxyguanosine 5'-monophosphate has been investigated by high-field 13C and 15N NMR spectroscopy. One-bond nitrogen-hydrogen coupling constants and 13C chemical shifts for the adduct as well as for the model compounds diphenylamine, 4-nitrodiphenylamine and 2-aminofluorene have been measured in nonaqueous solutions. The data indicate a near planar configuration at the amine nitrogen that links the guanine and fluorene rings of the adduct. The orientations about the guanyl-nitrogen and fluorenyl-nitrogen bonds place the two ring systems in either perpendicular (Type A) or helical (Type B) conformations. It is suggested, based on structural similarities to diarylamines, that the G-N-C bond angle of the adduct is greater than 120 degrees in order to reduce unfavorable steric interactions between the two ring systems. Space-filling molecular models of the adduct in duplex DNA show that the aminofluorene moiety can be oriented into both Type A and Type B conformations within the major groove. The configuration at nitrogen of diphenylamine, 4-nitrodiphenylamine and 2-aminofluorene has also been examined.

1H NMR study of self-association and restricted internal rotation of the C8-substituted deoxyguanosine 5'-monophosphate adduct of the carcinogen 2-(acetylamino)fluorene.

The high-field 1H NMR spectra of a nucleotide-carcinogen adduct formed from 2-(acetylamino)fluorene (8-(N-fluoren-2-ylacetamido)-2'-deoxyguanosine 5'-monophosphate) have been examined in aqueous solution as a function of concentration at high and low temperatures. An anomalous concentration dependence of NMR spectra was observed at concentration levels over 1 mM. These spectral characteristics have been analyzed in terms of changes in self-association and in the interconversions between torsional diastereomers associated with the central nitrogen. Association constants have been computed. Stacking interactions, which involve both the fluorene and guanine rings, are strong, cooperative and highly temperature-dependent. Deacetylation alters the mode of stacking. Several effects of solvent and aggregation on the conformation at the central nitrogen are discussed.

Formation of mammalian metabolites of cyclobenzaprine by the fungus, Cunninghamella elegans.

The fungus, Cunninghamella elegans, was used as a microbial model of mammalian drug metabolism to biotransform a tricyclic antidepressant, cyclobenzaprine. Seventy-five percent of this drug at a concentration of 1 mM was metabolized within 72 h by C. elegans grown on Sabouraud dextrose broth. Milligram amounts of fungal metabolites were isolated by reversed-phase high performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) and their structures were characterized by 1H NMR spectroscopy, mass spectrometry, and UV spectroscopy analyses. The major fungal metabolites of cyclobenzaprine were 2-hydroxycyclobenzaprine (59%), N-desmethylcyclobenzaprine (21%), cyclobenzaprine trans-10,11-dihydrodiol (5%), N-desmethyl-2-hydroxy-cyclobenzaprine (3%), 3-hydroxycyclobenzaprine (3%), and cyclobenzaprine N-oxide (1%). These fungal metabolites were used as standards to investigate the metabolism of cyclobenzaprine by rat liver microsomes. Rat liver microsomes also biotransformed cyclobenzaprine to produce similar metabolites as the fungus. The isotope labeling of 2-hydroxycyclobenzaprine by 18O2 and the trans-configuration of the dihydrodiol suggested that these reactions were catalyzed by cytochrome P-450 monooxygenases in C. elegans. These results also demonstrated that the fungal biotransformation system could be used to predict and synthesize the mammalian drug metabolites.

Formation of N-(glutathion-S-methylene)-4-aminoazobenzene following metabolic oxidation of the N-methyl group of the carcinogen, N-methyl-4-aminoazobenzene.

A major biliary metabolite of the hepatocarcinogen, N,N-dimethyl-4-aminoazobenzene (DAB), in the rat was identified as N-(glutathion-S-methylene)-4-aminoazobenzene (GS-CH2-AB). This conjugate was prepared synthetically by a Mannich condensation of 4-aminoazobenzene (AB), formaldehyde (CH2O) and glutathione (GSH) and has been characterized by chemical analysis and by ultraviolet, visible and 13C-NMR spectroscopy. The same conjugate was also formed in vitro by incubating N-methyl-4-aminoazobenzene (MAB), NADPH, NADH and GSH with rat hepatic microsomes. Evidence is presented that GSH reacted with an intermediate resulting from a cytochrome P-450-dependent oxidation of the N-methyl substituent. This reactive intermediate is presumed to be either an N-methylol or a methimine derivative of AB. The significance of this detoxification mechanism is discussed. The presence of an additional major aminoazo-dye GSH conjugate is also noted.

Formation and identification of glutathione conjugates from 2-nitrosofluorene and N-hydroxy-2-aminofluorene.

2-Nitrosofluorene (NOF) and N-hydroxy-2-aminofluorene (N-HO-AF) are potent direct-acting mutagens, derived from metabolic activation of the carcinogen, N-acetyl-2-aminofluorene (AAF). To assess the ability of cellular glutathione (GSH) to detoxify these electrophilic derivatives, we examined the reaction of NOF and N-HO-AF with GSH in vitro. Two reaction products were isolated and identified as glutathionyl derivatives of 2-aminofluorene (AF) containing an N-S linkage. Amino acid analysis, infrared and NMR (500 MHz) spectroscopy, fast atom bombardment mass spectrometry and analysis of reaction characteristics and hydrolysis products established their structures as N-(glutathion-S-yl)-2-aminofluorene S-oxide (GS-AFI) and N-(glutathion-S-yl)-2-aminofluorene (GS-AFII). Ascorbic acid, which reduces NOF to N-HO-AF, was used to modify reaction yields. These results indicated that GS-AFI was derived from reaction with NOF and that GS-AFII could be formed from both NOF and N-HO-AF. A reaction scheme is proposed in which NOF reacts with GSH to form an intermediate addition product that can rearrange either to GS-AFI or be reduced to GS-AFII. The latter could also be formed by direct reaction with N-HO-AF.

Characterization of DNA adducts of the carcinogen N-methyl-4-aminoazobenzene in vitro and in vivo.

Since the susceptibility of specific tissues to tumor formation has been correlated with the persistence of DNA-carcinogen adducts, the identity and persistence of DNA adducts formed from the hepatocarcinogen N-methyl-4-aminoazobenzene (MAB) has been determined. The synthetic ultimate carcinogen N-benzoyloxy-N-methyl-4-aminoazobenzene (N-BxO-MAB) was reacted in vitro with either calf thymus or rat liver DNA to yield approx. 1 bound residue per 1000 nucleotides. After enzymatic hydrolysis of the DNA and high pressure liquid chromatographic analysis, at least six MAB adducts were detected. Two of the products cochromatographed with MAB-DNA adducts formed in rat liver in vivo following oral administration of the precarcinogen MAB. These two adducts were identified by mass, UV and nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) spectroscopy as N-(deoxyguanosin-8-yl)- and 3-(deoxyguanosin-N2-yl)-MAB. The former adduct was initially the predominant product in vivo, but it could not be detected 7 days following treatment. The latter adduct remained at a constant level for 14 days and therefore appears to be a persistent lesion.

Products formed from the in vitro reaction of metabolites of 3-aminochrysene with calf thymus DNA.

3-Aminochrysene, a mutagenic geometric isomer of the mutagenic and carcinogenic aromatic amine 6-aminochrysene, has been synthesized and its metabolic activation studied by characterization of the products formed from the reaction of metabolites with calf thymus DNA. DNA adducts produced by 3-aminochrysene via N-oxidation were examined by preparing 3-nitrosochrysene and incubating the nitroso derivative with calf thymus DNA in the presence of ascorbic acid (to generate the N-hydroxy derivative) at pH 5. The major adduct, as determined by 1H-NMR and thermospray-mass spectrometry of the modified nucleoside obtained after enzymatic hydrolysis of the modified DNA, was N-(deoxyguanosin-8-yl)-3-aminochrysene. Thus, the reaction of N-hydroxy-3-aminochrysene with DNA differs from that of N-hydroxy-6-aminochrysene, which had previously been shown to generate N-(deoxyguanosin-8-yl)-6-aminochrysene, 5-(deoxyguanosin-N2-yl)-6-aminochrysene and N-(deoxyinosin-8-yl)-6- aminochrysene as major adducts. 32P-Postlabeling analysis of DNA treated with 3-aminochrysene in the presence of liver microsomes from rats pretreated with phenobarbital indicated an adduct pattern identical to that seen with DNA that had been treated with 3-nitrosochrysene and ascorbic acid. However, DNA treated with 3-aminochrysene (3-AC) in the presence of liver microsomes from rats pretreated with 3-methylcholanthrene contained a major adduct that was chromatographically distinct from N-(deoxyguanosin-8-yl)-3-aminochrysene.

Stereochemistry and evidence for an arene oxide-NIH shift pathway in the fungal metabolism of naphthalene.

The mechanism of naphthalene oxidation by the filamentous fungus, Cunninghamella elegans is described. C. elegans oxidized naphthalene predominately to trans-1,2-dihydroxy-1,2-dihydroxy-1,2-dihydronaphthalene. A trans configuration was assigned for the dihydrodiol by nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) spectroscopy at 500 MHz which showed a large coupling constant (J1,2) of 11.0 Hz. Comparison of the circular dichroism spectrum of the fungal trans-1,2-dihydroxy-1,2-dihydronaphthalene to that formed by mammalian enzyme systems indicated that the fungal dihydrodiol contained 76% (+)-(1S,2S)-dihydrodiol as the predominant enantiomer. Other naphthalene metabolites formed by C. elegans were identified as 1-naphthol, 2-naphthol and 4-hydroxy-1-tetralone. Incubation of C. elegans with naphthalene and 18O2 indicated that the trans-1,2-dihydroxy-1,2-dihydronaphthalene contained one atom of molecular oxygen which indicated a monooxygenase catalyzed reaction while similar incubations with naphthalene and H182O indicated that the other oxygen atom in trans-1,2-dihydroxy-1,2-dihydronaphthalene was derived from water. Mass spectral analysis of the acid-catalyzed dehydration products of the dihydrodiol indicated that the naphthalene dihydrodiol forms via the addition of water at the C-2 position of naphthalene-1,2-oxide. Fungal metabolism of [1-2H]naphthalene yielded 1-naphthol which retained 78% of the deuterium. NMR analysis of the deuterated 1-naphthol indicated an NIH shift mechanism in which deuterium migrated from the C-1 position to the C-2 position. The above results indicate that naphthalene-1,2-oxide is an intermediate in the fungal metabolism of naphthalene and that the fungal enzymes are highly stereo-selective in the formation of trans-1,2-dihydroxy-1,2-dihydronaphthalene.

Characterization of DNA adducts in Chinese hamster ovary cells treated with mutagenic doses of 1- and 3-nitrosobenzo[a]pyrene and the trans-7,8-diol-anti-9,10-epoxides of 1- and 3-nitrobenzo[a]pyrene.

The environmental contaminants 1- and 3-nitrobenzo[a]pyrene (1- and 3-nitro-BaP) are mutagens in Chinese hamster ovary (CHO) cells with exogenous metabolic activation. Previous studies demonstrated the potent direct-acting mutagenicity of the oxidized metabolites, trans-7,8-dihydroxy-anti-9,10-epoxy-7,8,9,10-tetrahydro-1-nitrobenzo[a] pyrene (1-NBaPDE) and trans-7,8-dihydroxy-anti-9,10-epoxy-7,8,9, 10-tetrahydro-3-nitrobenzo[a]pyrene (3-NBaPDE), and the partially nitroreduced metabolites, 1- and 3-nitrosobenzo[a]pyrene (1- and 3-NO-BaP). In this study, we have identified the major adduct formed by incubation of calf thymus DNA with 1-NBaPDE and used this standard in conjunction with other adduct standards to characterize the 32P-postlabeled DNA adducts produced by 1- and 3-nitro-BaP metabolites in CHO cultures. The major adduct from 1-NBaPDE exposure was 10-(deoxyguanosin-N2-yl)-7,8,9-trihydroxy-7,8,9,10-tetrahydro-1- nitrobenzo[a]pyrene; from 3-NBaPDE, 10-(deoxyguanosin-N2-yl)-7,8,9-trihydroxy-7,8,9,10-tetrahydro-3- nitrobenzo[a]pyrene; from 1-NO-BaP, 6-(deoxyguanosin-N2-yl)-1-aminobenzo[a]pyrene; and from 3-NO-BaP, 6-(deoxyguanosin-N2-yl)-3-aminobenzo[a]pyrene. For comparison, the adducts formed by trans-7,8-dihydroxy-anti-9,10-epoxy-7,8,9,10-tetrahydrobenzo[a]pyrene and the related nitroreduced derivative 6-nitrosobenzo[a]pyrene were also examined. The nitrobenzo[a]pyrene DNA adducts described in this study are proposed to be involved in the mutagenicity of 1- and 3-nitro-BaP upon either oxidative or reductive metabolism.

Optimization of enantiomeric separation for quantitative determination of the chiral drug propranolol by 1H-NMR spectroscopy utilizing a chiral solvating agent.

High-field 1H-NMR methodology for enantiomeric composition determination of the chiral drug propranolol utilizing a chiral solvating agent is reported. Optimal experimental conditions for the resolution of enantiomers were determined by studying the interaction of substrate concentration, chiral solvating agent concentration and temperature. The success of the method is based on the selection of a chiral solvating agent that has the following two characteristics. First, it possesses functional groups that are complimentary to those of the chiral substrate for significant interaction to occur. Second, it has a group of diamagnetic anisotropy near its stereogenic center for translating spatial environments of solute nuclei into different magnetic environments that are measurable by NMR spectroscopy. Optical purities were determined on the basis of the intensities of the methyl proton resonances. The analysis of synthetic enantiomeric mixtures of propranolol by the proposed NMR method resulted in assay values, which agreed closely with the known quantities of each enantiomer in the mixtures tested. The mean +/- SD recovery values for the (R)-(+)-enantiomer was 100.0+/-0.6% of added antipode (n = 7).