Reactivity of glutathione adducts of 4-(dimethylamino)phenol. Formation of a highly reactive cyclization product

Article abstract of DOI:10.1021/tx00044a017

During ferrihemoglobin formation, 4-(dimethylamino)phenol (DMAP), a potent cyanide antidote, forms a quinoid compound that is prone to sequential oxidation/addition reactions. In human red cells and hemoglobin solutions fortified with glutathione, a transient adduct has been isolated and identified as 4-(dimethylamino)-2-(glutathion-S-yl)phenol (2-GS-DMAP). This compound still formed ferrihemoglobin but differed from parent DMAP in that the reaction rate was roughly proportional to the oxygen concentration and exhibited a lag phase, pointing to a reactive autoxidation product. The compound was isolated and tentatively identified as an intramolecular cyclization product of 2-GS-DMAP. Formation of this product includes three reaction steps: (1) formation of a quinoid intermediate, (2) addition of the α-amino nitrogen atom of the glutamate residue to the aromatic ring, and (3) autoxidation of the cyclization product to give a highly reactive o-quinone imine. The isolated compound existed in two isomeric states (¹H-NMR) which upon reduction could be separated by HPLC. The isolated reduced isomers mutually converted into each other. A model compound which was synthesized to mimic the most important structural features, 4-(dimethylamino)-6-[S-(2'- hydroxyethyl)-thio]-N-(2''-phenylethyl)-1,2-quinone imine, had a very similar visible spectum and exhibited an even higher ferrihemoglobin activity than the cyclization product. A similar phenomenon of intramolecular cyclization of a thioether of DMAP had been observed earlier: DMAP covalently bound to the SH groups of the β-chains in hemoglobin formed a cross-link with the C- terminal histidine residue in the presence of oxygen but not in its absence. It can be anticipated that similar reactions may also occur with other quinoid compounds, resulting in altered protein function and possible antigenicity. The results indicate once more that thioether formation should not be regarded as obligatory detoxication reaction.