BILIARY-EXCRETION OF GLUTATHIONE CONJUGATES OF 4,5-EPOXY-4,5-DIHYDRO-1-NITROPYRENE AND 9,10-EPOXY-9,10-DIHYDRO-1-NITROPYRENE IN RATS ADMINISTERED 1-NITROPYRENE ORALLY AND THEIR FURTHER METABOLISM IN THE INTESTINAL-TRACT

1-Nitropyrene (1-NP), a mutagenic and carcinogenic substance that occurs in the environment, is metabolized by reductive and oxidative pathways. 4,5-Epoxy,4,5-dihydro-1-NP (1-NP 4,5-oxide) and 9,10-epoxy-9,10-dihydro-1-NP (1-NP 9,10-oxide) are oxidatively activated metabolites of 1-NP, and react with glutathione. HPLC analysis of billary metabolites from rats administered [3H] 1-NP orally showed the presence of glutathione conjugates of 1-NP 4,5-oxide and 1-NP 9,10-oxide and their metabolites, cysteinylglycine and cysteine conjugates. During the 48 h following [3H] 1-NP administration, 21.4% of the biliary metabolites were excreted as glutathione, cysteinylglycine and cysteine conjugates of 1-NP oxides. The proportions of glutathione conjugates of 1-NP 4,5-oxide and 1-NP 9,10-oxide were 2.6 and 10.4% respectively. Bile and pancreatic juice collected from normal rats metabolized glutathione conjugates of 1-NP oxides and produced the corresponding cysteinylglycine and cysteine conjugates. In particular, the γ-glutamyltransferase activity of pancreatic juice was markedly high. When glutathione conjugates of 1-NP oxides were incubated with a cell-free extract of small intestinal contents, they decreased rapidly and cysteine conjugates increased via cysteinylglycine conjugates, indicating that pancreatic juice plays an important role in the small intestine for the metabolism of glutathione conjugates to corresponding cysteine conjugates. Although degradation activity of small intestinal contents for cysteine conjugates was very low, degradation activity of the contents of the cecum and large intestine was high and was inhibited by an inhibitor of cysteine conjugate β-lyase (β-lyase) activity, aminooxyacetic acid. Furthermore, the intestinal anaerobic bacteria Peptostreptococcus magnus and Eubacterium limosum showed high β-lyase activity, suggesting that the cysteine conjugates might be further metabolized by β-lyase of the normal bacterial flora in the lower intestine to the reactivated metabolites and reabsorbed. © 1990 Oxford University Press.