methimazole and hydrazine

There is evidence that hydrazine, a metabolite of isoniazid, plays an important role in the mechanism of isoniazid-induced hepatotoxicity. Hydrazine has been reported to be metabolised by NADPH cytochrome P-450 reductase (reductase) to reactive and potentially toxic intermediates. The present study was designed, using a model of isoniazid-induced hepatotoxicity in rabbits, to determine whether or not reductase plays a role in this toxicity. Although pretreating rabbits with l-thyroxine increased hepatic reductase activity (54% greater than controls), the severity of isoniazid-induced hepatic cell damage (plasma argininosuccinic acid lyase activity) was lower in thyroxine pre-treated animals than in animals treated with isoniazid alone (31.3+/-20 vs 56.0+/-20 Takahara Units, respectively). In addition, pre-treatment with l-thyroxine completely prevented isoniazid-induced hepatic steatosis. In conclusion, contrary to our hypothesis, an increase in reductase activity achieved by pre-treatment with l-thyroxine was associated with a decrease in the severity of isoniazid-induced hepatic cell damage and steatosis in rabbits.

Topics: Animals; Antitubercular Agents; Cytochrome P-450 CYP2E1; Hydrazines; Isoniazid; Liver; Male; Methimazole; NADPH-Ferrihemoprotein Reductase; Rabbits; Thyroxine

1. It has been demonstrated that hydrazine is metabolized by rat liver enzymes located in the microsomal fraction. This metabolism was reduced in the absence of oxygen or NADPH and was increased by NADH in the presence of NADPH. 2. Microsomal enzyme inhibitors, piperonyl butoxide and metyrapone, significantly inhibited hydrazine metabolism but glutathione had no affect and was not depleted. 3. In addition to P450, flavin monooxygenase may also be involved in catalysing the microsomal metabolism of hydrazine. 4. Liver microsomes prepared from either beta-naphthoflavone, acetone or the isoniazid-pretreated rat did not show a significant increase in hydrazine metabolism compared with microsomes from the control rat. However, although phenobarbitone pretreatment increased overall microsomal hydrazine metabolism this was not increased relative to P450 content. 5. Hydrazine metabolism was 20-70% lower in human microsomes prepared from three individuals compared with the control rat. 6. Hydrazine is also metabolized by rat liver mitochondria but the monoamine oxidase inhibitors clorgyline and pargyline do not significantly decrease this.

Topics: Adolescent; Adult; Animals; Cytochrome P-450 Enzyme Inhibitors; Cytochrome P-450 Enzyme System; Enzyme Induction; Female; Humans; Hydrazines; Male; Methimazole; Microsomes, Liver; Middle Aged; Mitochondria, Liver; NAD; NADP; Piperonyl Butoxide; Pyridines; Rats; Rats, Sprague-Dawley

Hydrazine is acutely neurotoxic, hepatotoxic and nephrotoxic; it is also carcinogenic to liver and lung in rodents. Administration of hydrazine results in formation of 7-methylguanine and O6-methylguanine in target organ DNA of rats, mice, hamsters and guinea-pigs. It has been suggested that hydrazine reacts with endogenous formaldehyde to form a condensation product which could be metabolized to a methylating agent. Solutions of 0.50 mM hydrazine and formaldehyde have, upon mixing, NMR spectra (300 MHz) consistent with the formation of formaldehyde hydrazone but not other possible condensation products such as tetraformyltriazine or formaldehyde azine. These same solutions evidencing hydrazone formation, when incubated in an in vitro system containing post-mitochondrial (S9), microsomal, cytosolic or mitochondrial cell fractions, resulted in the methylation of DNA guanine; S9 was the most active fraction. Neither the P-450 monooxygenase nor flavin monooxygenase systems appeared to be important in hydrazine/formaldehyde-induced methylation of DNA. However, sodium azide, cyanamide and carbon monoxide all inhibited S9-supported DNA methylation. Bovine liver catalase, a heme-containing cytochrome, readily transformed hydrazine/formaldehyde to a methylating agent. The data support formation of formaldehyde hydrazone as the condensation product of hydrazine and formaldehyde which is rapidly transformed in various liver cell fractions, perhaps by catalase and/or catalase-like enzymes, to a methylating agent.

Topics: Amines; Animals; Catalase; DNA; Formaldehyde; Guanine; Heterocyclic Compounds; Hydrazines; Hydrazones; Magnetic Resonance Spectroscopy; Male; Methimazole; Methylation; Rats; Rats, Inbred Strains