A kinetic model of the cell culture cytotoxicity of metabolically activated agents: N-methyl-N-(acetoxymethyl)nitrosamine, methylnitrosourethane, and (methylazoxy)methanol acetate.

The activity of three metabolically activated methylating agents, N-methyl-N-(acetoxymethyl)nitrosamine (DMN-OAc), methylnitrosourethane (MNUT), and (methylazoxy)methanol acetate (MAM-Ac), were determined in cell culture by using a P388 cell growth rate inhibition assay. Experiments were conducted with normal P388 cells in Fischer's medium and under conditions in which the esterase-mediated activation was modified by pretreating cells with the irreversible esterase inhibitor paraoxon and by adding acetylcholinesterase to the medium. Inhibition of intracellular esterase had a much greater effect on activity than did addition of enzyme to medium.

Nucleophilic reactions between biological conjugates and tetraalkylammonium ion pair reagents during desorption chemical ionization.

Tetraalkylammonium salts, commonly used as ion pair reagents in chromatography, were found to react with biological conjugates under desorption chemical ionization conditions in a mass spectrometer. The reactions occur for aromatic glucuronide and glucoside conjugates using solid samples loaded on the direct exposure probe. Evidence is presented that several mechanisms contribute to the degradative alkylation of benzo(a)pyrene glucuronide.

Separation by ion-pair high-performance liquid chromatography of the glucuronide, sulfate and glutathione conjugates formed from benzo[a]pyrene in cell cultures from rodents, fish and humans.

A large proportion of the metabolites formed from benzo[a]pyrene (BP) in cell cultures from rodents, fish and humans result from conjugation of an oxidized metabolite of BP with sulfate, glucuronic acid or glutathione (GSH). To improve the analysis of these metabolites, a reversed-phase ion-pair h.p.