title: The presence of lead decreases the availability of meso-2, 3-dimercaptosuccinic acid for analysis in the monobromobimane assay.
abstract: meso-2,3-Dimercaptosuccinic acid is a suitable chelating agent for routine pharmacotherapy of lead poisoning in children. Administration of meso-2,3-dimercaptosuccinic acid presumably permits complexation of lead in vivo, allowing excretion through urine or feces. Quantification of the lead is achieved independently from the analysis of meso-2,3-dimercaptosuccinic acid and metabolites from the monobromobimane assay. To date, no direct chemical characterization of the Pb species excreted in urine has been successful. Pharmacokinetic correlation of lead excretion with excretion of meso-2,3-dimercaptosuccinic acid and metabolites has been utilized as an indirect method to draw conclusions regarding the identity of the active chelating agent. In this study, we hypothesized that the Pb-coordinated thiols are not reactive with respect to monobromobimane, and thus, the active chelator contained in the lead complex escapes detection. We performed variations of the assay and found that (1) the fluorescence detector response for the meso-2,3-dimercaptosuccinic acid-monobromobimane adduct was clearly attenuated as a function of added Pb, (2) when meso-2, 3-dimercaptosuccinic acid and monobromobimane were mixed prior to the addition of lead, the lead had no effect on detector response, (3) the addition of dithiothreitol does not affect the ability of Pb to react with meso-2,3-dimercaptosuccinic acid and verifies that oxidation of meso-DMSA had not occurred, and (4) the addition of ethylenediaminetetraacetic acid to the assay reverses the result found in point 1, presumably through trans chelation of the Pb-DMSA complex. Indirect quantification of the Pb-DMSA complexes found in urine might be accomplished through modification of the standard monobromobimane assay for analysis of meso-2,3-dimercaptosuccinic acid.
authors.affiliation: Department of Environmental Health Sciences, The School of Hygiene and Public Health, The Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, Maryland 21205-2179, USA. slever@jhsph.edu
authors.forename: S Z
authors.initials: SZ
authors.lastname: Lever
authors.forename: T L
authors.initials: TL
authors.lastname: Parsons
mesh_terms: D001643:Bridged Bicyclo Compounds / Q000737:chemistry*; D002614:Chelating Agents / Q000032:analysis*; D002851:Chromatography, High Pressure Liquid; D004229:Dithiothreitol / Q000737:chemistry; D004492:Edetic Acid / Q000737:chemistry; D007854:Lead / Q000737:chemistry*; D009942:Organometallic Compounds / Q000737:chemistry; D013055:Spectrophotometry, Infrared; D013056:Spectrophotometry, Ultraviolet; D004113:Succimer / Q000032:analysis*; D013438:Sulfhydryl Compounds / Q000737:chemistry*; D013439:Sulfhydryl Reagents / Q000737:chemistry
chemical_list: D001643:Bridged Bicyclo Compounds; D002614:Chelating Agents; D009942:Organometallic Compounds; D013438:Sulfhydryl Compounds; D013439:Sulfhydryl Reagents; D007854:Lead; D004492:Edetic Acid; D004113:Succimer; C008261:lead acetate; D004229:Dithiothreitol; C028381:monobromobimane