Identification of the glutathione conjugate of 4-nitroquinoline 1-oxide formed in the reaction catalyzed by murine glutathione transferases.

The product of the enzyme-catalyzed conjugation of glutathione and 4-nitroquinoline 1-oxide was isolated and its structure determined by MS and NMR. The results indicate that the cysteine sulfur of glutathione replaces the nitro group of 4-nitroquinoline 1-oxide in the reaction with the formation of 4-(glutathion-S-yl)-quinoline 1-oxide. No evidence was found for the binding of glutathione to any other position of 4-nitroquinoline 1-oxide or through any group other than the cysteine sulfur.