THE MATABOLISM OF URETHANE AND RELATED COMPOUNDS

1. Urethane is metabolized in the rat, rabbit and man by a process of N-hydroxylation. This occurs to a smaller extent when methyl, n-propyl and n-butyl carbamates are administered to the rat and rabbit. 2. Other metabolites which have been detected in urine of animals dosed with urethane and N-hydroxyurethane are ethylmercapturic acid, ethylmercapturic acid sulphoxide and N-acetyl-S-carbethoxycysteine. 3. Substances which appear to be S-ethylglutathione and S-ethylglutathione sulphoxide have been detected in the bile of rats dosed with urethane or N-hydroxyurethane. 4. Methyl, ethyl, n-propyl and n-butyl N-hydroxycarbamates are excreted unchanged in the urine of rats dosed with these compounds to extents depending on the dose administered. 5. Animals dosed with methyl, ethyl, n-propyl or n-butyl carbamate or the corresponding N-hydroxycarbamate excrete the corresponding carbamate and N-hydroxycarbamate in the urine. 6. Methyl, n-propyl and n-butyl carbamates and N-hydroxycarbamates are excreted more slowly than are urethane and N-hydroxyurethane. 7. The probable role of N-hydroxyurethane and the processes of alkylation and carbethoxylation, and of hydroxylamine, nitroxyl and hyponitrous acid in carcinogenesis and chemotherapy with urethane, have been discussed.

PREPARATION OF PREPHENIC ACID AND ITS CONVERSION TO PHENYLALANINE AND TYROSINE BY PLANT ENZYMES

Enzymes from mung bean (Phaseolus aureus Roxb.) convert prephenic acid to phenylalanine and tyrosine. In addition to glutamate NADP was required for the production of tyrosine but no cofactor appeared necessary for the formation of phenylalanine. Prephenic acid was produced by growing the auxotroph, Escherichia coli, 58-278, in 20 liters of medium in fermenters at 30 °C. From 275 to 325 mg of prephenic acid was obtained per liter. The culture nitrates were concentrated, and the prephenic acid adsorbed and eluted from Dowex 1 resin and charcoal before being recovered in 40–50% yield as the crystalline barium salt.

PREPARATION AND PROPERTIES OF 5,6-MONOEPOXYVITAMIN A ACETATE, 5,6-MONOEPOXYVITAMIN A ALCOHOL, 5,6-MONOEPOXYVITAMIN A ALDEHYDE AND THEIR CORRESPONDING 5,8-MONOEPOXY (FURANOID) COMPOUNDS

1. Oxidation of vitamin A acetate with monoperphthalic acid gave 5,6-monoepoxyvitamin A acetate, C(22)H(32)O(3), obtained as pale-yellow crystals, m.p. 65-66 degrees . 2. Saponification of 5,6-monoepoxyvitamin A acetate yielded 5,6-monoepoxyvitamin A alcohol, which was readily oxidized with manganese dioxide to 5,6-monoepoxyvitamin A aldehyde, obtained as yellow crystals, m.p. 101-102 degrees . It was the most stable of all the epoxy compounds studied. 3. Treatment of the 5,6-epoxy compounds with ethanolic hydrochloric acid gave the corresponding 5,8-epoxy (furanoid) compounds. 5,8-Monoepoxyvitamin A aldehyde was obtained as crystals, m.p. 104-105 degrees , but was very unstable. 4. Crystalline semicarbazones and phenylhydrazones with constant melting points and characteristic spectra were prepared from 5,6- and 5,8-monoepoxyvitamin A aldehyde. 5. Reduction of 5,6- and 5,8-monoepoxyvitamin A aldehyde with lithium aluminium hydride gave the corresponding 5,6- and 5,8-monoepoxyvitamin A alcohol. 6. 5,6- and 5,8-Monoepoxyvitamin A aldehyde were fed to vitamin A-deficient rats, and the compounds obtained from the livers of rats were indistinguishable from the reduction products obtained with lithium aluminium hydride. 7. The structures of the epoxy compounds were confirmed by their chromatographic behaviour, elemental analyses, ultraviolet-, visible- and infrared-absorption spectra and nuclear-magnetic-resonance spectra.

THE METABOLISM OF METHYLCYCLOHEXANE

1. When [U-(14)C]methylcyclohexane is fed to rabbits (dose 2-2.5m-moles/kg. body wt.), 65% of the radioactivity is excreted in the urine as metabolites, 0.5% appears in the faeces and about 15% in the expired air, some 4-5% remaining in the body in about 60hr. after dosing. The 15% of the dose appearing in the expired air consists of unchanged methylcyclohexane (10%) and (14)CO(2) (5%). The low output of (14)CO(2) shows that reactions leading to complete oxidation of methylcyclohexane are of minor importance. 2. The main metabolite found in the urine was the glucuronide of trans-4-methylcyclohexanol which was isolated. Seven methylcyclohexanols were found in the urine as conjugated glucuronides. The amounts of these were determined by isotope dilution to be as follows: cis-2-, 0.6%; trans-2-, 1.2%; cis-3-, 11.5%; trans-3-, 10.5%; cis-4-, 2.4%; trans-4-methylcyclohexanol, 14.7%, cyclohexylmethanol, 0.3%. No 1-methylcyclohexanol was found. There was evidence also that a small amount (approx. 1%) of the hydrocarbon aromatized to benzoic acid, probably via cyclohexylmethanol and cyclohexane-carboxylic acid. 3. The pattern of hydroxylation and the various amounts of the isomers found suggest that the hydroxylation in vivo of methylcyclohexane is dependent on steric factors in the molecule, hydroxylation occurring to the greatest extent at the carbon atom furthest away from the methyl group.

OXIDATIVE METABOLISM OF PHENANTHRENE AND ANTHRACENE BY SOIL PSEUDOMONADS. THE RING-FISSION MECHANISM

1. Phenanthrene is oxidatively metabolized by soil pseudomonads through trans-3,4-dihydro-3,4-dihydroxyphenanthrene to 3,4-dihydroxyphenanthrene, which then undergoes cleavage. 2. Some properties of the ring-fission product, cis-4-(1-hydroxynaphth-2-yl)-2-oxobut-3-enoic acid, are described. The Fe(2+)-dependent oxygenase therefore disrupts the bond between C-4 and the angular C of the phenanthrene nucleus. 3. An enzyme of the aldolase type converts the fission product into 1-hydroxy-2-naphthaldehyde (2-formyl-1-hydroxynaphthalene). An NAD-specific dehydrogenase is also present in the cell-free extract, which oxidizes the aldehyde to 1-hydroxy-2-naphthoic acid. This is then oxidatively decarboxylated to 1,2-dihydroxynaphthalene, thus allowing continuation of metabolism via the naphthalene pathway. 4. Anthracene is similarly metabolized, through 1,2-dihydro-1,2-dihydroxyanthracene to 1,2-dihydroxyanthracene, in which ring-fission occurs to give cis-4-(2-hydroxynaphth-3-yl)-2-oxobut-3-enoic acid. The position of cleavage is again at the bond between the angular C and C-1 of the anthracene nucleus. 5. Enzymes that convert the fission product through 2-hydroxy-3-naphthaldehyde into 2-hydroxy-3-naphthoic acid were demonstrated. The further metabolism of this acid is discussed. 6. The Fe(2+)-dependent oxygenase responsible for cleavage of all the o-dihydroxyphenol derivatives appears to be catechol 2,3-oxygenase, and is a constitutive enzyme in the Pseudomonas strains used.

THE METABOLISM OF GALACTARATE, D-GLUCARATE AND VARIOUS PENTOSES BY SPECIES OF PSEUDOMONAS

1. When NAD(+) was present, cell extracts of Pseudomonas (A) grown with d-glucarate or galactarate converted 1mol. of either substrate into 1mol. each of 2-oxoglutarate and carbon dioxide; 70-80% of the gas originated from C-1 of the hexarate. 2. The enzyme system that liberated carbon dioxide from galactarate was inactive in air and was stabilized by galactarate or Fe(2+) ions; the system that acted on d-glucarate was more stable and was stimulated by Mg(2+) ions. 3. When NAD(+) was not added, 2-oxoglutarate semialdehyde accumulated from either substrate. This compound was isolated as its bis-2,4-dinitrophenylhydrazone, and several properties of the derivative were compared with those of the chemically synthesized material. Methods were developed for the determination of 2-oxoglutarate semialdehyde. 4. Synthetic 2-oxoglutarate semialdehyde was converted into 2-oxoglutarate by an enzyme that required NAD(+); the reaction rate with NADP(+) was about one-sixth of that with NAD(+). 5. For extracts of Pseudomonas (A) grown with d-glucarate or galactarate, or for those of Pseudomonas fragi grown with l-arabinose or d-xylose, specific activities of 2-oxoglutarate semialdehyde-NAD oxidoreductase were much higher than for extracts of the organisms grown with (+)-tartrate and d-glucose respectively. 6. Extracts of Pseudomonas fragi grown with l-arabinose or d-xylose converted l-arabonate or d-xylonate into 2-oxoglutarate when NAD(+) was added to reaction mixtures and into 2-oxoglutarate semialdehyde when NAD(+) was omitted.