title: Procarbazine spermatogenesis toxicity: deuterium isotope effects point to regioselective metabolism in mice.
abstract: Procarbazine was shown to decrease spermatogenesis in male mice in a dose-dependent manner. Significant decreases (44% of controls) in spermatogenesis were observed when a dose of 400 mg/kg was administered 18 days prior to determination of sperm count. Procarbazine caused no significant acute spermatocidal activity in vivo. Procarbazine-associated decreases in spermatogenesis were thus used as an index of toxicity to developing spermatid cells. Procarbazine analogs were synthesized that had deuterium substituted for hydrogen at the benzylic position, N-isopropyl-alpha-(2-methylhydrazino)-p-[alpha, alpha-2H2]toluamide (d2-procarbazine), or at the methyl position, N-isopropyl-alpha-(2-[alpha, alpha, alpha-2H3]methylhydrazino)-p-toluamide (d3-procarbazine). Spermatogenesis decreases caused by d3-procarbazine were essentially the same as with procarbazine in mice (66% of controls at a dose of 200 mg/kg), but d2-procarbazine was nontoxic to developing sperm cells (99% of control at a dose of 200 mg/kg). The decrease in toxicity caused by deuterium substitution at the benzylic position, coupled with the absence of an effect with the methyl-labeled analog, indicate the requirement for regioselective oxidative metabolism of procarbazine at the benzylic position prior to the toxic event.
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D003903:Deuterium / Q000494:pharmacology*; D007274:Injections, Intraperitoneal; D007554:Isotopes; D008297:Male; D051379:Mice; D011344:Procarbazine / Q000633:toxicity*; D013076:Sperm Count; D013091:Spermatogenesis / Q000187:drug effects*; D013329:Structure-Activity Relationship
chemical_list: D007554:Isotopes; D011344:Procarbazine; D003903:Deuterium