Free radical metabolism of hydralazine. Binding and degradation of nucleic acids

Coordination of hydralazine with Cu2+ at acidic pH promotes its oxidative degradation at neutral pH

Hydralazine (HL), a frequently prescribed oral antihypertensive drug, shows redox interactions with transition metals such as copper that are not fully understood. Copper may be present at high concentrations in the digestive tract and can affect oral drugs. An important parameter for such interactions is pH, which changes from acidic in the gastric juice to neutral pH in intestines. In this study, we examined interactions of HL with Cu²⁺ ions in conditions that mimic pH shift in the digestive tract using UV-Vis, Raman and EPR spectroscopy, cyclic voltammetry and oximetry. In the acidic solution, Cu²⁺ formed a stable mononuclear complex with two bidentate coordinated HL molecules. On the other hand, at neutral pH, Cu²⁺ initiated oxidation and degradation of HL. The degradation was more rapid in the HL-Cu²⁺ system that was initially prepared at acidic pH and then shifted to neutral pH. The formation of the complex at acidic pH increases the availability of Cu²⁺ for redox reactions after the shift to neutral pH at which Cu²⁺ is poorly soluble. These results imply that the change of pH along the digestive tract may promote HL degradation by allowing the formation of the complex at gastric pH which makes Cu²⁺ available for subsequent oxidation of HL at neutral pH.

BIOTRANSFORMATION OF HYDRAZINE DERVATIVES IN THE MECHANISM OF TOXICITY

Hydrazine derivatives are environmental and food pollutants but are also important because of their use in medicine for the treatment of tuberculosis and cancer. However, hydrazines also pose significant health risks to humans as they are mutagenic and carcinogenic. This review examines various metabolic pathways (enzymatic and non-enzymatic) of hydrazines for the formation of reactive species that bind to cellular macromolecules and lead to cellular dysfunction. It is believed that this biotransformation is responsible for the pharmacology and pathophysiology of hydrazine derivatives.

DNA cleavage and detection of DNA radicals formed from hydralazine and copper (II) by ESR and immuno-spin trapping

Metal ion-catalyzed oxidation of hydrazine and its derivatives leads to the formation of the hydrazyl radical and subsequently to oxy-radicals in the presence of molecular oxygen. Here, we have examined the role of Cu(2+)-catalyzed oxidation of hydralazine in the induction of DNA damage. Neither 5,5-dimethyl-1-pyrroline-N-oxide (DMPO) nor dimethyl sulfoxide (DMSO) was effective in inhibiting hydralazine-Cu(2+)-induced DNA damage. Singlet oxygen did not appear to participate in this DNA cleavage. The one-electron oxidation of hydralazine also leads to the formation of DNA radicals as confirmed by immuno-spin trapping with 5,5-dimethyl-1-pyrroline-N-oxide. Electron spin resonance (ESR) and spin-trapping studies further confirmed the formation of DNA radicals; predominantly, 2'-deoxyadenosine radical adducts were detected, while some radicals were also detected with other nucleosides. Our results suggest that free hydroxyl radicals may not be the main damaging species causing DNA cleavage and that possibly Cu-peroxide complexes, formed from Cu(+)-H2O2, are responsible for this hydralazine-Cu(2+)-induced DNA cleavage.

Evaluation of hydralazine and procainamide effects on fibroblast membrane fluidity

In this study the membrane fluidity of fibroblasts under different pharmacological treatment was investigated. Two drugs, hydralazine and procainamide, were used to treat the immortalized mouse NIH 3T3 and hamster B14 fibroblasts. Membrane lipid dynamics was measured by fluorescence spectroscopy and electron spin resonance techniques. Two kinds of fluorescent probes (TMA-DPH and 12-(9-anthroyloxy)-stearic acid (12-AS)) and two spin labels (5-doxylstearic acid (5-DS) and 12-doxylstearic acid (12-DS)) were used to monitor fluidity in the upper polar and in the hydrophobic core regions of the lipid bilayer. The drugs influenced the membrane hydrophobic core, of which hydralazine induced fluidization and procainamide increased the rigidity. The membrane fluidity at the surface of the lipid bilayer was not modified by the drugs which indicates that both drugs intercalated mainly into the inner core of the cell membrane.

Studies on the mutagenic activity of hydralazine and dihydralazine in Salmonella typhimurium strains differing in expression of antioxidant genes

The mutagenic activity of two antihypertensive drugs, hydralazine and dihydralazine was investigated in oxyR- proficient (TA104) and -deficient (TA4125) Salmonella typhimurium strains showing different ability to induce proteins involved in protection of the cells against oxidative damage. The results of the Ames test demonstrated that dihydralazine, in contrast to hydralazine, was mutagenic for oxyR- strain at concentrations that were nonmutagenic for oxyR+ strain. The scavenger of superoxide anion, superoxide dismutase decreased in both strains the number of revertants induced by dihydralazine but not by hydralazine. The results may suggest that active oxygen species generated by dihydralazine contribute to its mutagenicity.

Changes in DNA supercoiling in fibroblasts cultured in the presence of hydralazine

We have analyzed changes in the supercoiling of nucleoid DNA of murine fibroblasts cultured in the presence of hydralazine. The entire DNA attached to the nuclear matrix was extracted from the cells and sedimented in neutral sucrose density gradients containing ethidium bromide. Nucleoids from cells treated with hydralazine responded to increasing ethidium bromide concentrations in a different way than those from control cultures. That is, supercoiled loops of DNA unwound with lower concentrations of ethidium bromide sedimented less rapidly than those of control cells, indicating that hydralazine reduced the degree of DNA supercoiling. Also, nucleoids from the drug-treated cells resisted the transition from relaxed to positive supercoiling at higher concentrations of ethidium bromide. Changes in nucleoid DNA supercoiling correlated directly with the dose of hydralazine in the fibroblast culture.

Triplex-DNA stabilization by hydralazine and the presence of anti-(triplex DNA) antibodies in patients treated with hydralazine

Hydralazine is an antihypertensive drug that elicits andti-nuclear antibodies in patients as an adverse effect. We investigated the ability of hydralazine to promote/stabilize the triplex DNA form of poly(dA).2poly(dT). Under conditions of low ionic strength, the polynucleotide melted as a double helix with a melting temperature (Tm) of 55.3 degrees C. Hydralazine destabilized this duplex form by reducing its Tm to 52.5 degrees C. Spermidine (2.5 microM), a natural polyamine, provoked the triplex form of poly(dA)-.2poly(dT) with two melting transitions, Tm1 of 42.8 degrees C corresponding to triplex-->duplex+single-stranded DNA and Tm2 of 65.4 degrees C, corresponding to duplex melting. Triplex DNA thus formed in the presence of spermidine was further stabilized by hydralazine (250 microM) with a Tm1 of 53.6 degrees C. A similar stabilization effect of hydralazine was found on triplex DNA formed in the presence of 5 mM Mg2+. CD spectra revealed conformational perturbations of DNA in the presence of spermidine and hydralazine. These results support the hypothesis that hydralazine is capable of stabilizing unusual forms of DNA. In contrast with the weak immunogenicity of DNA in its right-handed B-DNA conformation, these unusual forms are immunogenic and have the potential to elicit anti-DNA antibodies. To test this possibility, we analysed sera from a panel of 25 hydralazine-treated patients for anti-(triplex DNA) antibodies using an ELISA. Our results showed that 72% of sera from hydralazine-treated patients contained antibodies reacting toward the triplex DNA. In contrast, there was no significant binding of normal human sera to triplex DNA. Taken together our data indicate that hydralazine and related drugs might exert their action by interacting with DNA and stabilizing higher-order structures such as the triplex DNA.

Hydralazine induces Z-DNA conformation in a polynucleotide and elicits anti(Z-DNA) antibodies in treated patients

We studied the effect of hydralazine, an antihypertensive drug with lupus-inducing side effects, on the conformation of poly(dG-m5dC).poly(dG-m5dC) and a plasmid with a 23 bp insert of (dG-dC)n.(dG-dC)n sequences. Using an e.l.i.s.a. with a monoclonal anti-(Z-DNA) antibody Z22, we found that hydralazine provoked the Z-DNA conformation in poly(dG-m5dC).poly(dG-m5dC) at 250-500 microM concentration. The supercoiled form of hydralazine-treated plasmid bound to Z22 in a gel-retardation assay. To examine further whether Z-DNA could act as an inciting agent in anti-nuclear antibody production in patients, we analysed 65 sera from 25 hypertensive patients taking hydralazine and found anti-(Z-DNA) antibodies in 82% of these sera. Sera from age-matched normal controls showed no binding to Z-DNA. Data on sera drawn sequentially from four hypertensive patients showed that antibodies were present after the drug treatment. These data demonstrate the presence of a high incidence of anti-(Z-DNA) antibodies in patients treated with hydralazine and suggest that a possible mechanism for the production of autoantibodies in drug-related lupus might involve the induction and stabilization of Z-DNA by drugs.

Free radical production and site-specific DNA damage induced by hydralazine in the presence of metal ions or peroxidase/hydrogen peroxide

Hydralazine caused site-specific DNA damage in the presence of Cu(II), Co(II), Fe(III), or peroxidase/H2O2. The order of inducing effect of metal ions on hydralazine-dependent DNA damage [Cu(II) greater than Co(II) greater than Fe(III)] was related to that of accelerating effect on the O2 consumption rate of hydralazine autoxidation. Catalase completely inhibited DNA damage by hydralazine plus Cu(II), but hydroxyl radical (.OH) scavengers and superoxide dismutase did not. On the other hand, DNA damage by hydralazine plus Fe(III) was inhibited by catalase and .OH scavengers. Hydralazine plus Cu(II) induced piperidine-labile sites predominantly at guanine and some adenine residues, whereas hydralazine plus Fe(III) caused cleavages at every nucleotide. Activation of hydralazine by peroxidase/H2O2 caused guanine-specific modification in DNA. ESR-spin trapping experiment showed that .OH and superoxide are generated during the Fe(III)- or Cu(II)-catalysed autoxidation of hydralazine, respectively, and that nitrogen-centered radical is generated during the Cu(II)- or peroxidase-catalysed oxidation. The generation of nitrogen-centered radical was also supported by HPLC-mass spectrometry. The results suggest that the guanine-specific modification by the enzymatic activation of hydralazine is due to the nitrogen-centered hydralazyl radical or derived active species, whereas .OH participates in DNA damage by hydralazine plus Fe(III). The mechanism of hydralazine plus Cu(II)-induced DNA damage is complex. The possible role of the DNA damage induced by hydralazine in the presence of Cu(II) or peroxidase/H2O2 is discussed in relation to hydralazine-induced lupus, mutation, and cancer.

Cytochrome P-450- and peroxidase-dependent activation of procarbazine and iproniazid in mammalian cells

Metabolism of hydrazine derivatives, procarbazine and iproniazid, to reactive free radical intermediates has been studied using spin-trapping techniques in intact human promyelocytic leukemia (HL60) and mouse hepatic cell lines. While HL60 cells have been shown to contain both myeloperoxidase and cytochrome P-450 enzymes, the hepatic cell line shows only cytochrome P-450 activity. Both peroxidases and cytochrome P-450 have been reported to catalyze biotransformation of hydrazines. Procarbazine and iproniazid were rapidly metabolized in these cell lines to methyl and isopropyl radicals, respectively. However, in HL60 cells, procarbazine was metabolized by myeloperoxidase while iproniazid was metabolized mostly by the cytochrome P-450 system. In the hepatic cells, both of these compounds were metabolized by the P-450 system.

DNA damage in liver and kidney of rats after treatment with hydralazine in vivo

Alkaline elution has been used to examine the integrity of DNA isolated from liver and kidney from rats treated with hydralazine (1-hydrazinophthalazine). Hydralazine was administered intragastrically at daily doses of 5, 10 and 25 mg per kg body weight to randomly bred female Wistar rats during 3 weeks. The relative strand scission, expressed as rad equivalents increased with increasing drug dose. The incidence of strand scission gives further support to the suggestion that hydralazine can be metabolically activated generating DNA-reactive species.

Iron-dependent hydroxyl radical formation and DNA damage from a novel metabolite of the clinically active antitumor drug VP-16

The dihydroxy derivative of VP-16 (DHVP), a novel metabolite of the clinically active antitumor drug VP-16, was cytotoxic to human breast tumor cells. It was found that DHVP chelates iron and catalyzes the formation of hydroxyl radicals from hydrogen peroxide and reduced glutathione. Ethanol, polyethylene glycol and t-butanol inhibited the formation of DMPO-OH, suggesting that perferryl iron was not involved in OH' formation. Under conditions which formed hydroxyl radicals, DHVP also induced nicking of SV40 DNA, suggesting that the mechanism of tumor cell killing by DHVP may involve iron-dependent free radical formation.

Changes in lung activity of superoxide dismutase and copper concentration during lung tumorigenesis by hydralazine in Swiss mice

Hydralazine (1-hydrazinophthalazine) was administered in drinking water as a 0.0312% solution to randomly bred Swiss mice for life beginning at 5 weeks of age. The treatments gave rise to statistically significant incidences of lung tumors: 55% in females and 43% in males. A decreased copper concentration and superoxide dismutase activity in the lung of mice were observed. The role of copper and superoxide dismutase in the malignant process is briefly discussed.

Spin trapping: ESR parameters of spin adducts

Spin trapping has become a valuable tool for the study of free radicals in biology and medicine. The electron spin resonance hyperfine splitting constants of spin adducts of interest in this area are tabulated. The entries also contain a brief comment on the source of the radical trapped.

The interaction of hydralazine with a semicarbazide-sensitive amine oxidase in brown adipose tissue of the rat. Its use as a radioactive ligand for the enzyme

Hydralazine is a potent irreversible inhibitor of the semicarbazide-sensitive amine oxidase (SSAO) found in brown fat. Initially it may act on the enzyme as a competitive inhibitor, but irreversible inhibition occurs rapidly in a concentration- and temperature-dependent manner. The presence of primary amines known to be substrates for the enzyme, but not of secondary amines, which are not metabolized by SSAO, diminishes this rate of inactivation, whereas removal of O2 is without effect. The kinetic pattern of inactivation of SSAO by hydralazine is consistent with an active-site-directed site-saturable binding followed by the development of an irreversible enzyme-inhibitor complex. [3H]Hydralazine, used as an affinity label for SSAO, shows saturable binding to brown-fat membranes. This binding is inhibited by other inhibitors of SSAO. The rate of binding to membrane pellets containing SSAO is not affected by substrates for the enzyme. However, if solubilized partially purified SSAO preparations are used instead, the rate of binding is lowered in the presence of the SSAO substrate benzylamine. 3H-labelled material solubilized from [3H]hydralazine-treated membrane pellets by Triton X-100 at that detergent/protein ratio which releases SSAO from membranes shows the same gel-filtration characteristics as SSAO and appears by lentil lectin-agarose affinity chromatography to contain similar carbohydrate moieties. 3H-labelled material, partially purified by gel filtration and affinity chromatography, produces predominantly a single band of radioactivity on sodium dodecyl sulphate/polyacrylamide-gel electrophoresis. The position of this band corresponds to an Mr of about 94 000, almost exactly half the Mr already estimated for the functional unit of SSAO. Radiolabelled hydralazine may thus be used as a label for purified SSAO, but it is not specific enough to be suitable as a ligand in vivo.

Antilupus activity of copper (II)

Collagen-like syndrome was induced in rats by oral hydralazine administration during 5 months. After 4 months, a subgroup of rats was shifted from the standard diet to the diet supplemented with copper (II) (60 micrograms of copper per g of pellet) as copper sulphate. A decreased serum copper concentration was noted, LE cells were observed in the blood of 75% of rats fed with standard diet. In the subgroup of copper supplemented rats, the LE cells were observed in 40% of rats only. The activity of superoxide dismutase, the antioxidative copper-dependent enzyme, was significantly lower in erythrocytes of rats fed with standard diet, than the activity in rats fed with copper supplemented diet. These results are briefly discussed.

Hydroxyl radical production and DNA damage induced by anthracycline-iron complex

Adriamycin-Fe3+ complex catalyzes the formation of hydroxyl radical from hydrogen peroxide but the DNA-adriamycin-iron ternary complex is much more effective. 11-Deoxyadriamycin, which shows no spectral evidence of complex formation with iron, was ineffective. The generation of hydroxyl radical by adriamycin-Fe3+ complex in the presence of DNA correlates with its ability to cleave DNA. Hydroxyl radicals are thus implicated as the reactive oxygen species involved in the DNA damage caused by the adriamycin-Fe3+ complex.