title: Superoxide generation by 1-nitropyrene in rat lung microsomes.
abstract: 1-Nitropyrene (1-NP) is a potent mutagen which has been found in diesel exhaust particulates and photocopy toners. 1-NP is known to undergo reduction and oxidation by mammalian enzymes. Research into the biological activity of 1-NP has concentrated on its possible mutagenic and carcinogenic properties. Because other nitro compounds, such as nitrofurantion, are reduced to a nitro anion radical which can react with molecular oxygen to produce superoxide, it was of interest to determine if 1-NP produced superoxide. This study used acetylated cytochrome c/superoxide dismutase as a detection system in a lung microsomal system. Results show that 1-NP catalyzes the formation of superoxide, that the reaction obeys Michaelis-Menten kinetics and that this reaction is saturable. The significance of this study is that 1-NP may have toxic effects which are related to oxidant stress.
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D003574:Cytochrome c Group / Q000378:metabolism; D066298:In Vitro Techniques; D008168:Lung / Q000378:metabolism*; D008297:Male; D008861:Microsomes / Q000378:metabolism*; D009249:NADP / Q000378:metabolism; D011721:Pyrenes / Q000378:metabolism*; D051381:Rats; D011919:Rats, Inbred Strains; D013481:Superoxides / Q000378:metabolism*
chemical_list: D003574:Cytochrome c Group; D011721:Pyrenes; D013481:Superoxides; D009249:NADP; C032668:1-nitropyrene