title: L-oxothiazolidine 4-carboxylate pretreatment of isolated human peripheral blood lymphocytes reduces sulfur mustard cytotoxicity.
abstract: Sulfur mustard (HD, mustard gas) is a vesicant chemical warfare agent for which there is no specific medical countermeasure. A potential approach to combating the debilitating effects of this agent is the use of compounds that can react with this material before it interacts with critical macromolecules. Glutathione (GSH), a tripeptide that exists in high concentrations in cells, reacts with HD and is involved in HD detoxification. Pretreatment of human peripheral blood lymphocytes (PBL) with 10 mmol/L L-oxothiazolidine-4-carboxylate (OTC), a "masked" cysteine precursor, increased intracellular glutathione levels 25-50% over control values. Pretreated PBL were harvested, washed, and exposed to 10, 50, or 100 mumol/L HD. Flow cytometry was used to measure cytotoxicity by propidium iodide uptake. Pretreatment of PBL with OTC led to small decreases in cytotoxicity after HD exposure. However, treatment of cells with OTC after HD exposure was not beneficial. Compounds that can modulate GSH levels within the cell may help to reduce the cytotoxicity of HD when used a pretreatment.
authors.affiliation: Biochemical Pharmacology Branch, US Army Medical Research Institute of Chemical Defense, Aberdeen Proving Ground, Maryland, USA.
authors.forename: C L
authors.initials: CL
authors.lastname: Gross
authors.forename: K C
authors.initials: KC
authors.lastname: Giles
authors.forename: W J
authors.initials: WJ
authors.lastname: Smith
mesh_terms: D000931:Antidotes / Q000494:pharmacology*; D002469:Cell Separation; D002470:Cell Survival / Q000187:drug effects; D004334:Drug Administration Schedule; D016166:Free Radical Scavengers / Q000097:blood / Q000494:pharmacology; D005978:Glutathione / Q000097:blood / Q000494:pharmacology; D006801:Humans; D008214:Lymphocytes / Q000187:drug effects* / Q000378:metabolism; D009151:Mustard Gas / Q000633:toxicity*; D011761:Pyrrolidonecarboxylic Acid; D013844:Thiazoles / Q000494:pharmacology*; D053778:Thiazolidines; D018675:Toxicity Tests / Q000379:methods
chemical_list: D000931:Antidotes; D016166:Free Radical Scavengers; D013844:Thiazoles; D053778:Thiazolidines; D005978:Glutathione; D011761:Pyrrolidonecarboxylic Acid; D009151:Mustard Gas; C029536:2-oxothiazolidine-4-carboxylic acid