title: Spin trapping of free radical species produced during the microsomal metabolism of ethanol.
abstract: Liver microsomes incubated with a NADPH regenerating system, ethanol and the spin trapping agent 4-pyridyl-1-oxide-t-butyl nitrone (4-POBN) produced an electron spin resonance (ESR) signal which has been assigned to the hydroxyethyl free radical adduct of 4-POBN by using 13C-labelled ethanol. The free radical formation was dependent upon the activity of the microsomal monoxygenase system and increased following chronic feeding of the rats with ethanol. The production of hydroxyethyl free radicals was stimulated by the addition of azide, while catalase and OH. scavengers decreased it. This suggested that hydroxyl radicals (OH.) produced in a Fenton-type reaction from endogenously formed hydrogen peroxide were involved in the free radical activation of ethanol. Consistently, the supplementation of iron, under various forms, also increased the intensity of the ESR signal which, on the contrary, was inhibited by the iron-chelating agent desferrioxamine. Microsomes washed with a solution containing desferrioxamine and incubated in a medium treated with Chelex X-100 in order to remove contaminating iron still produced hydroxyethyl radicals, although at a reduced rate. Under these conditions the free radical formation was apparently independent from the generation of OH. radicals, whereas addition of cytochrome P-450 inhibitors decreased the hydroxyethyl radical formation, suggesting that a cytochrome P-450-mediated process might also be involved in the activation of ethanol. Reduced glutathione (GSH) was found to effectively scavenge the hydroxyethyl radical, preventing its trapping by 4-POBN. The data presented suggest that ethanol-derived radicals could be generated during the microsomal metabolism of alcohol probably through two different pathways. The detection of ethanol free radicals might be relevant in understanding the pathogenesis of the liver lesions which are a consequence of alcohol abuse.
authors.affiliation: Dipartimento di Medicina ed Oncologia Sperimentale, Università di Torino, Italy.
authors.forename: E
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Albano
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Tomasi
authors.forename: L
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Goria-Gatti
authors.forename: M U
authors.initials: MU
authors.lastname: Dianzani
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D002614:Chelating Agents / Q000494:pharmacology; D003577:Cytochrome P-450 Enzyme System / Q000378:metabolism; D003676:Deferoxamine / Q000494:pharmacology; D004578:Electron Spin Resonance Spectroscopy; D000431:Ethanol / Q000378:metabolism*; D005296:Ferrous Compounds / Q000378:metabolism; D005609:Free Radicals; D005978:Glutathione / Q000378:metabolism; D006861:Hydrogen Peroxide / Q000378:metabolism; D006878:Hydroxides / Q000378:metabolism; D017665:Hydroxyl Radical; D007501:Iron / Q000378:metabolism; D008297:Male; D008862:Microsomes, Liver / Q000187:drug effects / Q000378:metabolism*; D009249:NADP / Q000378:metabolism; D009589:Nitrogen Oxides; D011725:Pyridines; D051381:Rats; D011919:Rats, Inbred Strains; D012117:Resins, Synthetic; D013113:Spin Labels
chemical_list: D002614:Chelating Agents; D005296:Ferrous Compounds; D005609:Free Radicals; D006878:Hydroxides; D009589:Nitrogen Oxides; D011725:Pyridines; D012117:Resins, Synthetic; D013113:Spin Labels; C043438:alpha-(4-pyridyl-1-oxide)-N-tert-butylnitrone; C024997:Chelex 100; D017665:Hydroxyl Radical; D000431:Ethanol; D009249:NADP; D003577:Cytochrome P-450 Enzyme System; D006861:Hydrogen Peroxide; D007501:Iron; D005978:Glutathione; D003676:Deferoxamine; C029451:ferrous chloride