title: N-acetyl-S-(2-hydroxyethyl)-L-cysteine as a potential tool in biological monitoring studies? A critical evaluation of possibilities and limitations.
abstract: In mammalian species, including man, N-acetyl-S-(2-hydroxyethyl)-L-cysteine (2-HEMA) is a common urinary metabolite of a large number of structurally different xenobiotic chemicals. It is a common urinary end product of glutathione pathway metabolism of a variety of chemicals possessing electrophilic properties and, in most cases, also a genotoxic potential. Five different chemically reactive intermediates, with different electrophilic properties, may be involved in the formation of 2-HEMA. An inventory of chemicals known to lead to the formation of 2-HEMA, or based on their chemical structure expected to do so, is presented. Furthermore, an attempt is made to evaluate the possibilities and limitations in terms of the potential use of urinary 2-HEMA as a tool in biomonitoring studies. Two other related, sulfur-containing urinary metabolites, i.e. N-acetyl-(S-carboxymethyl)-L-cysteine and thio-diacetic acid, are proposed as possible alternatives to urinary 2-HEMA. It is suggested that 2-HEMA might be seen as a potentially useful and sensitive signal parameter for the assessment of exposure of animals and man to a variety of electrophilic and therefore potentially toxic xenobiotic chemicals.
authors.affiliation: Department of Pharmacochemistry, Free University, Amsterdam, The Netherlands.
authors.forename: N P
authors.initials: NP
authors.lastname: Vermeulen
authors.forename: J
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: de Jong
authors.forename: E J
authors.initials: EJ
authors.lastname: van Bergen
authors.forename: R T
authors.initials: RT
authors.lastname: van Welie
mesh_terms: D000111:Acetylcysteine / Q000031:analogs & derivatives* / Q000652:urine; D000818:Animals; D015415:Biomarkers / Q000652:urine; D004784:Environmental Monitoring; D004787:Environmental Pollution; D006801:Humans
chemical_list: D015415:Biomarkers; C031104:N-acetyl-S-(2-hydroxyethyl)cysteine; D000111:Acetylcysteine