Peroxidatic metabolism of benzidine by intact tissue: a prostaglandin H synthase-mediated process.

Metabolism of benzidine was assessed with rabbit renal inner medullary slices. 3-(Glutathion-S-yl)-benzidine was identified as a product of metabolism. This thioether conjugate was shown to be identical to synthetic conjugate by chromatographically assisted hydrodynamic voltammetric and enzymatic techniques. A good correlation between PGE2 synthesis and conjugate formation was observed with a variety of incubation conditions including tissue weight, arachidonic acid concentration and incubation time. With 0-0.01 mM idomethacin, an inhibitor of the fatty acid cyclo-oxygenase component of prostaglandin H synthase (PHS), a linear relationship between conjugate formation and prostaglandin E2 synthesis was observed. In contrast, the peroxidase cosubstrates propylthiouracil, phenidone, ascorbate and methimazole inhibited arachidonic acid stimulation of conjugate formation but not prostaglandin E2 synthesis. These cosubstrates may be functioning as competitive inhibitors of benzidine co-oxidation. The results are consistent with peroxidatic metabolism of benzidine in intact tissue by a PHS-mediated process. 3-(Glutathion-S-yl)-benzidine may be a useful marker for studying peroxidatic metabolism in intact tissue and in investigating selective inhibition of this process.