title: Adduct-forming tendencies of cationic triarylmethane dyes with proteins: metabolic and toxicological implications.
abstract: The formation of colorless adducts by four cationic triarylmethane dyes (TAM(+)s), methyl green (MeG(+)), malachite green (MG(+)), pararosaniline (PR(+)), and crystal violet (CV(+)) was studied spectrophotometrically at 25 degrees C, in 50 mM 3-(N-morpholino)propanesulfonic acid (MOPS) buffer (pH 8), by monitoring the loss in TAM(+) color in the absence and presence of human serum proteins as potential addends. Unfractionated serum caused a rapid bleaching of MeG(+) and MG(+), while PR(+) and CV(+) were unaffected. Sephacryl S200 HR chromatographic screening of the serum revealed two composite peaks of MeG(+)-bleaching activity. The major peak (M(r) range, 40,000-130,000) overlapped with and extended on either side of the albumin peak. The minor peak corresponding to ca. 10% of the total MeG(+)-bleaching capacity had M(r) > 230,000. MG(+)-bleaching activity dominated the entire chromatographic profile and implicated a multitude of minority proteins with a high capacity to form colorless MG adducts. It is concluded that highly electrophilic TAM(+)s such as MeG(+) and MG(+) must be quantitatively trapped in the form of dye-protein adducts in biological fluids and that the primary in vivo effects (e.g. toxicity) of such dyes most likely arise from ligand-type effects on multiple protein targets. Mechanisms that call for unmodified TAM(+) structure (radical-mediated redox changes, DNA intercalation) may be more relevant to the in vivo impact of dyes such as PR(+) and CV(+) that have a lower tendency to form adducts.
authors.affiliation: Department of Biochemistry, School of Pharmacy, Hacettepe University, 06100 Ankara, Turkey.
authors.forename: Ozden
authors.initials: O
authors.lastname: Tacal
authors.forename: Inci
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Ozer
mesh_terms: D001798:Blood Proteins / Q000737:chemistry*; D002850:Chromatography, Gel; D004396:Coloring Agents / Q000737:chemistry*; D005840:Gentian Violet / Q000737:chemistry*; D006801:Humans; D007700:Kinetics; D008739:Methyl Green / Q000737:chemistry*; D011485:Protein Binding; D012394:Rosaniline Dyes / Q000737:chemistry*; D014052:Toluidines / Q000737:chemistry*
chemical_list: D001798:Blood Proteins; D004396:Coloring Agents; D012394:Rosaniline Dyes; D014052:Toluidines; C005095:malachite green; C005409:pararosaniline; D008739:Methyl Green; D005840:Gentian Violet