title: Covalent interaction of 5-nitroimidazoles with DNA and protein in vitro: mechanism of reductive activation.
abstract: Human hepatic microsomal enzymes catalyzed the NADPH-dependent anaerobic reductive activation of [1-14C]metronidazole [1-(2-hydroxyethyl)-2-methyl-5-nitroimidazole] and [4,5-14C]ronidazole [(1-methyl-5-nitroimidazole-2-yl)methyl carbamate] to species that became covalently bound to proteins. Due to the low efficiency of the enzyme-catalyzed covalent binding of metronidazole, the stoichiometry of anaerobic reductive activation was studied with dithionite as the reductant. Two moles of dithionite was consumed per mole of [1-14C]metronidazole for maximal covalent binding to either DNA or immobilized sulfhydryl groups, demonstrating that four electrons are required for the reductive activation of metronidazole. These data implicate the involvement of a hydroxylamine in covalent binding. Maximal covalent binding of [4,5-14C]ronidazole to DNA also required four-electron reduction, consistent with previous studies of the covalent binding of this agent to immobilized sulfhydryl groups [Kedderis et al. (1988) Arch. Biochem. Biophys. 262, 40-48]. Studies of the covalent binding of variously radiolabeled ronidazole molecules to DNA suggested that the imidazole ring was intact while greater than 80% of the 2-carbamoyl group and the C4 proton were not present in the DNA adduct. Studies of both the chemical and human hepatic microsomal reduction of [4-3H]metronidazole demonstrated that covalent binding occurred with the stoichiometric loss of this label, implicating binding at the C4 position. These results suggest that the reductive activation of 5-nitroimidazoles generally proceeds via four-electron reduction to form hydroxylamines followed by nucleophilic attack at C4.
authors.affiliation: Department of Animal Drug Metabolism, Merck Sharp & Dohme Research Laboratories, Rahway, New Jersey 07065.
authors.forename: G L
authors.initials: GL
authors.lastname: Kedderis
authors.forename: L S
authors.initials: LS
authors.lastname: Argenbright
authors.forename: G T
authors.initials: GT
authors.lastname: Miwa
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000693:Anaerobiosis; D001711:Biotransformation / Q000187:drug effects; D004247:DNA / Q000187:drug effects*; D004227:Dithionite / Q000378:metabolism; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D066298:In Vitro Techniques; D008297:Male; D008795:Metronidazole / Q000378:metabolism; D008862:Microsomes, Liver / Q000187:drug effects / Q000201:enzymology; D008875:Middle Aged; D009593:Nitroimidazoles / Q000494:pharmacology*; D010084:Oxidation-Reduction; D011506:Proteins / Q000187:drug effects*; D012385:Ronidazole / Q000378:metabolism
chemical_list: D009593:Nitroimidazoles; D011506:Proteins; D008795:Metronidazole; D004227:Dithionite; D004247:DNA; D012385:Ronidazole