Peroxidatic metabolism of benzidine by intact tissue: a prostaglandin H synthase-mediated process

Abstract
Metabolism of benzidine was assessed with rabbit renal inner medullary slices. 3-(Glutathion-S-yl)-benzidine was identified as a product of metabolism. This thioether conjugate was shown to be identical to synthetic conjugate by chromato-graphically assisted hydrodynamic voltammetric and enzymatic techniques. A good correlation between PGE2 synthesis and conjugate formation was observed with a variety of incubation conditions including tissue weight, arachidonic acid concentration and incubation time. With 0–0.01 mM idomethacin, an inhibitor of the fatty acid cyclo-oxygenase component of prostaglandin H synthase (PHS), a linear relationship between conjugate formation and prostaglandin E2 synthesis was observed. In contrast, the peroxidase cosubstrates propylthiouracil, phenidone, ascorbate and meth-imazole inhibited arachidonic acid stimulation of conjugate formation but not prostaglandin E2 synthesis. These cosubstrates may be functioning as competitive inhibitors of benzidine co-oxidation. The results are consistent with peroxidatic metabolism of benzidine in intact tissue by a PHS-mediated process. 3-(Glutathion-S-yl)-benzidine may be a useful marker for studying peroxidatic metabolism in intact tissue and in investigating selective inhibition of this process.