naphthoquinones and 1-naphthol

Although ascomycetes occupy a vaster niche in soil than the well-studied basidiomycetes, they have received limited attention in studies related to bioremediation. In this study, the degradation of carbaryl by Xylaria sp. was studied in different culture conditions and its possible metabolic pathway was elucidated. In liquid culture, 99% of the added carbaryl was eliminated when cytochrome P450 (CYP450) was active, which was similar to the degradation rate of Pleurotus ostreatus, a fungus with strong bioremediation ability. Mn

Topics: Benzoic Acid; Biodegradation, Environmental; Carbaryl; Cytochrome P-450 Enzyme System; Laccase; Manganese; Metabolic Networks and Pathways; Naphthols; Naphthoquinones; Pleurotus; Soil Microbiology; Xylariales

Fits like a glove: Separationless and selective electrochemical oxidation of the α-naphthol (α-NAP) isomer yields naphthoquinone species on the surface of multiwalled carbon nanotubes, which can further catalyze the electro-oxidation of NADH and hydrazine at different potentials. The β-NAP isomer failed to show any such electro-oxidation.

Topics: Catalysis; Electrochemical Techniques; Electrodes; Molecular Structure; Naphthols; Naphthoquinones; Oxidation-Reduction; Surface Properties

In animal models, naphthalene toxicity has been studied in different target organs and has been shown to be gender-dependent and metabolism related. In humans, it is readily absorbed and is metabolised by several cytochrome P450's. Naphthalene and its metabolites can cross the placental barrier and consequently may affect foetal tissues. The aim of this study was to compare the in vitro toxicity of naphthalene and its metabolites, 1-naphthol, 2-naphthol and 1,4-naphthoquinone, on human haematopoietic foetal progenitors (CFU-GM) derived from newborn male and female donors. The mRNA expression of Cyp1A2 and Cyp3A4 was also evaluated. Naphthalene did not affect CFU-GM proliferation, while 1-naphthol, 2-naphthol and particularly 1,4-naphthoquinone strongly inhibited the clonogenicity of progenitors, from both male and female donors. mRNA of Cyp1A2 and Cyp3A4 was not expressed neither at the basal level, nor after naphthalene treatment, while treatment with 1,4-naphthoquinone induced expression of both enzymes in both genders, with Cyp1A2 being expressed four times more than Cyp3A4. Female CFU-GM was significantly more sensitive to 1,4-naphthoquinone than male and after treatment both enzymes were expressed twice as much as in the male precursors. These results suggest that a gender-specific 1,4-naphthoquinone metabolic pathway may exist, which gives rise to unknown toxic metabolites.

Topics: Cell Proliferation; Colony-Forming Units Assay; Cytochrome P-450 CYP1A2; Cytochrome P-450 CYP3A; Female; Fetal Blood; Gene Expression Regulation, Enzymologic; Hematopoietic Stem Cells; Humans; Infant, Newborn; Male; Naphthalenes; Naphthols; Naphthoquinones; RNA, Messenger; Sex Factors

The aquatic hyphomycete Heliscus lugdunensis belongs to a group of exclusively aquatic mitosporic fungi with an only scarcely explored potential to oxidatively attack xenobiotic compounds, and was used to study the biotransformation of the environmental pollutant metabolite 1-naphthol. H. lugdunensis metabolized approximately 74% of 1-naphthol within 5 days. The identification and quantification of degradation products using gas chromatography-mass spectrometry, liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry, and high performance liquid chromatography revealed that approximately 12% of the parent compound was converted into 1-naphthylsulfate, 3% was transformed into 1-methoxy-naphthalene, and less than 1% was converted into 1,4-naphthoquinone. A further metabolite, most likely 4-hydroxy-1-naphthylsulfate, was also detected. In contrast to sulfate conjugate metabolites, no glucuronide and glucoside conjugates of 1-naphthol were found, and neither UDP-glucuronyltransferase nor UDP-glucosyltransferase present in H. lugdunensis showed activity towards 1-naphthol. These results support a role of fungi adapted to aquatic environments in affecting the environmental fate of pollutants in aquatic ecosystems.

Topics: Biotransformation; Glucuronosyltransferase; Hypocreales; Naphthalenes; Naphthols; Naphthoquinones; Sulfuric Acid Esters; Water Microbiology

Naphthalene-induced pulmonary and renal toxicity and polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon-induced carcinogenesis are known to be mediated by their reactive metabolites. Subchronic exposure (90 d) of mice to naphthalene does not alter humoral and cellular-mediated immune responses, whereas polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons, such as benzo[a]pyrene and 7,12-dimethylbenzanthracene, are known to be immunosuppressive. To understand these differences, the antibody-forming cell (AFC) responses of splenocyte cultures exposed to naphthalene (2, 20, and 200 microM) were evaluated. At these concentrations, the antibody-forming cell response to sheep red blood cells (RBC) was not affected. To determine if reactive metabolites of naphthalene were immunosuppressive, splenocytes were exposed to naphthalene metabolites by direct addition or through the use of a metabolic activation system. The addition of 1-naphthol (70 and 200 microM) and 1,4-naphthoquinone (2, 7, and 20 microM) resulted in a decreased antibody-forming cell response. Suppression of AFC responses was also obtained by culturing splenocytes with liver S9 and naphthalene. Since splenic metabolism of naphthalene to nonimmunosuppressive metabolites may account for the absence of immunotoxicity, the types of naphthalene metabolites generated by splenic microsomes were determined. It was observed that splenic microsomes were unable to generate any detectable naphthalene metabolites, whereas liver microsomes were able to generate both 1,2-naphthalene diol and 1-naphthol. Thus, the absence of an immunosuppressive effect by naphthalene exposure may be related to the inability of splenocytes to metabolize naphthalene. Moreover, the concentration of naphthalene metabolites generated within the liver that may diffuse to the spleen may be inadequate to produce immunotoxicity.

Topics: Animals; Antibody Formation; Antibody-Producing Cells; Benzo(a)pyrene; Cell Survival; Female; Liver; Mice; NADP; Naphthalenes; Naphthols; Naphthoquinones; Spleen

Phenol and 1-naphthol, products of benzene and naphthalene biotransformation, are metabolized during O2- generation by xanthine oxidase/hypoxanthine and phorbol myristate acetate (PMA)-stimulated human neutrophils. The addition of 1-naphthol to xanthine oxidase/hypoxanthine incubations resulted in the formation of 1,4-naphthoquinone (1,4-NQ) whereas phenol addition yielded only small quantities of hydroquinone, catechol and a unidentified reducible product but not 1,4-benzoquinone. This formation of 1,4-NQ was dependent upon hypoxanthine, xanthine oxidase, and 1-naphthol and was inhibited by the addition of superoxide dismutase (SOD) demonstrating that the conversion was O2-mediated. During O2- generation by PMA-stimulated neutrophils, the addition of phenol interfered with luminol-dependent chemiluminescence and resulted in covalent binding of phenol to protein. Protein binding was 80% inhibited by the addition of azide or catalase to the incubations indicating that bioactivation was peroxidase-mediated. In contrast, the addition of 1-naphthol to PMA-stimulated neutrophils interfered with superoxide-dependent cytochrome c reduction as well as luminol-dependent chemiluminescence and also resulted in protein binding. Protein binding was only partially inhibited by azide or catalase. The addition of SOD in combination with catalase resulted in a significantly greater inhibition of binding when compared to that of catalase alone. The results of these experiments indicate that phenol and 1-naphthol are converted to reactive metabolites during superoxide generating conditions but by different mechanisms. The formation of reactive metabolites from phenol was almost exclusively peroxidase-mediated whereas the bioactivation of 1-naphthol could occur by two different mechanisms, a peroxidase-dependent and a direct superoxide-dependent mechanism.

Topics: Benzoquinones; Biotransformation; Blood Proteins; Chromatography, High Pressure Liquid; Humans; Hypoxanthine; Hypoxanthines; Luminescent Measurements; Naphthols; Naphthoquinones; Neutrophils; Phenol; Phenols; Quinones; Superoxide Dismutase; Superoxides; Tetradecanoylphorbol Acetate; Xanthine Oxidase

Levels of glutathione (GSH) in tumour tissue may be important in determining the clinical response to certain anticancer agents. Recent reports have suggested that D,L-buthionine-S,R-sulphoximine (BSO), a specific inhibitor of GSH synthesis, may be used to deplete tumour cell GSH and thus increase the therapeutic ratio of these agents. We have previously shown that 1-naphthol is a potential antitumour agent, and that its possible metabolite 1,4-naphthoquinone is thiol reactive and capable of redox cycling. It was therefore of interest to investigate the effect of pretreatment with BSO, on the toxicity of these agents, to tumour cells. For comparison we included three other cytotoxic agents, melphalan, helenalin and menadione, the toxicities of which are reported to be modulated by intracellular GSH. Depletion of GSH using BSO did not effect the toxicity of 1-naphthol, or 1,4-NQ but did produce slight potentiation of the cytotoxicities of menadione, helanalin and melphalan. The lack of effect of BSO on 1-naphthol and 1,4-NQ is not easily explained but if one also considers the modest potentiation of cytotoxicity+ achieved with the other agents studied, the potential use of BSO in combined chemotherapy is at best rather modest.

Topics: Antimetabolites; Antineoplastic Agents, Phytogenic; Buthionine Sulfoximine; Cell Line; Cell Survival; Colonic Neoplasms; Drug Evaluation, Preclinical; Glutathione; Humans; Melphalan; Methionine Sulfoximine; Naphthols; Naphthoquinones; Sesquiterpenes; Sesquiterpenes, Guaiane; Vitamin K

Topics: Animals; Carbon Radioisotopes; Glutathione; Kinetics; Magnetic Resonance Spectroscopy; Male; Mass Spectrometry; Microsomes, Liver; Naphthols; Naphthoquinones; Rats; Rats, Inbred Strains

1-Naphthol was metabolized by the polyphenol oxidase, tyrosinase, primarily to 1,2-naphthoquinone and to small amounts of 1,4-naphthoquinone as well as to covalently bound products. The inhibition of covalent binding by ethylenediamine, which reacts specifically with 1,2-naphthoquinone but not 1,4-naphthoquinone, suggested that most of the covalent binding was due to 1,2-naphthoquinone or a metabolite of similar structure. The activation by tyrosinase of 1-naphthol to covalently bound products suggested that it may alter the reaction kinetics of the enzyme. This was investigated by studying the effects of 1-naphthol on the tyrosinase-catalysed oxidation of 4-hydroxyanisole. Preincubation of tyrosinase with 1-naphthol increased the lag period of the oxidation of 4-hydroxyanisole, which may be due to a decrease in the amount of active enzyme, as well as to a reaction of 1-naphthol with 3,4-anisylquinone, an oxidation product of 4-hydroxyanisole. The metabolic activation of 1-naphthol by tyrosinase to covalently bound species suggests that 1-naphthol or a structurally related derivative may be of potential therapeutic application in the treatment of cells high in tyrosinase activity, such as certain melanomas.

Topics: Anisoles; Biotransformation; Catalysis; Catechol Oxidase; Chromatography, High Pressure Liquid; Kinetics; Monophenol Monooxygenase; Naphthols; Naphthoquinones; Oxidation-Reduction; Protein Binding; Spectrophotometry

1-Naphthol was selectively toxic to human colorectal tumours compared to corresponding normal colonic tissue removed at surgery and maintained in short-term organ culture. Nineteen of 24 tumours studied have shown a significant differential response. Three human colonic adenocarcinoma xenografts, in the short-term organ culture system, displayed the same response to 1-naphthol as primary tumours removed at surgery. 1-Naphthol, 1,2- and 1,4-naphthoquinone were also toxic to two human colonic adenocarcinoma cell lines, LoVo and COLO 206. The selective toxicity of 1-naphthol is mediated in part through an accumulation of 1-naphthol in the tumour tissue due to impaired conjugation by the tumour. The higher concentrations of 1-naphthol may then exert their toxicity either directly or by formation of naphthoquinones. Some indirect evidence was obtained for the possible involvement of 1,2- or 1,4-naphthoquinone in the cytotoxicity of 1-naphthol. Our studies suggest that further studies are warranted of the possible use of 1-naphthol or related compounds as antitumour agents.

Topics: Cell Line; Cell Survival; Colon; Colonic Neoplasms; Humans; Naphthols; Naphthoquinones; Neoplasm Proteins; Organ Culture Techniques; Rectal Neoplasms; Time Factors

1-Naphthol was metabolised by a fully reconstituted cytochrome P-450 system in the presence of NADPH to methanol-soluble and covalently bound products. The formation of 1,4-naphthoquinone, the major methanol-soluble product at early time points, showed an almost total dependence on cytochrome P-450, NADPH-cytochrome P-450 reductase and NADPH, and to a lesser extent on dilauroylphosphatidylcholine. The metabolism was rapid and detectable levels of 1,4-naphthoquinone were formed within 30 sec. 1,4-Naphthoquinone formation was dependent on the concentration of both cytochrome P-450 (0.05-0.04 microM) and 1-naphthol (5-50 microM). Whereas 1,4-naphthoquinone was the major product observed at early time points, additional products were observed after prolonged incubation. In the absence of NADPH and NADPH-cytochrome P-450 reductase, 1-naphthol was metabolised, in a cumene hydroperoxide- and cytochrome P-450-dependent reaction, to 1,2- and 1,4-naphthoquinone and covalently bound products. Glutathione and ethylenediamine inhibited both the NADPH- and cumene hydroperoxide-dependent formation of covalently bound products. These data show that cytochrome P-450 catalyses the activation of 1-naphthol to naphthoquinone metabolites and covalently bound species, the latter most likely being derived from naphthoquinones.

Topics: Animals; Benzene Derivatives; Biotransformation; Carbon Radioisotopes; Cytochrome P-450 Enzyme System; In Vitro Techniques; Male; Methanol; Microsomes, Liver; NADP; Naphthols; Naphthoquinones; Rats; Rats, Inbred Strains

The mechanism(s) of toxicity of 1-naphthol and two of its possible metabolites, 1,2- and 1,4-naphthoquinone, to freshly isolated rat hepatocytes has been studied. 1-Naphthol and both naphthoquinones exhibited a dose-dependent toxicity to hepatocytes. [1-14C]-1-Naphthol was metabolised by hepatocytes predominantly to its glucuronic acid and sulphate ester conjugates, but small amounts of covalently bound products were also formed. Blebbing on the surface of the hepatocytes was observed following exposure to 1-naphthol and the naphthoquinones, together with a dose-dependent decrease in intracellular glutathione (GSH), which preceded the onset of cytotoxicity. The toxicity of 1-naphthol and the naphthoquinones was potentiated by dicoumarol, an inhibitor of DT-diaphorase (NAD(P)H:quinone oxidoreductase). This enhanced toxicity was accompanied by a greater amount of surface blebbing, an increased depletion of intracellular GSH, particularly in the case of 1-naphthol and 1,4-naphthoquinone, and a decreased metabolism of 1-naphthol to its conjugates with variable effects on the amount of covalently bound products formed. These results support the suggestion that the toxicity of 1-naphthol may be mediated by the formation of 1,2-naphthoquinone and/or 1,4-naphthoquinone, which may then be metabolised by one electron reduction to naphthosemiquinone radicals. These, in turn, may covalently bind to important cellular macromolecules or enter a redox cycle with molecular oxygen thereby generating active oxygen species. Both of these processes appear to play a role in producing the cytotoxic effects of 1-naphthol.

Topics: Animals; Dicumarol; Glutathione; In Vitro Techniques; Liver; Male; Naphthols; Naphthoquinones; Rats; Rats, Inbred Strains

The hepatic microsomal metabolism of 1-naphthol, 1,2- and 1,4-naphthoquinone has been shown to generate active oxygen species by using electron spin resonance spin-trapping techniques. 1-Naphthol, in the presence of NADPH, and 1,2- and 1,4-naphthoquinone, with either NADH or NADPH, caused a stimulation in both the rate of microsomal oxygen consumption and the formation of superoxide spin adduct, 5,5-dimethyl-2-hydroxyperoxypyrrolidino-1-oxyl (DMPO-OOH). Superoxide dismutase, but not catalase, prevented the formation of this spin adduct, further supporting the suggestion that the superoxide free radical was the major oxy-radical formed during the microsomal metabolism of 1-naphthol and the naphthoquinones. These results are compatible with the suggestion that 1-naphthol may exert its toxicity to isolated hepatocytes and other cellular systems by metabolism to naphthoquinones followed by their redox cycling with concomittant generation of active oxygen species in particular superoxide free radicals.

Topics: Animals; Electron Spin Resonance Spectroscopy; In Vitro Techniques; Male; Microsomes, Liver; NAD; Naphthols; Naphthoquinones; Oxygen Consumption; Rats; Rats, Inbred Strains; Superoxides

1-Naphthol was metabolized by rat liver microsomes, in the presence of an NADPH-generating system, both to methanol-soluble metabolites including 1,4-naphthoquinone and an uncharacterized product(s) (X) and also to covalently bound products. NADH was much less effective as an electron donor than NADPH. Metyrapone, SKF 525-A and carbon monoxide all inhibited the metabolism of 1-naphthol to 1,4-naphthoquinone and to covalently bound products suggesting the involvement of cytochrome P-450 in at least one step in the metabolic activation of 1-naphthol to reactive products. Ethylene diamine, which reacts selectively with 1,2-naphthoquinone but not 1,4-naphthoquinone, did not affect the covalent binding whereas glutathione, which reacts with both naphthoquinones, caused an almost total inhibition of covalent binding. These and other results suggested that 1,4-naphthoquinone, or a metabolite derived from it, was responsible for most of the covalent binding observed and that little if any of the binding was due to 1,2-naphthoquinone.

Topics: Animals; Ascorbic Acid; Biotransformation; Cytochrome P-450 Enzyme System; Ethylenediamines; Glutathione; In Vitro Techniques; Male; Microsomes, Liver; Naphthols; Naphthoquinones; Rats; Rats, Inbred Strains; Superoxide Dismutase

1-Naphthol has recently been shown to be selectively toxic to short-term organ cultures of human colorectal tumor tissue. The mechanism underlying 1-naphthol's selective toxicity is as yet unknown, but may be due to the formation of naphthoquinone metabolites, which are known to be highly toxic to tumor cells. By using high-performance liquid chromatography with reductive electrochemical detection, it has been possible to show that 1-naphthol is converted to naphthoquinone metabolites by rat liver microsomes. At least two metabolic pathways, independent of cytochrome P-450, appear to be involved. Iron-dependent lipid peroxidation appears to be responsible for at least part of the conversion of 1-naphthol to predominantly 1,4-naphthoquinone, and it seems likely that superoxide anion radical generation by NADPH-cytochrome P-450 reductase could also catalyze this conversion. 1-Naphthol therefore seems to be converted to cytotoxic naphthoquinone metabolites by mechanism(s) dependent upon the generation of free radicals in rat liver microsomes. The results also demonstrate the utility of HPLC with reductive electrochemical detection for investigations of quinone metabolite formation and the measurement of quinones of both physiological and environmental interest.

Topics: Animals; Chromatography, High Pressure Liquid; Cytochrome P-450 Enzyme System; Electrochemistry; In Vitro Techniques; Iron; Lipid Peroxides; Male; Microsomes, Liver; NADP; Naphthols; Naphthoquinones; Oxidation-Reduction; Rats; Rats, Inbred Strains